El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-28

in the schools and they will suppress.
so far as possible, the evils of too
severely contested game.
In no other way are the higher IN
stitutions of learning $50 clearly DEM
onstrating the recognition of prop
erly directed athletics than in the
equipment of their gymnasiums. Dart
mouth will this year open the largest
gymnasium in this country 1t cost
$4,000 and has several unique fea-
lures providing for the different
branches of college athletics The
main building is 200 by so feet in size,
and it contains all the apparatus usu-
ally found in a well-equipped gymna-
SUM The great wings erected on
each side of this building contain the
innovations. The west wing is equip
ped for baseball and the east wing for
practice of all field events. Circiing
around the walls of this building is
cinder race track, six and a half laps
to the mile, which furnishes ordinary
track practice. Suspended above this
is a duplicate track in wood upon
which short spikes may be used When
not in use for baseball, tennis is played
in the west wing.
The Cincinnati Gymnasium.
The University of Cincinnati has also
provided a new gymnasium with un-
usual equipment at a cost of 100000
This has separate rooms for boxing,
fencing and wrestling bouts. The ath-
letic work in this institution is very
well organized. The gymnasium Is
under a competent director, and work
in this department is compulsory for
all undergraduates Records are kept
of the physical condition of each stu
dent entering, and the monthly results
show the effect of the exercise pro-
vided.
AS nearly as possible. the public
schools have an athletic system organ
lied after the methods of the colleges
and universities. Every properly
equipped high school has its gymna-
stun and, in addition, an athletic field
is generally provided at some conven-
lent location. Although the youth Of
high school students would Indicate
the need of a greater amount of super
vision than is given the students Of a
higher Institution. there seems yet
much lack in this direction Each
wears activities cause some Of the
most promising boys to drop out Of
their classes as a result of over-exer-
ton on the athletic field and the num-
Der of fatalities have been alarming
enough to call forth a vigorous protest
from parents in many cities
While the school boards in a num-
Der Of towns prohibit the high school
games from being a source Of revenue
by charging admission as is done for
the college games. there are places
where this restraint does not obtain
Consequently, the same extravagances
are introduced into the high schools as
those objected to in the colleges and
the evil is infinitelyworse because of
the immaturity of the students and
their financial dependence upon their
parents. who, in many cases. are not
in position TO bear the extra expense
Athletics constitute a broader train
ing than physical culture as taught IN
the elementary schools and yet, IN q
sense the terms are synonymous The
/, director Of physical culture in the
grammar grades now frequently teaches
the boys to play football, baseball and
other athletic games recognized by the
higher institutions. Sometimes, he
plays with them in order to keep e.
fore them the highest standards Of
the game. This is always the case in
the schools at Gary, Indiana, where ath-
Ietic education receives the same de-
gree of attention afforded to other
subjects
In addition to the physical athletic
games, swimming is being introduced
as an athletic feature in many OF the
grammar grades. The physical value
of swimming has been especially recog-
nized in the Chicago schools during
the past two years, and, according TO
the present outlook. no child can COM
plete the grammar school course with
out learning to swim In Rochester
and several other cities swimming is
being taught, and a number of colleges
have added a course of life saving and
swimming lessons to their department.
of arts and sciences
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