The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1907-12-27

like to take my people from prayer
meeting right into the gymnasium,
and timber them up with exercise
there. The other thing l don't like
about it is that there is no swimming
hole. Of course those shower baths
are better, but we boys, and especi-
ally we older boys, love the mem
ory of the swimming hole.
81 am greatly pleased with this
achievement-the placing of this
gymnasium here; and you, the peo-
pie of Blackfoot, are to be congratu-
lated on having man with you for
period who can accomplish such
work. (Applause.) l thank you
| for that response. thought could
say something to bring you out, and
if you had not responded to that ex-
preston about DR.. Harrington's
work | shouldn't have liked you so
much. He has done this for your
boys and girls. Their energies are
bound to be used up in some way,
and if they'"are given chance to be
doing something good, they will not
spend the time doing something bad.
Oh! | know! Some of you think,
We'll now, never had such things
Las these when / was young, and l
pulled through; and so can they.
That's so; you didn't have anything
of this kind, and that may explain
why so many of you are going to the
Devil. (Laughter.)
Gust think of what this gym
nasium has cost; and it is for all the
boys and girls of the town. Why,
any one of them is worth more than
| this has cost; especially if it hap
pens to be your own boy or girl. And
you are taking great risk of losing
your boy when all the places of the
street were bidding for him and there
was no other place to go.
"You have spent $4,000 on this in
stitution; and you should be twice
glad of the investment, for it is worth
many times the cost. | believe 1t Is
the first school gymnasium in the
State of Idaho, and you have right
to be proud of having taken the lead
in so worthy and practical a move
as gymnastics and manual training
in connection with your schools.
Few western towns have such
| things Nobody expects to find 1t
in a little town of 1000 people. They
might look for such gymnasium as
this in a town of 10000 or 10000
population, and few of them would
have it. 1t is an addition to this
school, that you will have to use and
see some of the results from before
you will fully appreciate it. l thank
YOU" (Applause.)
DR.. Harrington continued: There
is another man whose help and en-
couragement has been greatly ap-
preciated by me in this work, and l
am going to call on him to address
you. 1t is a pleasure to me to pre-
sent to you, President Jas. Duck
worth"
Mr.. Duckworth is a slight-bullt
man with a large bump" of bene-
violence. He is president of the
Blackfoot Stake, a district or divis-
ion of the Mormon Church, which In
many instances corresponds in size
to a county in civil affairs Mr.. Duck
worth once visited the l.. D. s. Col
lege at Salt Lake, and seeing that 1t
vas a fine institution but without a
library, he handed the president a
check for $1,000 to be used as a
nucleus for library fund, and out
of this act has developed The Duck
worth Library of which the institu-
tion is justly proud.
To those who knew the character
. of the man and his strong faith In
liberal education and proper training
of youth, 1T was no surprise that Dr.
Harrington should have found in him
strong supporter of the Gymnasium.
: lHis speech was short and to the point.
He said he believed In cultivatlng
J the physical nature Of boy as well
: as his mental and moral nature. That
t in athletics of every kind If properly
taught, they learned to control their
tempers, respect each other, honor
the right for it's own sake and grow
7 up clean and pure and honorable
/. Clean atheletics, thing much need
I ed everywhere, should be taught in
/. every school; and the way to have
I atheletics is to have them. he mad
: done what he thought was his part
ltoward getting the Gymnasium FOL