The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1918-06-14
GERMAN BOYS VOID
Of HONOR STANDARDS
Have No Books Or Rules
Which Teach Fair
Play.

The other day at the BOOKSELLERS
Convention in New York, writes
James Walter Smith in the Boston
Transcript, Heyliger made a "hit" il
80 words. He was down on the pro
gramme for a short talk on "The Jul
Benille Book" Most of 1t was or
trade matters. 1t was generally a
plea for more attention on the part OF
the trade to Juveniles.
Men whose experience with boys
has been broad and deep" heremark-
ed. say that If the fundamental
truths of honor and fair play are to
DC presented to boys they must be in
1erpreted in terms the boys can I'M
ierstand. They understand school;
rhey understand their sports. If a
xriter, through the thrill and tension
ST q story, can make them see the
neauness and the faint and the tar
ash of victory without honor, is
II not fair to suppose that they will
garry this ideal with them through
lfe?'
Consider for a moment" added
The speaker, that Germany had no
national sport Consider that Ger
man boys have no books dealing with
1sair play and with boyish standards of
honor in competition. Perhaps this
rs why Germany today stands convict
ed Of the foulest crimes against de-
sency and fair play. The AngloSax-
ssn cry of "a fair field and no favor
has no counterpart in the German
EDngue. Perhaps we would be deal
ing with a different Germany if Ger
man boys had been taught that a
crooked victory was something to be
Sespised, and if their Juvenile litera- |
sure had driven that lesson home to |
Ghem."
That was all-on that point. The |
Booksellers walked up. 1t was a new !
thought to them. And they talked |
about Heyliger. And after that, |
Knowing that Heyliger had something
more to say, sought him out. 1t
was at the beginning of our chat that
ne spoke to me in fan" lingo, and |
cold me how Germany was "spiking |
the catcher"
Who Is HeyliGer?
IJayIioar &c n fairIy 1,oung fa1lou,
Just over so. Sharp eyes, clean-cut
features, transparent honesty athletic |
frame, bubbling over with a love OF
sport Has six boys of his own.
Knows games from Alpha to Omega.
Believes that the rules of sport are
he rules of life.
You see," he said, this war, to
ne, is Just like a game of baseball.
But it's a game in which the two
teams are not properly matched. The
one team is playing the game fairly
ana squarely-out to win according
20 the decent runles of the game. The
,ther is out to win at any price.
They have no conception of fair sport.
And they're up to all sorts of foul
llay. Though only things that can
De said in their favor is that they
lOn't know any better. They haven't
ieen trained to understand the spirit
u fair play.
1T would have been different if
he German boys of the past had had
uyenile literature. But they didn't
AVE it. And they have no boys
ports. No doubt there are some
iermans at the front to-day who
ave a knowledge of tennis and golf,
at they are a limited number Be-
ides, | don't mean tennis and golf
nd sUch-like sports. | mean sports
Ike baseball and football and cricket,
Il which American and English boys
egin TO take an interest from the
moment they begin to walk. The
Germans have never had those. They
Gn't know what boys games mean
he only thing in which they are
raned to take an interest in from
heir youth is athletics The turn
geyein is their only place of exercise.
me object, of course, is obvious. 1t
S to turn men into fighters. 1t is
he gloriication of muscle, the adora-
ion of the brute man.
"Oh, yes, there is a sport. It's
luelling. But what sport! | don't
NOW what the conditions are at the
resent whether the author
ties sanction duelling or not. But
do know that in the past every Ger
nan boy, when he gets out of the
Urinary school, looks forward to the
lay when he will have his first duel,
nd get a slash across his face. You
now the pictures of these bandaged
heeks? They are emblematic of the
;ermany before the war-the scar
ed. cut face of Germany, just as the ,
cut face of Belgium is the ,
mblem of Germany this day. :