The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-18
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Athletics and Motherhood.

I been coddled too much. Athlefios
are nothing but strong muscuIar
exercise Hockey is not as hard
physical work as doing a family
/ wash"
College Girls Good Mothers.
DIR. mcCracken is supported in
his opinions by DR.. Elizabeth r
Thelberg, resident physician al
Vassar for "a years, and Miss
Frances Ballentine, head Of the DE-
partment OF physical education
who has directed the athletics NJ
the college for q years. Nothing
In their experience has ever led
them to believe that athletics ar
injurious to women, but then the
system at Vassar takes into AZ
count the fact that some girls are
weaker and should therefore he
less strenuous than others. This
fact, however, is borne in mind in
most institutions providing physi-
cal training.
''Vassar presents living proof Of
our system, in the daughters and
granddaughters of physically train
ed women" continues DR.. Nc
Cracker. "If acquired traits were
hereditary, we might suppose that
some of the girls playing on our
present teams inherited their skill
in basketball and hockey, along
with their splendid physique. from
their athletic mothers, while the
sturdy babies Of recent graduates
argue irrefutably that the increas-
ed range Of athletics in the Ii ct 20
years or SO continues beneficial
at has been stated that many OF
the young women who are trained
to become instructors in physical
education suffer at childbirth. The
type attracted to this work, be-
cause they excel in it, have the
narrow hips and pelvis that natur-
ally make motherhood difficult.
This build is not the result OF ath-
letics, but the girls who have this
inherent characteristic can jump
and run better than girls with
wider hips.
THE objections of the English
school system may be based on the
mistakes of their own system. In
England rough games and rough
further than in America. Hockey,
association football and cricket, as
played by English girls. are much
more strenuous than our version Of
hockey and basketball
at is true, too, that the English
system is more apt to put each girl
through the same training, regard
less Of individual differences. Here
at Vassar every girl is examined
by the doctor and physical director
when she enters college, and her
physical work is prescribed accord
ing to her individual needs. 4 nor
NAL girl, physically sound, can take
part with profit in all the sports
and gymnasium work, but the girl
who is abnormal or weak is given
special exercises and corrective
work Sometimes girl viii be re-
quired to come into gym every day
for an hour to lie on a mattress
and take deep breathing exercises.
This is physical training in her
particular case.
1.-The English girl is physically a
harder type to deal with than the
The popular idea Of the
English feminine type is based on
the drawings of Du Maurier: tall
slight and fair. In fact, the will
Lowry Maudes OF England are far
outnumbered by short, heavy girls,
who look almost squat to American
eyes. They are specially numerous
in the manufacturing towns. This
type is apt to develop large, bunchy.
which become fiabby and.
degenerate unless they are con
stantly exercised. This is bad
thing, just as overdevelopment OF
any part of the body is bad"
In conclusion, DR.. McCracken
would have us consider the heavy
work performed by the peasant
women in European countries
work entaiIing much more strenu-
Gus effort than feminine athletics
and yet women of this type seldom
have any trouble in bearing chill
dren. In the face of such evidence,
the argument of the Victorians OBJ
viously fails; nevertheless, it should
be remembered that only a small
percentage Of our young women
today have the sturdy build or
peAants and that athletics, like
coiffures, should be arranged 20
suit the individual.