Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-10-25
shan the Boys play Football.

The question of high school athle-
tics is being discussed by parents and
others interested, and.some think too
much time is given to football and
basketball, but SO long as other
schools enjoy these amusements it
would seem like real hardship to
deny our scholars a like privilege, be-
cause there is no use denying that
pride and ambition to excel and de-
feat all competitors will predominate
SO long as healthy ambition holds
sway among the scholars Of our pub
lie schools, and we believe all would
regret to see this spirit die out. The
American youth Is ambitious and
parents would not have 1t otherwise.
Parents as rule are afraid their boys
willget hurt playing football, but
what are we going to do about It
when other schools permit 1t and
other clubs ask for a friendly contest.
Are we willing to say our boys and
girls shall not play or that they lack
ambition or pride In athletic victory.
It would not be true II we did.
Football Is much less dangerous
now than formerly and when properly
managed and carefully supervised
there is little danger of serious injury,
and the game between the Canton
and Parker football teams last Friday
proved that under Superintendent
Woodburn's management the game
can be played in gentlsmanly man.
ner and much OF the roughness and
all of the brutality eliminated.
Boys will be boys. and we OF mature
years know this truism too we'll, yet,
the careful and painstaking desire Of
age to avoid danger in chance meets
with little favor among the strudy
boys who love chance and team hon
.ors. The average American boy fears
nothing, relying largely on his knowl-
edge that he can take care of himself
and has no desire to be called a weak
ling and In most cases would resent
the inference. About half of the
great armies In the civil war was COM
posed Of boys and young men under
q, and war taught self reliance and
Independence Athletic games teach
courage, independence and manly ac-
tion. Some get hurt occasionally,
and some bright dashing young fell
low gets killed, but boys gets hurt
and many are killed In the peaceful
every day pursuits Of life We all
love a bright, brave, manly boy, and
II such boy is denied the alluring
sports OF boyhood he becomes discon-
tented and wants to go to some other
place where boys are not nailed down
by the fear born Of age. Three years
Of the writer's best boyhood, Is to lS,
was spent in the army and we think
more Of those three years than any
other three years of our. life.
Boys will be boys and we might as
well recognize the fact, and boys will
play baseball and foot ball and swim,
climb apple trees and hunt, run au-
tos II they had them, ride on the
railroad and take chances In any dar-
ing undertaking that comes along,
and while the boy that wouldn't do
any Of these things might get to be
president, we would be more willing
to bet on the other class Of boys
climbing the White House ladder
first.
Foot ball is the great college game
of the country and while it is SO recog-
nized there Is little use in prohibiting
the game between high school teams
much as we dread accidents. The
writer never played foot ball and
thinks It a rough game, but the
chances are he would be In the game
II age and conditions permitted.
Basket ball Is harmless amuse-
ment 1t home but II played IN =