New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-05-18
PLAYTIME In SCHOOLS
Games That DeveJop Girls IN Brook
lam High School.


before the Brooklyn Institute AZ this school
there Is no gymnasium. but there is good yard
space For four months in the year girls play
the games that have been substituted for gym
hastcs out in the yard. in forty-flve minute
periods. and in bad weather they play them in
the schoolrooms
Is really astonishing" continued Miss
clark TO see the difference in a girls playing
ability in the FIRST and fifth terms: to see how
ner endurance has Increased, how much longer
she can keep at the game how her skill has
grown and also her enjoyment Of play"
AS to the much discussed question of games
as substitute for gymnastics Miss Clark de-
ciared that for special faults Of posture and
physique the game could not be a substitute for
the gymnastic exercise devised for the purpose
OF correcting that special fault. But the game
does some things that gymnastics do not do.
Games develop the whole girl" said Miss
Clark; they develop her mind and character as
well as her body. They develop her energy.
strength skill and endurance Perhaps these
are the physical qualities most saliently az
fected. But they also develop her courage
alertness. persistence and self-control, very
valuable mental qualities. as 1 think you will
admit
AS to the physical qualities, it is really re-
Tnarkable what endurance is developed how
many more girls drop out of gymnastics by
special request than out of the games. and how
many more girls play the games constantly in
the later terms than in the first term they come
70 US. We never encourage them to play con-
stantly or at any time when they do not feel
Ike It, For that reason we have a great va
rlety OF games in the first term, games that are
not spoiled If all do not play. We encourage
them TO stand by and watch part of the time,
to rest a few minutes and then play hard a
few minutes; perhaps not to play at all one
day, and then play hard another day, when they
feel like It,
PLUCK 1s DEVELOPED
"As to the mental qualities, one Of the most
notable developments is pluck You know a.
girl cries pretty easily. The tears lie close TO
the surface. 1t takes pluck for a girl to crush
back the tears at hurt and go right on play
ing as have seen them do constantly If they
get a hurt which is than trifing or which
they fear may be more than trifing they are
taught to step straight out of line without cry
ing or calling the rest or disturbing the game
Many time have seen a girl step to the bench.
carefully examine a wrist, an elbow or a knee
work it around, come to the conclusion no harm
was done, and fly back into the game If she
has received any hurt which she thinks should
be attended to she is instructed to call a
teacher Immediately. and sometimes the teacher
takes her into the schoolhouse to bind up
where self-oontrol comes in the part of the
class. They see the teacher leading off that girl.
They 90 not know but that it is serious acct
dent They go straight on with the game. They
have not the less sympathy, but they are taught
that, the girl is going to be perfectly we'll
taken care Of there is no necessity to yield to
hysterical curiosity and break up the game
Girls trained in this way will not be so apt 90
lose their heads in panic
box
half the girls in the class on each side. These
create a feeling of union and solidarity a spirit
Of playing for your side and not for yourself
individually, which is useful to introduce among
girls. who. left to themselves. do not have this
feeling much boys. The feeling OF
petition introduced proves a useful and enjoy
able stimulus, without degenerating into that
intense desire to win which often destroys all
true atmosphere Of sport among boys. The idea
is kept steadily to the front that. no matter
who wins. long they win fairly there has
been good game and all have enjoyed them
selves. which is the main thing"
STEALING STICKS POPULAR.
Miss Clark declared that of all the scores OF
games played-there are fifteen ball games
alone-the girls of the whole school will choose
one game in preference to all others if left TO
themselves. The audience Immediately wanted
to know what this was. and Miss Clark
fessed that it stealing sticks" This is
something like the old-fashioned Prisoners
Base" The girls are lined up in two Sides
each side having its captain and standing along
its own base line, At one end of each base line
is marked out square Enclosure which contains
six little blocks of wood. These Enclosures are
called jails The object is for one side to steal
all the sticks in the other sides Jail. But if
the girl who tries 1t is tagged she is put in
the eneay's JAIL where she must remain until
freed by her own side The object of each
get all the sticks and prisoners out of the OPP
ponents Jail The last girl off base can be
tagged. Thus No runs out from the Reds to
steal a stick. No. runs out from the Blues
to protect her Jail. No. runs out from the
Reds to protect No. i, and No. runs from the
Blues to protect No. 2 II is easy 20 see that
scramble and very delicate umpiring in this,
and after girls have been playing it for forty
five minutes in the open air they are bound to
go in with cheeks glowing, lungs full OF oxygen
and all the cobwebs swept out Of their brains
When they first begin to play it the game is
quickly settled by the skill of one or two ex-
ceptional girls; but in the later terms they
grow so expert that one game has been known
to stretch over three periods of forty-fve min
utes each without either side winning.
In the classroonls no such noisy games can be
played There favorte ball game is to start
each line eff girls, sitting in their seats, with a
ball. The girl in the first seat losses the ball
over her head backward. The one behind
catches and losses it on. The line which losses
its ball to the rear seat and back again without
dropping il to the floor scores. When skill is at
tanned in this, the element of speed is added.
The line which gets its ball down and back first
scores. Then only the left hand may be used
Such playing requires quick and correct action.
and every action must have thought behind 1t.
which is the secret Of the educational value OF
games.
PINKERTONS ALICE LIBEL.