The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-16
4 GIRLS' TENNIS
 COURT SCHOOL Found Pupils In Plenty Last
 Summer A CHANGE FOR WOMEN Who Are SkiIIfuI With the Racquet and Want to Pay Their Expenses in the country-May Also
 Give Lessons in Golf.
A CHANGE FOR WOMEN
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
 Last summer I paid my expenses and saved s15 besides by giving tennis and golf lessons at a Connecticut resort, and this season have prospects of doing a little better" a young woman from one of the western states who is working her way through an eastern college told the reporter. Though I don't pretend to know very much about golf. am an expert when it comes to tennis. Hast spring a year ago, when I was looking around for some way of tiding over the summer, one of the girls in my class who has a lot of money remarked 1 that she would give great deal to play tennis as well as I did. This remark was repeated to me and I went to her and told her that I would gladly undertake to teach her during the summer provid- ed she would get me enough pupils to pay my expenses.
 After two weeks consideration of my offer she told me that her mother had said she might invite me to spend two weeks at their country home in Connec- ticut. She was to pay me a stipulated I amount for playing tennis with her and try to get other pupils for me. When heard that both hotels at the resort had tennis courts and the privileges of golf course I accepted the offer.
 Tt was some little time, several days l before any other pupils were found for 1 me. In the meantime. seeing how things were drifting and realizing how rapidly my two weeks were passing, I registered at one hotel for the following two weeks and left cards in the office stating that I was prepared to give lessons in tennis and golf.
 "I was entirely candid in stating my experience and record in both games. 1 Two hours after registering I had a call over the telephone from the hotel en- gazing me for the next day to begin ! with three pupils in tennis I have al- ways been thankful that this little ex perience came to me so early, as 1t inn pressed on my mind the importance of relying on my own efforts.
 My new pupils engaged me for course of six games, with the understand 1 ing that they were to continue if we were mutually pleased. I played with them to the end of the season. One of the girls gave up a ten-days' visit to Bar Harbor rather than miss our games.
 After going to live at the hotel I soon had all my hours during the week days taken for tennis. while my Sunday after moons were given up to teaching man | the rudiments of golf. He was a man who was confined to his business during the week and could only get off to see his wife and children Saturdays and Sun days.
 He had got to point where he could look forward to retiring from business in few years. Against that anticipated 1.o 1oxr lrr1n 1adp n golf. He expected his interest in golf to take the place of his business.
 This way of looking at 1t rather | amused me at first. but when I came to know the man better and to find how really fond he was of out of door life I had the deepest sympathy for him. He was then in the later fifties and for 40 years he had been sticking to his desk day in and day out the year around for the sake of giving his family all the op- portunites and luxuries of life.
 "It was slow work teaching him at first but he persevered, and now, though far from being a professional he plays more than a fair game. As he is my only legolf pupil, of course I am very proud of | his success though I have to admit that nine-tenths of 1t is due to his own love of the game rather than to any fnstruc- ton which I ever could have given him.
 "As personally prefer tennis to golf
 
 fer the tennis court. Last summer I played four games a day every day in the week excepting Sundays, so when people speak of it as a strenuous game 1 I can only say that I haven't found 1t too much so. Of course it Is game for young people, and unless person be- | gins to learn 1t while under 30 l should never advise any one to take 1t up.
 while my teaching course comprises only one dozen lessons for beginners I am careful to make them understand from the first that the tennis is game in which. perfection Is only to be obtained by continual practice with good up to date players There are so many little points that one picks up that even If q 1 player stops for a single season he will find himself rusty when he begins again.
 "At all summer resorts there are per- sons who have learned tennis In the old 1 fashioned way and are willing to pay a fair price to learn the new methods. AS if is now played tennis ish practically new game compared with what 1t was eight or ten years ago, when l nrst pe- gan to play it understandingly. Then you heard nothing of the disguised stroke and the twist serve Today they are the keynote of the game.
 "I have found it best in forming classes in tennis to put beginners together and promote them as they improve In tneir nIav Often last summer l had begin ners improve so fast that within six les sons they were able to be put in class wth others who had played several years.
 extra lessons and I hac the time I was glad enough to give them. l have done l this sort of work on several occasions when I might have made more money ! bv forming a new class. As my motto Is to do well everything that I undertake | think 1t wisest to have few good play ] CTS to my credit rather than many half taught ones.
 "As for the opportunity in this field which appeard to have opened should say there was plenty of chance, not for women to make fortune, but girls like myself to pay their expenses and have q good time during their summer vaca- tions Almost all hotels. are willing to | give reduced rates to such techer.
 My charges were s for six lessons or | one dozen lessons for $10 I would not accept beginner for less than 12 les | sons Where I was to play with three others for the sake of correcting their faults my charges were s2 game. At | a cheaper hotel should advise lower charges So many people who go to | summer hotels for the summer have no l way of learning out of door games at | home that classes are readily enough l got up. The greatest trouble is to keep | them going once they are formed and the money paid into the teachers hand. | found that unless people became inter- ested in the game within the first three