The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1908-11-20

Thousand of years ago the human
family craved for amusements and
sought to have them. They realized
then as they do now that the young
blood must be kept; that the young
mind must be fed on lively and active
thoughts. In ancient times foot racing
was INDUCED in very freely. Young
men trained hard and carefully for
these events, as the winner of foot
race were liable at any time to receive
recognition at the hands of the king.
The ancients put great stress on these
events, and no little to do was made
about them. The spirit has grown on
the people. Game upon game has
been introduced, until to-day athletics
is an important factor in every in.
stitution of learning. 1t would require
book of many pages to tell about the
many kinds of sport that the boys and
girls and the young men and women
are allowed to indulge in in modern
times From the smallest country
school to the largest university the
spirit runs from the humblest student
to the head of the institution.
The colleges and high schools
throughout the South are devoting
more time to athletics now than has
ever been known, and this is especially
true of the institutions conducted for
and by Negroes. Every public school
opens up the fall with football team
and closes with baseball team. And
the high schools, academies, colleges
and universities have their regular
athletic schedules The institutions
of higher learning of course have their
higher grades of athletics. In the
East, where waterways are available,
boat racing attracts widespread at
tention. Thousands of people swarm
the banks of rivers or lakes to see the
trained athletes try for supremacy
and it is hard to decide what class Of
sport has the greatest hold on the peo-
pie, but in the South, and especially
where there are no great waterways,
it is conceded that football creates the
greatest interest among the lovers of
college athletics. The people join in
as a mass and yell for one side or the
other In most cases they are not fa-
voring any particular team, but are
really enjoying the sport so long as
no one gets hurt,
The teachers and presidents of
schools and colleges realize that it is
very necessary to have athletics. In
the first place the health of the student
body demands it. Some of the lead
ing and wealthiest institutions have
been discussing the need of more gen
eral athletics in the school, so con.
Quoted that every student could get
the benefit of the exercise which they
must have to develop physical
strength, and TO keep the body in a
healthy condition They realize that
it fits the students to do their study
work as nothing else can, and many
are of the opron that match games
ought to be done away with, and every
student urged to take an active inter
est in personal physical development.
But this has not been attempted yet
by any institution and the people are
still enjoying these spirited contests.
The schools in and around Nash
vile are taking on new life in regard
to football athletics A few years ago
only two institutions here had any
thing like a respectable football team,
namely: Roger Williams and Fisk Uni
versities. Later Neharry Medical Col.
lege organized a team which has been
merged with Walden University. But
they all experienced the same trouble.
When the members Of the team would