South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-03
RANCE IS WILD
OVER BASEBALL;
MANY PLAY GAME
Efforts of CakeSman for Sport
ING Goods House Had Much
to Do With Bringing PaStime
to the Front in Paris.
RY FRANK G. MENKE.

NEW YORK. april France has
gone 'Iooney" over baseball. They're
calling il re National game of re
France" over in Paris now, and are
nursing high hopes that in d few years
they'll be able To gather team that
will invade these shores and show the
native sons Just what 20 do with a
bludgeon and a horSehide.
1t was only a few years ago when
France like a heap Of other nations
termed baseball silly Just about
that time w II. Burgess, OF New horN-
arrived IN that dear old Paree. ana
did some missionary work for baseball.
/ And now France thinks il awfully slllA
for any person 10 say that baseball IS
a silly game.
re grandest game in De wide. wide
world" they assure all corners just
now.
For weeks before the world tourists
were due TO play i'm Paris the whole
nation was in a frenzy OF anticipation
/ Ii could hardly wait the coming ol
/ the gang. And when rain arrived al
/ the same time as the tourists did. anu
the tourists refused 10 play. AL OF
1 France wept-and stin is weeping
Burgess Starts Things.
/ Burgess. il may be remarked IN
passing, is an agent for an American
! sporting goods house. He was shooed
I off TO Paris and told 10 try to sell the
/ frog eaters some golf clubs. some
/ fencing spears and other sporting par
! aphernalia that France uses whenever
/ il wants a little exercise.
/ Guess I'll take along baseball sup
plies" said Burgess.
NIX. nix" said his bosses. THAT il
be Just a waste of freight. They
don't play BAH over there-and they
won't play"
They don't-but they will before I
get through with EN-" said the coura-
/ geous Burgess Ana he took a large
amount Of baseball equipment along
with him.
when 1 first suggested baseball ar
/ ter my arrival in Paris, l was laughed
at" declared Burgess. But ! didn
mind that. I was out TO teach those
people the game. i pointed out what
/ fine exercise il would be for the little
/ French boys. who never got out very
much.
Health Was Argument.
Il preached baseball wherever /
went, and finally. because / laid par
/ ticular stress on its health benefits. 1
got some of the people interested. Then
/ [ announced that / would organize and
equip at my own expense - two
teams. / asked the boys To send me
| their applications.
In two days ] got 50 many ] al-
most was swamped. Not only did the
bows write but many OF the parents
I
their boys on the team. Many French
mothers and fathers of sickly children
came TO me and begged me TO place
them.
Il finally selected two teams and
started out 10 teach the kids the game.
| Gee, that was a job. Their knowledge
Of athletics extended to rilling whOopS.
1 Whenever I'd send one up To bat in
! the early stages Of their lessons. they'd
run to the bases on every occasion.
whether they hit the ball or not. and
they wouldn't stop running until
they'd circled the bags Sometime
they'd try to run around again. They
! thought running was the biggest part
! Of the game.
But after time I got the boys
! whipped together into two pretty good
| teams. 1 kept them out in the open
lot. and il was a treat TO see how
their normally pale. sickly looking
faces took on the rudy glow Of
health Their parents were delighted
/ and amazed. Soon L was beseiged
with more applications
Parents Came Too.
The parents OF the children used
To come out and watch the games.
/ They grew interested and spread the
news TO their neighbOrs and friends.
Pretty soon we had "A big crowd az
all our games. and the interest in the
game grew as the spectators began 10
master its intricacies.
Before I left France there were
many schoOlboy teams. and the adults
were taking such a lively interest in
the game that many of them formed
clubs. They are playing the game
pretty generally throughout France
Just now, and 1 am sure that in a year
or two well be hearing over on this
side about second Ty Cobb. "A sec
Ond Napoleon LajOie' ct
The biggest difficulty for baseball
players in France is the lack of suit
able grounds The cities are pretty
well built up, and open areas are most
" forests Frenchmen do like their
forests, many OF them on the outskirts
Of the big cities. and cling TO them
pretty tightly. But in d year or two
the baseball craze will override The
E-s