Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-13
PITY THE PUNY
COUNTRY LOUT;
Town K|DBIGGER
Series of Tests Prove Boys Of
Sums More Athletic Than
Those Of Open Spaces

almost any school boy Of the big, con-
gested, play-suffocating cities can
Jump farther. run faster and chin him.
self more times than his own village
bred son, he would probably look you
indulgently In the eye and ask II you
really felt quite all right today. Peo-
pie have heard so much about how
the slums dwarf children and how the
city has to recruit its sound, able
minded men In rural districts that the
inferiority of city-grown lungs and
muscles has become kind Of by.
wcrd.
In order to get at the facts In the
case, man connected with the Rus
sell Sage Foundation was recently led
to apply his yard stick to this partic-
ular tradition. Selecting certain ath-
letic tests which are commonly met
by large numbers of schools in New
York and other large cities he took
them back to the good old New Eng
land town Of Ipswich and tried them
on its homegrown school children.
The tests were In jumping. running
and Ginning and the passing marks
in these three events which the Ips-
witch boys were asked to make are
met each year by thousands Of boys
of the same age in many large cities.
Only one. however. was able to fulfil
the three simple requirements for Gle.
mentary pupils while among the high
school lads there was not single stu.
dent who was able to make the marks
set for boys at that age. In the chin
ming, or pullup, the Ipswich boys were
ale to do only about one half as well
as boys from some Of the most con-
gested sections Of New York City.
Mr.. Howard Roscoe knight. who
made this investigation. does not
claim that the results demonstrate an
all-round physical inferiority on the
part Of these Ipswich boys. They had
had no body training In their schools.
The New York boys, on the other
hand, had enjoyed systematic physi-
cal education since entering the
school. The comparisons, in other
words, are straws which Indicate that
the large cities are overcoming their
defects as habitats for the human ami
NAL, and that If the towns and villages
do not wake up they may some day
suffer the chagrin Of having to look
upon the large cities as health resorts.
Mr.. nnight's survey Of the recrea-
tional life of Ipswich which, by the
way, numbers about 5000 souls, gives
many evidences to support the grow
ing belief that the small town, al.
though blessed with play spaces. is
really in bad way because it has mo-
body whose particular business 1t Is
to run the play plant A playground
is like a theater. To draw large pat
ronage II must be efficiently managed.
Play activities do. Of course, go on
without paid guidance in small towns
as well as everywhere else. Shooting
craps. card playing. breaking windows,
swapping yarns at the livery stable,
pranks down in the lumber
yard, jumping freight trains
pursuits flourish without stimulation
like weeds everywhere. But II you
have large fields, ample yards, and
spacious halls, somebody must be on
hand with an attractive program or
the recreation facilities which you
want your young people to use win
probably be little patronized.
Ipswich possessed no systematic
training nor expert play lead
ership, and its recreational life showed
the result. After school on three diff
ferent days more than so per cent of
the 696 boys and girls observed were
In the street and less than seven per
cent were using the athletic field.
Over two-thirds Of the boys and over
one-half Of the girls attend the
movies" once week or oftener. Six
ty-nine per cent of the boys and 81
per cent of the girls expressed pref
erence for those subjects which are
readily classified as .thrillersr while
but five per cent Of the boys and three
per cent of the girls mentioned films
that could be called educational. :
The report of this survey, which
has just been published. throws an
Illuminating light upon many other
features Of the recreational life, and
needs of q small town In closing It |
presents program Of future develop
ments for Ipswich, many provisions Of
which would apply with equal appro-
priateness to other towns and villages |
throughout the United States. Among |
the recommendations given are the |
Physical training for all boys and |
girls as a regular part of the school
curriculum
Teaching of games for home and
use
The extensive use of group games
In physical training and the use of the |
athletic badge test and group athlet-
cs.
Equipment of each school and school
Tard with sufficient apparatus to en-
able teachers to make the best pos
sible use of recess time.
Grading Of school property wherever
-