New-York tribune., 1911-02-01
OPEN COURTS TO JUNIORS
Playing Of Lawn Tennis by Boys
and Girls To Be Encouraged.
YOUTH THE TIME TO LEARN
Larned, Wright and Mclaughlin
All Brilliant Exponents Of
Game While Young.

Encland's : cndeavor to develop the hign'
est type Of lawn tennis player by encour-
aging and systematizinC the game among
the schoolboys is 20 he followed IN THIS
country. The Harlem Lawn Tennis Cluo
has devised a plan which will be offered AT
the annual meeting II the national assocla-
ton on Friday night; Tfans for a national
junior championship arc also in prospect
These viii be suggested by delegates from
tho lid a., West and South. Direct appli-
cation /, the junior tournament is 10 he
made IN the name OF the pittsburg Ath-
letic club. +, is understood. and the cham
pionship launched under the auspices OF
that ricl and influential organization,
which h*- STALLED lawn tennis courts the
cqua. Of any in tho country and has ample
facilities fcr successfully conducting such
a meeting.
The matter of bringing out tho schoo'boy
PLAYERS has hccn touched upon before, but
the first systematic effort TO bring about n
championship was begun last August dur
nG tho play or the Meadow club courts at
southampton Long Island. and during the
national m, ung Al Newport, r. / Karl
II. Bchr brought the matter prominently
forward in his tcccnt crusade, stating that
the decline Of class among the players was
due 20 tho narrowing influence OF the ma
tionai association I'm governing, and that In
~. r..cr to build up a club worthy Of the all
cou.ore' championship title it was tho cvi-
de- duty Of tho national association to
ed' ate especially the youth OF the coun-
tr, the possibilities Of the sport
p tho anuue meeting Of the Harlem club
Arthur Scheffel presented a plan to throw
open the courts Of that orga ganization 70 the
school Z -rls auG boys \ committee IS pre-
pairing 10 put the idea i'm operation. Under
the arrangements contemplated the courts
are 10 be open 10 juniors whose credentials
have been passed upon by the committee.
They will he allowed 10 play until speci
ied hour i'm the afternoon. Ry this ar
rangemert the privilege Of the courts IL
really given a. time when they are usu-
ally little used, as the ma jority of members
Of Tho varioJs clubs throughout the city
largely play during the later afternoons,
the Saturday half holiday and Sundays.
An officer ~ one of the influential clubs
stated that the project II opening the
courts ~ juniors was being considered in
his organization. He said.
The difficulty has been that high school
boys and other youngsters who become in
terested in lawn tennis found II impossible
10 play unless they were fortunately able
- use a private court. \ very limited
number would take up lawn tennis in tneir
college days and would get along fairly
well. II is a notable fact. however. that
every PLAYER Of note has begun es KID
~ the game.
William \ Larned won the inter
scholastic and the intercollegiate i'm his
teens. Beala Wright began s= a Young
ster The brilliant Morris T. McLoughln,
the Californian. began when he was
thirteen. We all need 20 make big push
to vigorously boost lawn tennis for tho
schoolhovs Most of tho club courts I'm
this city are uuoccupiod until late In The
afternoons The juniors could easily oc-
cupv them 10 advantage. and Junior events
would add interest 80 the tournaments
With such able leaders Karl Rahr and
tho PittsburG Athletic club espousinG their
cause. there should he No difficulty in
starting a big schoolboy movement In tho
sport this yesr."