The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-26
SPORTING
BALL PLAYERS
SHOULD FIGHT
British General Believes League
Stars Should Set Example.
BRIG. GEN. WHITES OPINION
Major and Minor League Cracks Are
Most Popular Athletes and Should
BE in France With the United
States Army.

Baseball players in the major and /
minor leagues should be In France
with the army. This is the opinion of
Brig. Gen. Wilfred Arthur White, G. /
Nj. g., who for three years saw active
service with the British armies in
France and Flanders and is now in |
charge of British recruiting In this |
country.
II should like TO see every baseball !
player enrolled In the army" is the |
way General White expressed himself |
THE baseball players are easily the
most popular athletes, and they should |
take the lead in fighting the nations
battles. The example they could set
would do ns much as any other one
FACTOR In blazing glorious path to
France.
There are many reasons why base
ball players should make exceptionally
me soldiers. A baseball player should
DC an expert throwing hand grenades.
These men are of necessity all In splen-
did physical shape and could do much
70 help condition their fellow soldiers.
The example set by Hank Gowdy Of
the Boston team, and others Is highly
commendable.
Would Continue Sport
But by advocating enroll .aent Of
the star players l do not mean the
closing down Of baseball. On the con.
trary, would strongly recommend the
continuance of all sport. The leagues
could be kept up with newly recruited
players. This would, of course, lessen
the quality Of the games for long
time, but | do not think it would de-
tract too seriously from public interest.
TN England the association football
leagues nre playing their schedules and
public Interest remains at n high pitch.
And this despite the fact that practi-
cally all of the best players are in the
army. Workmen in the munitlon and
other factories are taking more inter.
est In the sport and some fine players
are being developed. And the men are
better workers for their play.
Amateur sports of all kinds are to
be encouraged. / have found that the
amateur sportsman has led the way
among the Engllshmen and that is also
TO be expected in this country. Anna
teur athletes were the best fitted phvs-
lcally to make soldiers and they set the
pace under the volunteer system of re-
cruits. Their example proved a velu-
able asset in the recruiting.
Value OF Athletes.
when the athlete has gone 70 the
front, his place In athletic ranks should
Immediately be filed for obvious req.
sons. Athletes have so proved their
value that their ranks must not re-
main depleted.
Sport IL the foundation for health
and too much emphasis cannot be laid
upon its benefits and necessity. Ath-
letics are of paramount Importance in
Keeping the soldier fit and the same is
true of rhe man who must be prepared
to become potential soldier.
Athletics provide the very hest
means of taking a mans mind off his
work, be IL building ships, adding fig
ures or fighting Germans. They afford
the complete relaxation from mental
strain by substituting temporarily n
different kind of mental strain and a
varied muscular change.
The soldierly qualities developed
are many. Discipline is encouraged
innsmuch as discipline is the very es
schce of team play. Quickness of de
cislon and speed and agility are not
to be overlooked. and what cricket and
football do for the Englishman, base
ball and football and track athletics
do for the American.
Again, the desire to win spurs the
athlete on and encourages the shirt
That carries the trained soldier "a VIC
tory. And lastly sport makes for fair
ness of play, Il true sportsman and q
true man."