Evening star., 1920-01-26
TENNIS WILL SOON
Be MAJOR SPORT
National Officials Hope to See
1t Made a Leading Pastime
in Colleges.

| The movement to make tennis a
major sport in the American colleges
is slowly but surely gaining headway,
and the day is not far distant when
the great net sport will be rated with
| foot ball, base ball, track athletics
and other games that hold leading
places in the athletic life of our uni
| verSities.
The international Importance that
tennis has taken on through the Davis
cup competitions between America,
Australia, England, France, Belgium
and Italy is reason enough for making
| the game a leader in American college
athletic life. In this respect tennis
far outranks base ball and foot ball,
in which there is no international
competition. and stands, at least, on
par with track and field games that
are the leading feature of the modern
Olympic meets.
| The United States National Lawn
Tennis Association officials are keen
to see tennis become major sport
in the colleges, and not for selfish rea-
)SonS, either. They have no axes to
grind except the benefiting of the
health of the average American
through the popularizing Of the net
game and the development of great
players to represent out country in
the Davis cup matches.
Julian S. Myrick, vice president of
the association and nominee for the
presidency, is among the advocates
of making tennis a major college
sport. His point of view regarding
the hoped-for elevation of tennis in
intercollegiate circles is not one
sided one. perspectively, by any means.
for the coming president of the u. S.
N. L. T. A. has been something of an
all-round athlete in his day. Among
his other athletic achievements Mr..
Myrick ran the fastest sprint on the
7th Regiment track team a decade
and a half ago. He points out, and
truly, that of all the sports that he
took part in as youngster, tennis
| alone he has been able to continue
since leaving active competition.
Tennis Is An-Age Sport.
Here is point of fundamental
importance in considering the whole
amateur sport situation. We often
sports which appeal to those of school
and collage age tennis is the only
one that can be learned early in life
and kept up for many years Base
ball, track, foot ball. rowinS-all of
these have their place. but at best
that ice IS limited by considera-
tions of time and opportunity. No
matter how good an athlete may pc
in college. in the vast majority of
| cases his chance to enjoy such sports
ends with his graduation. The aV-
erage man can count on the. fingers
of one hand the men of his acquaint-
ance FIVE years out of college, who
take any active part in such games.
Therein lies their fault, in the
opinion of those qualified to speak as
experts regarding present conditions
of business and home life. They do
not stay with man during the years
when they could do him the most
| good and that is why the men who
know the possibilities of tennis are SO
keen to spread its gospel. Any one
can play it, without expensive equip
| ment or great outlay OF time ana
money. Wherever a man goes in the
civilized world he is likely to find
| tennis courts, as it is the one game
which seems to be known everywhere.
If he begins as youngSter he will
have g. means of health-giving exer-
else and recreation which possesses a
definite value to him, because he can
play it anywhere, any time.
Physical EducntfOn's Aims.
This point was emphasized by DR..
| Edwin Fauver in recent address at
the annual meeting of directors of
physical education. when he said 1t
seems to me that physical education
tions. each of fundamental impor-
tance. First, physical education must
promote health, habits and physical
power. Second, it must contribute to
the general education and training of
| the individual, not only through in
struction in hygiene, personal and
public, but through the training of the
| 1ndivlduafs will power, physical and
moral courage, initiative, determination
cooperation, obedience and capacity
for concentration. A training of the
highest worth in his general educa-
tion, physical training must do this
| not merely as a training for the pres
ent time, but training that will be
a vital factor in all the life of the in
dividual.'
THAT idea of the continuous useful
ness of sport as means of promot-
ing physical well being underlies the
associations interest in the move to
make tennis major sport in the COL
ization of the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association along lines that will es-
tabltsh definite and permanent poll
cies will be Of material help in OBJ
tanning this recognition. Certainly in
dications now point that way.
Slow Progress Is Surprising.
TN connection with all this it is sur
pristng that in a matter which so
vitality concerns the future of the race
progress has been SO slow. Millions Of
dollars have been set aside for foun-
datfons to promote music education
| and to broaden the field of medical
and scientific knowledge, but as yet
no philanthropist has seemed to rec
ognize the truth that physical eff
cheney is the first essential to the use
and enjoyment Of all these other
things. Perhaps some day there will
be foundations to promote sport, on
the theory that outdoor exercise and
recreation are essential requir ements
for the best development of manhood
and womanhood.
Meanwhile the national association
| is doing all 1t can to. establish the
idea that tennis is a gang, that helps
to meet this need and thSrs., it offers
real service to the comnfSnity by
qualifying it's citizens physically to
meet the stress of modern life. Its
immediate task is to help the COL
lege and school authorities, who rec
ognize the Importance of giving their
students the best physical equip
ment to make their mental training
really efficient. We have already gone