The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-09
lENCH ATHLETIC SPORT.
4 y sendit, Fair, Which is Held
ID tho Bots de
Boulogne.
81 y Gotten Up by the League
Of Physical Edu-
cation.
xhe sports viii Include Several English
aad American Games More or Less
I Changed.

French fairly well, and yet be puzzled by
the word. It is an old one, meaning fair
Originally that at st. Denis), and it has
been applied to the inter-scholastic games
OF the Partisan schools which are being held
IN the Bots de Boulogne. The Temps pub
fishes an illustrated supplement, with in
teresting details and illustrations. The
Lendit haa been gotten out by the League
Of Physical Education. The object is ex-
cellent, says the London Saturday Review.
French school boys are said to be gawky,
indolent in games, languid; and to cure all
these evils sports very like our own are be-
ing encouraged. The French are persuaded
that most Of our games, including even
cricket and foot ball, were borrowed from
them. The history of games is very obscure;
but We may remark that even the Australian
black has 3 form of punt-about of his own,
that we owe lacrosse to the Hurons, and
that Roman games were probably, IN less
regular form, very like ours. We might as
we'll attempt to assign proverbs, ballads
riddles, or nursery tales to one single coun-
try as to do the same for games IN tneif
early rudimentary shape. Nausicaa played
at sport which might be developed INTO
either tennis, base ball, stool ball. or cricket.
Az matter Of historical fact, it was the
! French mainly who gave tennis its actual
orm: England did the same for cricket,
merica for base ball. Scotland for golf,
1gby for its own peculiar foot ball. Eton for
q singular fives. We know who fashioned
! Of that sport into its ultimate form;
+Lo not know what nation first kicked
brt of goal or first played hockey IN
saape e pole h lrS and
ostus, according to Suetonius, took
asue in pedestrian species of that ex-
BIZ 'Balioon'' was found among the
sue the Romans also played with an in
nrsr or 1ral u
Iesl mot with certainty be traced to any
fait,.
menFrench sports are to include long
M. ,layed in this open air, a cousin OF
Of seennis. The players may number
advan to sixteen. The game has sur
ausant the Spanish frontier. and there is
peopl that it Is capital acppq asi%e t. t ha
that p an Immediate between base
by I'd FOUNDERS. In the drawing
lit is pitching Itching at sSert ies
Sea, tnd seems very likely to get his
IF daren. The artist, we fancy, knows
- she game; at least he appears TO
and souped all the bases in spot about
s Ihe aEs tae close %
maHrrAo answers to our wicket keeper is IN
the wrong place. The game is obviously
not nearly so severe or dangerous as IN the
United States. Elegance rather than sever,
fRarette9 has none of our regretted ferooity:
When a man runs with the ball he ls not
collared and perhaps half strangied, ne y
merely touched. We gather that passing passing.
is not practced inns sa may ~ az !; 20 cannot be-
snnh training for endurance and strength
M the violent game at which we break our
legs and collar-bones. In picture OF
.scoup franc''or place-kick, the artist appears
not quite to have understood what is done.
It is unlikely that the French kick the ball
from between the hands Of the man who
places it. yet this is what the sketch APP
pears to represent. "Touch" and "offside'''
are recognized in the rules. Pnnts and
also mauls, but of a courteous character,
whom the runner with the ball is touched,
and has it down. What we are anxious to
know is this-are these rules the ancient
on the Rugby model, with alleviations?
Tho latter seems more probable; nor can
We believe that Rugby, or Rugby alone,
plaoiarized from the French. Probably, in
practice the mild lqle H., ABOUT %" merely ~
found difficult to work, as 1t
will be hard for any one to run
more than a few yards without being
touched. However, in spite of insular pref
udice, there is no doubt that our game
easily becomes too ferocions. In 1.-The
Match Of the Season. in the Cornhill Mag
azne for May, there is a most amusing
satire on the subject. The Gouret OF france
is merely our hockey. shinty, hurting or by
be also competitions in fencing, French
boxing. running, rowing and other modes
of exercise. French golf. LA Chole. IS not
mentioned, and is not precisely suitable for
be unpatriotic, though the Dutch have done
it, and we cannot expect challenge to
Eton or Harrow. But We fancy that a
French schoolboys' eight at Henley would
be warmly welcomed.
they now think and talk of nothing else
but sports" They might do much worse;
but the French educational reformers will
inevitably discover that games may very
easily become the single and absorbing in
ferest of the puerile mind. We know that
only too we'll in England. The president
Of the republic has given magnificent
champion cup, the object of new sort of
ambition in France. Perhaps it will be
found in time that too much competition is
the bane of athletics; that they should be
enjoyed for themselves. Nobody i'll his
senses would recommend competition for
cups at football, cricket or athletics among
English schools. The plan was tried in
Scotland, and we have an idea that the
struggle was found too absorbing How
ever, the great thing is to make beginning
and TO teach the French schoolboy the use
OF MS legs anu dIIuS. We uO uOt grunge
his calling football barette-a nation may
al we'll speak its own language-and we GER
tainly do not intend to call hockey lie gouret
nor FOUNDERS la theque. Let us hope "that
the siovenly. clumsy schoolboy will become
prehistoric type as the Temps ventures
to prophesy.
What Do You Know
About tho Superb Pullman Dining Car,
which have been recently placed in service
via the Union Pacific, ''The Overland
Route?" They run on the fast yestibule