The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-04-25
SCHOOLS IN need
OF ROOM TO ROMP
Failure of Pupils to Score at
Track Meet Due to Poor
Facilities
Boys Require Outlet for Energy
Which City Should Supply
to Prevent Evils
Continued from Page 1

baseball and football fields, more
shower baths, more swimming tanks
and it requires a proper supervision
of them by men interested in ath-
leties and the physical development OF
the city's young.
Personally 1 do not think too much
attention can be paid to the physical
development of the city boy.
Surrounded by Temptation
He Is surrounded with temptations
and If he can not find healthy, natura
outlet for his energy he is going to geI
into mischief. The constant suppres,
sion of athletics, or at least it's alb
sence from the life of the city boy
drives him into pool parlors and billiard
halls, into smoking cigarettes and al
the evils which naturally follow.
The sectarian schools are sending
out men sound in mind as well as in
body, and this should be the aim of the
public schools also. But, as have said
San Francisco has not the facilities and
not having them, we must expect to see
our boys beaten hopelessly when they
meet with students of schools in other
cities. Physical vitality should be
created In the city. 1t can be done and
is being done by the sectarian schools
The defeat to the boys is butter, but its
sting may be eliminated ifthe parents
will see its significance and work to
change conditions
Defeat Is Humiliating
J. H. Mccoy, a member of the play
ground commission, was equally en-
phatic.
1T is certainly not pleasant for ASH
Francisco to acknowledge defeat at the
hands of places very much smaller thar
itself, but / hope a lesson can be drawn
from 1T. The city boy, I think, has
more inducement to become interested
in athletics than has the lad from the
country, for the reason that he car
form clubs and organizations an6
thereby add to the physical work a
pleasing social feature.
1T is simple to place the cause OF
the defeat of our boys-they need more
and larger Fairgrounds The school
yards are inadequate, and if the public
WISHES 10 see a Cnange IL must pro-
vide the proper facilities"
Defends Boys Development
Frank Morton. principal of the Low
ell high school, was the only one who
maintained that the defeat did not
speak i'll of the physical development
of the boys of San Francisco.
The average Of the city and country
boy Is about the same, he said, land
he nt
are not to be taken as pointing to the
contrary. The fact is that some schools
have a few students, one or two, who
surpass the others, and by the system
of scoring the successes of the one or
two win their school the points II
does not mean that the athletic aver
age of the one is better than any
other; 1t means merely that one school
has one or two boys who excel the
Others"
Children Cry for Space
In some of the schools the students
are not allowed the use of the meager
school yard after school hours Until
a few years ago the lack of space was
not felt. but the vast amount of build
ing which followed the fire drove out
among other things, the corner lot
baseball fields and football grounds
y
from time immemorial
The vacant places have gradually
been filled, and youthdom of the city
has been forced back further and
further until now it scarce knows
where to turn in order to stretch it's
growing limbs.
An instance of this is the parking at
Seventh and Harrison streets. which
before the fire was supplied with bars
bridges. ladders and other gymnastic
apparatus for the use of the children,
Now 1T is lawns and flower beds, which
while pretty, are not satisfying to chill
dren Each succeeding month since
the fire has seen the space becoming
more and more limited. Now the cry
of the children is for space, for play
grounds and chance so that the next
meet they will go forth and wipe the
face of the earth with their compel
itors.
CalifOrnians IN Travels