The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-02
Or. SPENCE SPEAKS
| ON Schools NEEDS
Explains Work of Physical Depart
meut and Tells of Equipment Which
should Be Provided.
RIoHMoND's SPLENDID SCHOOLS
Not Surpassed BY Amy City In the
United States-Achieveme and
Things Yet to Be Achieved In Child
Training

DR.. Philip Sumner Spence. director
| of physical training in the Richmond
public schools. addressed the Womans
Club OF Barton Heights yesterday af
ternoon in the assembly hall. After
the meeting had been called to order
by tho president, Mrs. X. w. Miller,
the chairman Professor j. II. Heaiey.
made comment on the decided i'm
provement that had been made In
physical training this year ana inuo-
duced the speaker.
In his remarks, DR.. Spence con.
fned himself to three topics: /. Tas
field of physical training. 2. TIE part
of this field tnat Richmond uEng.
.. The part OF thiE field taat RiCh-
mond is not using, with the reasons
why.
In summarizing. DR.. Spence said:
| The field of physical training in
cludes among others the teaching of
hygiene, dramatic. folk dancing. play
ground work, calisthenics, athletics
and corrective gymnastics. Great pro-
gress has been made In athletics. and
II is hoped that before the end of
the year there will be q Public
School Athletic League in every part
of Virginia among the city and coun-
try school children.
Instruction is given to the school
children in hygiene and CalistheniCs.
A percentage of children show that
this instruction does carry over to
life outside of school but the per-
centage in regard to calisthenics is
small Outside of school hours a con-
siderable number OF teachers have
volunteered their time and services
In training girls classes in folk dane
ing, after they had been taught by
. ASYNh re he nh tnal frai in ta DO
partment. Mr.. Hancock. OF Bellevue
Junior High School; Mr.. Riddick and
| Mr.. Taylor, of Prevocational; Mr..
/ Cowardin and Mr.. Bagby, of Balm
| bridge, and Mr. Saunders, Miss Round,
! Mr.. Dietz. OF Blnford Junior High
School have all volunteered their
time in training boys in athletics.
! Last fall the John Marshall High
School held the first track meet of its
kind In Richmond. The freshman.
! sophomore. Junior and senior classes
competed against each other for
| points. On the next day the elenen-
| tary schools from all Of Richmond,
Manchester. Fulton, Highland Park
and Ginter Park engaged in the same
! kind OF track meet. The winning
school was awarded a pennant, and
! the individuals were given ribbons and
/ buttons for prizes.
| This past week the junior high
schools held the first indoor meet that
was ever staged for the pubic school
children I'm Richmond. over ] 60 : o'
! took part and there were twenty
/ eight events. Members from the even
| ing schools who we're invited to par
ttcipate, showed such an interest in
the work that 1t Is hoped more pro
vision will be made for them so tina
/ they can take part In athletics too.
There ~ the closest cooperation
! between the directors OF the medical
department and the department of
physical training, The important work
OF the medical director DIR. ~ Thomas
/ Emmett and his staff OF assistants, in
( examining every contestant in ath-
ietics prevents a contestant from TAX
ing part in athletics who Ia not
physically ut The ruling OF the de-
partment Of physical training in re
gard TO the physical examinations of
school children Is as follows:
NO child in the public schools of
the city OF Richmond shall be al
lowed TO enter an elimination or final
athletic meet twhere one school COM
petes with apother) uules his ply
sfCal fines for such meet or contest
is atte>ted by a physician.
Virginia is progressive, and Rich
mond is keeping pace with much
I larger cities OF the United States in
regard TO the interests OF the school
children, In physical training a good
start has been made. but il ia now
time that more provisions should be
made for taking care of the physical
activities OF school children.
! No systematic use is made Of the
dramatic talent SO generally found in
children because of lack of funds 10
! pay for coaching. The schoo! play
grounds are not much used as they
could be, because there Is no money
! to pay for supervision and even where
supervision-an this is true in AL
7 schools there is not enough equip
ment TO keep the children all occu-
pied with work at the same time.
often, the school Fairgrounds are not
even provided with basketball posts.
! In addition to having one of the
I finest educational systems In the coun-
/ try. Richmond has also one of the
/ best collections of school buildings
/ that there is in the United States,
with this reservation: Richmond has
not provided adequate space for ply
siCsi training work. RiChmond has
+ only one equipped gymnasium for
over 80. 600 boys and girls. In schools
having five or more grades in them
there Is an auditorium which is sell
! dom used for more than thirty min
utes n day during school hours. These
auditortums meet great need as So
CIal Cent0r& NDefS lectures can De
given in the evening, and as such they
are often used. ! do not want 20
lessen the use of the auditoriums. /
want to increase the time that they
| are being used. Make these places
into gymnasiums by unscrewing the
chairs and installing gymnasium OPP
paratus. Then they can 90 used more
In the daytime, and on evenings when
lectures are not given, they can be
used as real social centers at night,
The time should soon arrive when
there will he at least one gymnasium
| in the West End, in the East End.
on the Northside and on the South
side.
1T Is, therefore, my peculiar pleas
ure to recommend that men and wo-
| men form an adult Public School Ath
leties League, whose particular OBJ
| ject is to promote useful athletics and
gymnastics among the attendants in
| the public schools of the city OF Rich
mond. and in connection Herewith to
cooperate and support school ath-
/ letic associations. provide athletic
grounds and teachers, organize games.
offer prizes and conduct competi-
-