The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-01-27
WESTMINSTER, Md FRIDAY AFTERNOON JANUARY 81 1911
How to Make an Athletic Association
Go.
For the Advocafo

Go.
For the Advocate.
The fair to be held for the benef+
OF the Sandyville Athletic Associa-
ton is receiving the support of the
people OF the village and neighbor-
hood; we publish below in connec-
tion Herewith a rousing contribu-
ton by Mr.. e. Wampler, of Carroll
county. Read It and get in the push.
How to make an athletic association
go.
There are many ways to make a
thing 20. Life on farm taught me
something along this line long be-
fore began to take interest in ath-
letics. i have in mind a neighbors
mule which my father agreed to keen
Tor the work she could do. Once we
had learned how to make her 70. II
was comparatively easy to realize a
fair return upon our investment, but
we spent much time in acquiring the
requisite knowledge, and l beg to
submit a few points pertinent to the
subject under discussion.
In order to make an athletic asso-
citation go, it isessential that all mem
bers who are not in q position to pull,
should at least get behind and push
One day | was engaged with the farm
hand in hauling stone from a grass
field; we had the old mule hitched to
cart and it was not difficult prop
Osition to get the first load on, but
shall never forget the time we had
getting it off. Boy like, we both
climbed up on the front of the cart
as soon as the bed was comfortably
nlled and called upon Hannah to
come up" Whether or not Hannah
took that as an invitation to climb
up on the cart 1 cannot say, but the
fact remains that sne stood still, at
frst we slashed her with the reins,
then called her harsh names and
finally my chum thought it would be
good idea to give her tail a twist
1t is safe to say he never thought that
way again. When her hind hoofs shot
between our heads we became more
respectful, climbed down to the
ground and putting our shoulders to
the wheels helped the poor mule to
get the load started. She never balk-
ed again that day, because we had be-
come educated to push when the load
was heavy.
There is work to do in every organ
ization and the stronger the organ
iZation the heavier the work. Some
times we make the mistake of letting
few bear the burdens and then hold
them responsible for all shortcom-
ings. 1t is impossible to make an
athletic association 90 i'm that way.
The association will grow in the pro-
portion that each member contrib
utes to its growth, and while 1T may
not BE- possible for all to occupy
places where they can pull, there is
room enough for all to push, and push
IL just as good as pull.
In making up the various teams it
il the part of wisdom to select as
leaders the very best men available
Upon another occasion we took the
old mule into the woods to haul logs
a team of three was made UP and she
was selected as leader. The wheel
horses were fast and she was slow
and when the word TO 20 was given
the result was demoralizing. The
wheel horses started, spent their
strength and stopped just about the
time the leader made up her mind to
start and then she also stopped.
Then little game of see-saw fol
lowed, and finally the leader was de-
posed, after she had threatened to
kick the stars out of heaven. This
illustrates the necessity OF selecting
good, able, fast men as leaders in
the various departments of sport. It
Is always more or less demoralizing
to see a leader who does not lead.
Our association IL composed OF good
material and we should see to 1t that
the very best is selected to lead.
Another way to make an athletic
team 60 is to have every department
of sport attractive and each member
can help to bring this about by put
ting forth the best that Is in him.
Another failing of that old mule was
that no matter how high the pasture
into which you turned her, she would
always see something more attractive
on the other side Of the fence. If
you turned her into an enclosure con-
tanning ten stacks of hay and as many
barrels of corn, she would Jump over
six foot fence to roam over an ad-
joining field that would not feed a
crow. She couldn't help it, it was a
part OF her nature. The only way we
could save her from starvation was to
turn her into a barren field that ad-
Joined good pasture and put up the
bars; she would then take care Of
herself.
Contraries or this sort have no
place in an athletic team. II you can
get all you want within the assicia-
ton don't jump over the fence; there
might not be any pasture at all in ad-
joining fields. The Sandyville Ath-
letic Team IL certainly one OF the best
organizations Of its kind in Carroll
county. 1t has its faults, but we
must remember that the faults a
game brings home to us, are the faults
Of its constituent members. Let US
therefore begin the season of 1911 by
first endeavoring faithfully to do our
best If we do, venture to suggest
that we can make our athletics more
attractive and thereby yield larger
infiuencefor good in this community.
Good, clean, wholesome, manly sport
is something worth having In every
village and every citizen of Sandy
Vile and surrounding country can
well afford to make some little sac
rifice to the end that Its athletic team
may grow. q. T. w.
Miss LaRue Myers Entertains.