New-York tribune., 1912-03-11

was SOOQ enough 10 Stllu llo d ''PS Va ''
address he made recently before the stu
dents OF the University Of Kansas and
was struck with the following paragraphs
as emphasizing clearly his ideas Of TINS
particular question.
CAPTAIN Pierce is president Of the Nanon-
81 Collegiate Athletic Association and has
made a long and careful study Of sports
and their bearing on college men He says:
The Importance of amateur athletics 70
a nation is realized by comparatively te"
In the modern newspaper columns are de-
voted daily 70 athletic news, but one sees
very little intelligent discussion Of the o.
feet ,Iron national welfare Of wide par
tioipation Of the people in out Of door life
and sports The officers Of the military and
naval services Of the United States nave
this Importance brought home to them al
most daily by the dif1cultv experienced IN
recurring recruits Of sufficient physical
stamina 10 endure the hardships imposed
luon those who so into the field even IN
time Of reace. Out OF every eight men who
applv n our recruiting Offices only one IS
found fit for duty. During the Boer war
England learned that the physique Of the
average recruit had wonderfully deteriorat-
cd since the days Of the Crtme7. The
average chest measurement had been re-
duoAd an inch and a half
Undoubtedly this deterioration was due
~ ths orowding together If great masses
of the people into the unhealthy surround
tnes Of the large modern city, where little
ont Of door exercise is possible Now II
cannot be gainsaid that vigorous, pro-
eressive nation requires 4 citizenship made
Ut Of healthy and hardy individuals. II has
been stated that England owes her many
marvellous victories to the athletic con
tests on her numerous cricket fields Ihls
NAV he an exaggeration, hut certainly the
active. outdoor life Of the Englishman has
had much 70 do with the making of his
oountrys history. our own people are
awakening to the importance Of this mat
ter Of q wide participation hv the masses
IN out If door exercise and sports. In con-
sequence there are many organizations that
are working 10 promote these. Among them
ere the Playground Association. the Young
Mems Christian Association. the National
Collegiate Athletic Association and the
Amateur Athletic Union. The common end
or aim Of all is ragernent of amateur
athletics
II should not be necessary 10 fight the
battle Of competitive sports I have said he
fore IN this column. and | can repeat, that
those who decry and see only evil n ath-
letics. and more particularly the strenuous
kinds, like football. polo and boxing, have
milk. and not blood. in their veins. II nav
be said that I am prejudiced, as sports are
more or less my business, but fortunate
then, a whole army of men must he preiu-
diced along the same lines. No stronger
arguments in favor Of sports in general
could be found than appear in a symposium
on The Effects of Athletics on Young
Men in the current issue Of The Medical
Times" This symposium was the direct
result Of the report made by Surgeon Cen
eral Stokes and the subject Is treated in
the most comprehensive way by men well
qualified 10 speak. including Or. John
w. Bowler. of Dartmouth, George l..
Meylan. medical director az Columbia Uni
versity: DR.. Raymond G. Clspp. pro-
fessor Of physical education at the Uni
versity of Nebraska; James Naismith. med
teal director Of the University of Kansas
DR. Joseph +. Raycorft. professor Of
hygiene and physical education at Prince
ton: DR.. R. TAFT Mckenzie. professor of
physical education at Pennsylvania: DR.
n. P. Stauffer. of Philadelphia, and Dr
u. l. Savage. Of Pittsburgh, Their treat
rnent of athletics makes good reading and
shows clearly their importance in the
building Of a nation.