Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-07
TAFT
AT YOSEMITE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE ARRIVES AT
EL PORTAL
WILL BEGIN TOUR OF NATIONAL
GARDEN TODAY
Nations Ruler Plans Great Journey
Among Worlds Oldest Living
Trees and Famous VALLEY
of Enchantment"
Continued from Page Onel

sented with another golf stick. 1t was
made o. eucalyptus wood, gold mount
ed. The presentation called out a golf
speech in which the president suggest
ed a new use for the irrigated land of
the west-the turning of it into open
golf links for the public. Mr.. Taft
said:
81 am very much touched by your
kindness in giving this to me, this
memento of my visit. 1t has reference
to the game of which 1 am very fond.
The game of golf is an old Scotch game,
played in Scotland by everybody, boys
to old men and from the poorest to the
wealthiest, They have there what they
call open links devoted to the public
and l sincerely hope that the same Will
spread in this country.
1--WE need no games for boys from
Is TO 25 or 80, because we already have
them. l suppose am looking at some
baseball fans equal to myself in that
regard.
Il don't know how it is with you, but
1 have got beyond my baseball playing
DAYS. The game of golf, on the other
hand, remains with you from so to 70.
Indeed 1 have played with gentleman
very near so and he beat me.
Walking Easier
1T is a game that leads you to walk
without realizing that you are walk
ing. When you play game OF lS
holes and walk upwards of four of tlVe
miles there is only a pleasant feellng
of fatigue and none of that violent
exercise that you have in baseball or
tennis.
IT am hopeful that out here you may
have land not irrigated that you can
devote to this game. There is TINS
about it, when you first see the game
YOU will appreciate the tone of rldl-
Guile that generally attaches to good
sized man chasing a quinine pill with
a stick around a field, but after you
have driven two or three blows at that
ball and found that although II is con-
siderably larger than qulnlne pill
it is not large enough to hit, you reaIlze
the training of character that there Is
in it.
81 don't know that any game is so
provocative of profanity as goN. l
don't know any game that makes one
so ashamed of his profanity 1t is
game full of moments of selt-aoase-
ment With only a fl w moments
of self-exaltation, and we Americans
who are not celebrated for our mod
esty may find such game eAcelleli'
training.
Good for Old Men
"I am sure that those gentlemen over
fiftv who are in need of something they
know not what, if they will only or.
ganize a golf club and get the golf
sticks and golf balls and chase them
around six thousand yards every after
noon, they will become a great dea'
.poore contented with life and great
deal better satisfied with the condition
in which the Lord has left them"
While winding slowly up the pic
turesdue canyon of the Merced river
from Merced to Ell Portal this evening,
the presidents train bumped into a
hand car which a section hand was try
ing to get off the track.
The car was but little damaged, no
one was hurt and there was no delay.
The train became stalled on heavy
grade Just below Ell Portal and it was
necessary to split in two, the presi-
dent coming in on the second half. The
engine was No. 23.