The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-25
CRoQUET POPULAR
French Soldiers Also Are
Strong for HOrseshoes.
Quiet Games Needed in Districts
Near the Huns.

Chicago, May 25.-French soldiers
are wild over croquet. It's hard to
believe, but the statement is vouched
for by DR.. George Louis Meylan. pro-
lessor of physical education at Co
lumbia university. who has just re-
turned from France, where he organ
lied athletics and outdoor recreation
among the "poilus" for the Y. M. c. A
Another small-town American game
which he says is going big among the
French fighting men as we'll as among
their American brothers-in-arms is
that good, old standby-pitching
horseshoes. Both of these rural
ed to the conditions and needs in the
shell zones. as the games can be
played in very short territory where.
the players can be sheltered from
boche guns.
Quiet Games Needed.
When it is realized that boche shells
recently broke up a football game, the
desira bility of quiet, restful little
games like croquet and quoits becomes
apparent.
Also, the apparatus for pitching
horseshoes can always be obtained
where the armies go, in spite of the
automobiles great part in this war.
In a statement just received here it is
said that in one American army camp
in the Chemin des Danes region, the
soldiers were entirely without athletic
goods because war material had taken
priority in the transportation. Pend
ing the arrival of sporting goods doZ-
ems of soldiers entertained themselves
by pitching horseshoes as they did
back in the old town.
In addition to croquet and horse
shoes, the games which have appealed
to the French soldier were frog, nine
pins and jour de boules. Frog is a
game of tossing discs into numbered
holes and jour de boules resembles
marbles played with large and small
balls. AfterS~studying the POSSIBLE
ties at the French front, the W
this work at the request of the French
government, have introduced volley-
ball, basketball and playground ball.
which latter is indoor baseball played
outdoors. Concerning playground ball.
Doctor Meyland related an incident:
How French Play Ball.
"A Y. NJ. C. A. secretary was UNI
piring and coaching two teams of
poilus in a game of playground ball.
The batter took a healthy swing with
his left bat and smote the soft ball
in a screaming liner straight for the
pitcher. The latter protected his face
with his hands and the sphere struck
him 'soggily in the chest. The pitch
er's expressive features registered sur
prise and reproach over this SO unex-
pected assault. As for the batter, did
he reach first? He did not. He ran
straight to the pitcher. embraced him
and apologized for hitting him!"
This is not the general rule, for the
poilus understand sport, even if the
games are new to them, and they en-
joy hitting the runner with the ball
| in this game as they chase him. The
French soldiers chase something else
when they play these games which
take their minds off the frazzled
nerves after trench battles or the
gloom of drab days in camp. Their
| phrase is Chaser lie cafard," which
means chase away inconsistencies. al
| tho the literal translation of cafard Is
beetle.
These games do help the poilus
chase away the black beetles of de-
| preston. French officers have told
Doctor Meylan that the whole atmos-
| phere has changed among the soldiers
since the e'Y'' physical directors and
other secretaries joined them. Orig
| inally there had not been any such
work among the French until the
| need was recognized. Now they have
| asked for American "Y" men to help
them operate their Foyers du- Soldat,
| the French equivalent of "Y hut.
and are erecting 1900 such buildings
| for the use of their own troops.