The San Francisco call., 1910-04-26

themselves. Discussing the matter yes
terday he said:
The physical upbuilding of the stu
dents in our city schools is just as I'M
portant as the mental training provided
in the classrooms. / mnot close
enough student of strictly athletic af-
fairs nor have / gone deeply enough
into the subject TO try to account for
the fact that our young city athletes
have met defeat at the hands of the
boys from the country and smaller
towns, but / am inclined to believe
that lack of facilities for practice and
draining is largely responsible for such
a poor showing as was made at the In
terscholastic track meet at Stanford
last Saturday.
II have promised to do everything in
my power to promote outdoor exer-
cises for the pupils in our public
/ can to see that the facilities for such
outdoor exercises are up TO the ve1y
highest standard of efficiency. ! think
it is true that we lack sufficient
grounds, and if that is so it is up to
the people of San Francisco to furnish
them. We should have good athletic
fields connected with all our high
schools, or at least within easy access
and we should have plenty of play
the younger pupils of the grammar
grades.
CITY BOYS At DISADVANTAGE
There is no reason why the city
boys should be in any way physically
inferior to the lads of the country OF
the smaller towns, and | do not believe
they are. / think that our high school
athletes are at a disadvantage simply
because they do not have the necessary
grounds upon wich to do their training
1t is almost impossible to have good
tracks or athletic fields in the heart of
the city and the boys have to travel
miles, sometimes, to do their eNer-
cising. If given the same advantage
for rounding into form that are ac-
corded the boys of the smaller towns |
believe we would find more first class
point winners among our thousands of
high school boys than could be found
in all the rest of the state put to-
Gether."
WOULD PROVIDE GROUNDS
Villa NM. Metson, president of the
board of park commissioners and q
member of the directory board of the
Pacific Athletic association, declared
yesterday that he believed ii to lie
within the power of the city authori-
ties to furnish whatever facilities
might be needed by the high schools
of the city for the training of theil
athletes. He would not venture a posi-
tive opinion as to the causes which
contributed to the defeat of the loca
athletes at last Saturdays field meet
but said:
Before attempting to decide why the
high school boys of a small city like
Chico could carry away the athletic
honors in competition with the repre-
e,1, ,fa4; eNft t1a c.,J,- -1le Of l. -.
like this, We. should look into all the
conditions. Possibly the country at
mosphere may have had some bearing
upon the result, but it is also possible
that the Chico boys may have had the
advantage of a skilled trainer whC
knew just how to bring out the very
best they had in them. That one thing
would count for great deal.
"The park commission, however, has
made an attempt and is willing to de-
Vote further effort to providing the
facilities that are necessary to promote
school athletics. We have in Colder
Gate park the finest stadium in the
world IT is four times as large as the
stadium at Athens and much bigger
than the one in London. Every oppor-
tunity is afforded our schoolboys tC
use the stadium for their training, and
If anything is lacking we will be only
too glad to furnish it. l fthere are MOI
enough facilities there we will put
them in. The track and field are fol
the use of our athletes. and we are only
too glad to have them take full ad.
vantage of what is there. We have
provided lockers nd dressing rooms
and will put in more just as fast a:
they are needed.
"I do not think the blame for failure
to equal other schools in athletics car
he he