The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-05-15

or nafcOLlCS Is lllJullOuS W tHS HS"i''
the when his team goes onto tn
floor to play game OF basketball
and he sees the boy who is a!re t:,y a
slave to the cigarette habit reach the
end of his endurance before the first
fifteen minutes OF hard play is over,
the fact is borne in upon him with 4
new meaning that narcotics will not
only injure boys in general, but will
actually take from him the power to
do we'll the things that he loves to do;
will make him an object Of pity and
take from him the power to excel.
The boy who learns to play clean
game against great adds because he
will not spoil the fair record of his
school. knows what it is to be a patri
otto citizen and the captain who has
learned to hold his temper and quiet.
) ly control his team will be the man
| for the place in later years when a
leader of men is needed: boy who
has learned to give Square deal'
and to despise the fellow who cheats
will be the business man of tomorrow
| whose word is as good as his note
Honesty, generosity, justice, and
self-control in time become part of
the boys character but they must
first become habits and such habits
are not formed after the child has
reached manhood.
The playground is the training
school for men. What better prepare
tory training could a leader of men
have than to serve for season as the
captain of a baseball or basketball
team? He must control himself at all
times, that he may not lose the con
fidence and respect of the boys who
have chosen him as leader. He must
know his men and study to bring out
the best that.is in them; must instill
into them, almost without their realiz-
ing it, the ideals of fair play and loyal
ty to team which are the essentials of
success. Not every boy is fitted for
this position; but the boys, with I'M
erring instinct will choose the one
among them to whom nature has
given the power of leadership. 1t re-
mains for the wise supervisor to talk
over all matters with the captain; to
keep in close touch with him; to in
still into him the ideals or right lea
dership, and he will do the rest. The
training is no less valuable to the
rest of the group of boys. 1t is just
as important that our future citizen
should have the habit of obedience to
and respect for law, of loyalty to the
institution which they serve and Oh
working with others for common aim
and under a common leader
Granted, then, that the playground
under special supervisor meets the
third essential of the ideal standard
of education Our schools are begin
ming to realize this. They are being
provided with fully equipped play
grounds and are hiring trained super
visors for the work. But this is not
enough Not only every city, but
every county center should have a
public playground properly supervised
through every month of the year. OF
the whole year. the summer months
are by far the most important. The
summer is deemed vacation; a per-
iod of rest from the learning to
know; whatever the child learns to do,
during that time, he learns as an APP
isprentice under some tradesman in
|'particular line; but the very cessation
of regular work gives him an abun-
dance Of time of his own and he goes
vigorously about building up habits
spending the entire day, from sun
rise until dark pursuing the most i'm:
portant line of education of all; that
Of learning to be-and that absolutely
untutored.
It is an indisputable fact that the
boy returns to the school room in the
fall totally different individual
from the one who left 1t in the spring.
AS an individual, he has changed
more in those three months than in
! the nine months preceding vacation
The teacher realizes this; she finds
that the same things do not interest:
! the old methods do not appeal She
is often heard to remark, John has
changed entirely since last year. He
is not like the same boy" And John
| feels the change and vaguely Won
| ders.
Continued on page seven)