Iron History

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12/26/2008 Entry: "12/26/2008: Part 2 of an April 15, 1988 Letter From Charles A. Smith to Joe"

Part 2 of letter from Charles A. Smith dated April 15, 1988 (to Roark)

Good old George Weaver. The Reverend has been in touch with him, but when I asked for George's address, somehow the Reverend always had an excuse for not giving it to me. Canst thou oblige. Yes, I know he wrote a book. The Reverend was send a copy and I briefly scanned through a few pages of it, but paid it no heed, since, at the time, I had other things on my mind. But I'd love to write Weaver. He was the one, I think I may have told you, who had a vasectomy performed, had the surgeon write out a certificate to that effect, then hung the cert over his bed head. A true eccentric and a man to KNOW. Some of the correspondence between Weaver and Willoughby with his dry, tongue in cheek wit, taking the right royal piss out of Willoughby.

Weaver seems to move around hither and yon. How he lives is beyond me. He does, so I am told, play a load of shuffleboard. He was living somewhere in Florida. The Reverend, on one of his forays, visited him. George must be well into his 80s now. Now here's a man I admire, a real true blue full blooded iconoclast.

The old H&S's from England, which isn't so jolly these days what with that Bitch Maggie Thatcher doing her very best to destroy their magnificent social welfare system and introduce a Social Darwinism, are worth having, but Joe, a caveat here. DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ IN THEM. Frinstance, they were great ones for upholding amateurism and all it stood for, so they said, while at the same time paying Ron Walker five quid a week- a princely sum in those days, to keep him lifting and have his exclusive 'stories'.

As for Bill Klein and his signing saying he SAW Arthur Saxon bent press 386. BULLSHIT. Don't believe it. Klein was a man who ran a somewhat dubious BOXING gym in Golden Square. He was buddy buddy with Bill Bankier who ran a likewise gym not too far away. Bill Klein, like so many others was in it for what he could get out of it and would have attested to ANYTHING if he saw a profit in it. How fast my luverly. I'll rake out all the dirt for you re Bill Klein.

Whatever you don't understand about that Hoffie trial, just ask and I'll do my best to explain. I underlined what thought went with important bits. But it does open a few windows, allowing u to see what sort of man Hoffie really was.

The old H&S mags are extremely interesting historical documents. They show how wide the physical culture and lifting movement was in the days when the Wanking Wunder AND Hoffie wren't even twinkles in the eyes of their progenitors. So much for the bullshit that is being spread around today about this ir that person being the 'Father' of lifting in this or that country.

What you should do, if possible, is to get some of the very early copies of H&S, when they were published WEEKLY, way back in the early part of this century nd the early twenties.

Pullum, when he took the mag over, was a hard taskmaster, full of the sense of his own importance and as litigious as an heir who thinks he has wrongly been left out of his rich uncle's will. He'd sue at the drop of a hat, or any other material for that matter. But the old H&S's ARE very very valuable if for the only reason that they show who was and who wasn't and how so much of what is told now about the old days is a bunch of bloody lies.

It is amazing how Vic Boff manages to write everyone but me, and he claims to be my friend. I guess that I am of no use to him now that I am out of the scene.

Same with Reg Park. It seems he can write to everyone but me, and I did so much for him, helping him get his mag set up in Leeds plus many other things. SO I guess, if I was a big shot and still writing for the Wanking Wunder, I'd be a 'wanted' man. Doesn't bother me though. One finds out who one's friends are fast enough.

Yup. You did tell me that Bollocks finally paid you. What kept him? He STILL hasn't paid the Reverend for his Sri Chinmoy article and Fred Howell is still having fits getting his material back.

Will Darden's book on big arms be out soon? I wonder how big Ell's arms tape. Would be interesting to learn and of course cite that well known and oft heard apothegm, 'Physician Heal Thyself'.

Joe, the suspense is agonizing. What TOPIC HAVE you invented? Pray, don't keep me in suspense any longer but TELL ME! I won't quickly point out anything to you. In fact I can't until I KNOW WHAT IT IS. As for my seeing it in MD, I won't. I never get the mag. I haven't seen a copy in years. I think it is horrible- at least the last copy I saw of it at the Collection and I wonder how it is managing to survive.

So Joseph, if you will only TELL ME NOW hat you have written. I will give you an HONEST appraisal and let you know if you do have something original or otherwise. I repeat I NEVER see MD and I don't intend to buy it. Can't afford it. Infernal Revenue Service was particularly cruel this year. I am thinking of applying for food stamps.

My best to you and your family. Regards to Meg. Hope she is fighting the good fight, and when she's head of the Federal Reserve, remember, I TOLD YOU SO,
Chas