MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES. Largely owing to the efforts of the Baron Pierre de Conbertin, a number of individuals banded themselves to gether and organized an International Athletic Committee, which held its first meeting in Paris in 1895. The object of the committee was to reitstablish the Olympian games by organizing a series of athletic contests to be held once in every four years, and to take place at such time and in such country as the International Committee might decide. The first games in the modern series were held at Athens in 1890, the ancient Stadium, which had been specially pre pared for the purpose, serving as the theatre. The patriotic munificence of a wealthy Greek of Alexandria (George AbC4oIT), together with the efforts of the Greek national committee, muter the Crown Prince Constantine, alone made this possible. The different competitions were for the most part open to the world. The second and more important festival was held at Paris in 1900, the games being divided into ten sec tions, as follows: Athletic sports and games; gymnastics; fencing: shooting; equestrian sports; cycling sports; motor cal' racing; aquatic sports; firemen's drill; and ballooning. A con
spicuous feature was the large number of Ameri can entries, to secure which the authorities had purposely delayed the date of the games. It was announced that the 1904 games would be held in the United States. Consult: Krause, Olympia, oder Dors/dimly der olympischen gtipncdc (Vienna. 1S3S), which is still of value; Bid tieher, Olympia Das (rest and seine Stiitte (2d ed., Berlin, 18SG) ; Mommsen, ['OK). die Zeit der Olympien (Leipzig. 1S91) ; Stengel "Die griechischen Kultusaltertilmer," in Miiller's Handbuch der klassisehr» Alterfamswissenschaft (Munich. 1898) ; Gardner. New Chapters in Greek History (London, 1892).