Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-04-11
TRAINED ATHLETES
MAKE BEST SOLDIERS
Fact Suggests Plan For Compul.
sorry Athletic Training in
Grade Schools.
BY PAUL PURMAN.

When our national armN was called
INTO service the old army men soon
found that the men who we're most
amenable To and receptive of military
service were those who had been
trained lhle1es.
AT the officers camps it was found
that the best young officers had at some
time engaged in some field of athletic
endeavor.
1t is for the reason that the athlete
makes the best soldier, and he Is bet
ter able to dur the fatigue OF hard
campaigns and stands up better under
the strict military routine.
Now comes Nelson N. Lampert. vice
president of the Fort Dearborn National
bank of Chicago, and president OF the
chicago Athletic association with the
suggestion that athletics be made com
pulsory in all schools for boys between
IA and II.
Lampert has been known for year.
In Chicago az n w~holehearted hacker
of amateur sport. His aim has always
been to encourage any sort Of clean
amateur athletics.
He has taken his plan for compul-
sorry athletics UP with the administra-
tlon and hopes to have a congressional
bill passed making baseball and other
sports as important In every school In
America as the three RS"
"The records of our athletes in the
army proves conclusivcly tina the ath-
lete makes the best soldier" declares
Lampert. at follows that he will make
a better man In any line of endeayor he
Follows after he leaves school.
where we have failed i'm our ath-
ietlc program in tho schools is not in
quality produced, but in quantity. We
can make up for this in the future by
giving every American youth between
the ages of IA and 81 opportunity to
indulge in his natural love for sport
without expense to himself or his
parents.
This can only be done by govern
ment control and direction OF ath-
ietlcs, making them compulsory.
The plan which most readily offer
for the naturalization of athletics r.
mat which utilizes our election machin-
cry for the districting of the country
The unit is the precinct. Tcach pre-
cinct supplied with q sports field.
gymnasium, athletic paraphernalia and
instructor and compulsory
of the youth would bring systematic
athletic training to every American at
the e when 1T would do him or her
most good. AT the same time the Gle
mentals of military training could be
impaired as part of the curriculum.
but without entailing amy opposition
such as would be e%ngendered by such
u regi1ne as the Prussians subject
their people to.
The youth of America are nat
urally fond of athletics and these car
be combined with military training in
such Il manner as to be ept to
pfactlcaliy every y%oungster in the land
There would seldom be necessary the
use OF coinpulsion to make the youth
perform ms share of national service
because he would be trained by the
use OF sports he liked and for which
he was most adapted tclnperanlentally
and physically.
Take baseball, for instance. VIVA,
boy would object should be be ordered
to take part in precinct league games
three or four times Il week?
Interest in the competition Would
be p up by arrangement of con
gressional district championships and
then a system of semifinals between
the leading teams, until the final or
championship of the United States were
played. So could the other sports.
chosen as part of the curriculum. be-
handled.
The youth should be divided into
three classes according to age and abil-
ity. The junior division would be com
posed of youths of IA and Is: inter.
mediate. of the 16 and l7-year- Odds, am
senior. of those Is. 10 and 20.