The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-04-06
FRANCE NOW.
INTERESTED IN
ATHLETICS
MORE ATTENTION IS BEING PAID
TO SPORTS THAN EVER IN THL
FRENCH CAPITAL OTHEF.
NEWS NOTES FROM GAY CITY.
BY ASSOCIATED PREss.

Paris, April 5.-The study of the psy-
chology of sport will form q specia.
feature Of the coming Olympic con-
eress at Lausanne.
Hitherto sport has been looked upon
principally as a medium of physical
Improvement, but recently French
scientists have been examining the IN
teIlectual effects OF various games.
First observations would seem to show
that besides the development OF semi
moral qualities, such as courage and
perseverance,. each game or exercise
has certain special characteristics
which act on and improve the mind.
The Olympic congress-, starting from
this basis, proposes to ask a number
OF leading devotees of every form Of
sport to ana!yze the various phenom-
ena observable in themselves and
other athletes Questions will be asked
concerning the origin of the taste for
sports; whether due to natural, gen
eral or special aptitudes, to heredity or
to instinct; and to what extent the
spirit Of imitation or will power is re-
sponsible. Then the continuity. and
method Of cJIltivating the taste: Is it
inherent to the personality? is it born
physically from a species Of muscular
automa tism. OF a desire for fresh air
or is it implanted In individuals by the
ambition to be beautiful, healthy and
strong, or merely to be applauded?
Finally the results: does training
cause excessive fatigue to the body?
does it produce a greater power of
physical resistance, or the development
of viii power and self confidence? does
1t lead to mental eQu1poise and a phi
losophic attitude towards life and con-
duct?
1t is expected that the data obtained
will prove Of great value, and form the
foundation of a new branch of expert
mental psychology of importance to
educationa1ists.
Expert Rife Shots.
Rife shooting is to the Swiss people
what baseball is TO Americans, their
rational sport. The Swiss are the
crack rifle shots of Europe, and if there
is any truth in the old adage that prac-
tice makes perfect they ought to be,
for last year they expended thirty mil
lion ball cartridges on private rifle
ranges This Is quite aside from the
practice conducted by the government
In connection with the army n1aneu-
vers.
The growing popularity OF rifle
shooting by the citizens of Switzerland
IS shown by the fact that TEN years ago
only fourteen million cartridges were
expended Tor perrecrion IN TINS art
Today there is not a Swiss boy over
sixteen years old who cannot handle
rifle with accuracy, and many
women also are good shots. During
the last ten years the Swiss teams
have been victorious in every interna-
tional contest they ever entered, and
much interest attaches here to the
showing they will make in the coming !
rife shooting competition |
in the United States.
It is the ambition Of nearly every |
Swiss to become a frst-class shot and |
he will cheerfully expend his money |
for cartridges to attain his object. The
national love for shooting is encour- |
aged and helped in every way by the
authorities.
Art Exhibition.
Turin will hold this spring an art |
ax Inhibition the purpose of which is to
remove the impression that women are