This is obscure, but hear me out.
John Harvey Kellogg was the eccentric doctor who operated a sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, around the turn of the 20th century, which is parodied in the film The Road to Wellville.
In pursuit of health, Dr. Kellogg promoted sexual abstinence, exercise, and a bland diet (which included the breakfast cereal his brother made famous). He took these beliefs to an extreme - apparently, he never consummated the marriage with his wife, Ella, despite being together for 41 years. All of their many kids were adopted.
My question concerns two men now considered pioneers of weightlifting/bodybuilding.
Eugene Sandow organized the first bodybuilding competitions, in London in 1901, and was billed as the best built man in the world. The trophy given to the Mr. Olympia today is called the Sandow Trophy.
The other man was George Hackenschmidt, the man who invented the bench press. Today, the hack squat is named for him. George appeared in a number of wrestling matches in America in the early 1900s.
My question is simply whether Kellogg commented on these men. I can’t find anything, so perhaps not, but given that Kellogg was interested in healthy living, and included exercise as part of his regimen, I would think he would at least express an opinion on these men.
Did he think them scandalous (since he was so pious)? Did he consider their training methods worthwhile? Did he criticize their advice?
Thanks to anybody who can provide anything on this curiosity of mine.