The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-01
BASKETBALL GIRLS
A CORRESPONDENT is SHOCKED
BY -HEIR APPEARANCE
Played in the School Yard Behind
High Fence 1t Is All Right, but Pub
lie Contests for Young Women in
BIooners Are Not Proper.

Dear Marie: Are you not
little shocked when you read
of the basketball contests be-
tween rival teams of girls? Perhaps 1
am too conservative and old-fashioned,
but it pains me hey ond words to read
about I6-year-old girls dressed in
boomers scrambling round the moor
in an indiscriminate heap of legs and
arms, while men stand about the sizes
and cheer them on. l wish you could
see your way clear to say a few words
which will put plainly before the moth-
ers of these girls the Improperly or
this game l have sons and know
what they say. "A Nlotner.
The above letter is significant and
gives is a chance to say something
upon the subject of girls and sports
which this department has wanted to
do for some time Perhaps we are like
the correspondent, old-fashioned and
Woefully behind the times, but it GER
tainly is shocking to see on the sport
ing pages of the papers, wedged in
between a horserace on one side and
prize fight on the other, an account of
young girls playing basketball. The
thing is still further shocking to one
who has seen the game and knows how
rough it may become when the con-
testants become excited. The account
of a game played recently between
some ST. Paul girls and an out-of-toWn
team said there was no smuggling! We
are able to infer from this that slug
ging" is customary. It certainly gives
us pause to think of lot Of be-bloom-
cred schoolgirls engaged in smuggling!
Of course, We must take into ac-
no ic Of dQuOfinT1
to athletics, to strenuosity of every
kind, approved and encouraged by the
powers that be, so that the infection
has naturally spread to the schools.
One would suppose that girls might be
exempt from this craze, but it has
taken hold of them too 1t must not
be forgotten that a moderate amount
of exercise is good for everyone, and
especially for growing boys and girls,
but there are games and games Bas-
ketball undoubtedly develops the mus
cles and is healthful for girls played
in the seclusion of school yard behind
a high fence, with no spectators. Even
then it Is not graceful nor exactly what
one would call feminine accomplish
ment. Played in a public place with
mixed audience looking on and the
fls in boomers, it is unspeakable.
What our correspondent does not say
of the opinion of her sons of this game
played by girls is significant. Public
athletics for women is a result of the
co-edueational idea carried to an ex-
IRENE, and as there is a growing senti-
ment against that idea it is to be hoped
that when it is relegated to the past,
basketball contests and other ball
games for girls will go with it. There
is one thfng1a girl or woman can never
afford 20 do, and that is to sacrifice her
dignity. Another thing which she
should strive never to do is to place
herself in a position to be ridiculed.
She incurs the danger of both by TAX
ing part in public contests and tourna-
ments. Girls can play golf and tennis
with impunity, although the former is
being given up largely by women. but
there is something lost by the girl who
plays basketball-even without slug
ging-which she can never regain. Now,
if the girls honestly differ from us, and
if there is anything in this article ex-
aggerated or untrue, it is to be hoped
that some one will set us straight and
we will be only too glad to make the
amende honorable.