Delaware City press. (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??, 1913-04-25
PLAYS BALL At s.
Mrs. Martha Holland. a Grand
ma, Enjoys the Game.
Declares II ls More Fun Than Sitting
Down With Cap and Glasses to
Do knlttins-Led by
Doctors Slur.

New York.-"Wear cap and glasses
and settle down to knitting Just be-
cause happened 10 be sixty-flve and
a grandmother? don't see why,
Besides, baseball is more fun
Bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked and full of
life, little Mrs, Martha Holland drew
of heavy pair of gloves and stuffed
them into the pocket of gray sweat
err, which she then pulled of and
tossed over the back of chair. AS
she pulled a rocking chair up to the
tea table a rocker struck something
that fell to the floor. II was base
ball bat. In the work basket ON the
table was a baseball. In fact, every
thing about Mrs. Hollands little home
at 1884 Park avenue, in Weehawken,
suggested a very active and sport-lov-
ing young boy rather than grand
mother. says the World
Some people" she said. make fun
of me for playing baseball with the
children. Some say l am setting a
bad example for the young women,
1
do we would have race of tom
boys for daughters. Others seem to
see sense in 1t.
why did begin to play baseball?
Because a man made me ashamed.
Five years ago, when was only sixty,
| was certain that l was becoming a
real old lady. 1 used to sit and GRO
Chef and have a footstool. was a real
tame sort of grandmother. Also had
my little ailments. If couldn't con
jure up rheumatism 1t would be q
headache or something else Then
began to think was getting feeble
and couldn't go out of doors.
Zone day our old doctor was visiting
me. He looked at me. shook his head
and said, most snappishly:
81 tell you, Martha Holland. what's
the matter with you. You are lazy
lazy; that's all. When most women
get to be your age they seem to think
it smart to seem i'll and make every
one miserable What you women need
is exercise, and plenty of it. If hat
my way | would put you to playing
baseball with the younger ones. That;
the medicine I'd give you. and 1t woult
be all you'd need
1T did make me angry to be callet
+, lazy, but he didn't care.
, "One day when at my daughters
, saw my grandsons playing in vacan
, lot with some friends. didn't say
word. but just went over to the bal
game and asked them TO show ere h ffl3sa
What happened? Why, the entire fam
lily thought | had lost my mind. Blu
: ever since then I've been playing base
= ball with my grandsons and their lii
a tie friends.
r 81 believe that II women, especial
g those who begin to have fancles abou
, being sick when they really are moi
; would get out and play baseball wit
4 the children they would live longe
/ and be far happier.
v Five years ago. sitting In tn
$ house and fretting about nothing,
}. grew thin and wrinkled. OF course,
!. have wrinkles now. but not like thos
s happy wrinkles; those were eros
Il on,s just enough to make me langui
r. twelve months in the year. and now
, have muscles that never knew of b.
II fore. See this?
e THAT 10 what catching and pitchin
and batting does for one. Yes, d
all three. You would have laughe
when began, for couldn't hit bal
o 1t took time for me to learn How ii
h boys used to shout when grandm
n first threw a ball!
o.. Another thing-when women get
ID my age they need the company
younger folk"