The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-03-04

Every Mother Of q Little u''i
should Thoughtfully Read
inst across the street there Is 2
,.odern public school. The building
80 grounds cover the entire block.
4 4 well-kept school in conmu-
,itv that takes pride in its progress
.;veness. There are shade trees In
me ward, modern steel swings, Slides
tsaters. and all the expensive play
~round equipment that indulgent tax
nayers could provide. Down the cen
ter Of the rear yard there is 2 ence
sanarating the boys from the girls
While we are committed to policy
~. co-education in learning, voting, Ia
bor and professions. we still INSIST
that the play hours shall be entirely
separating the boys from the girls.
Looking down into this shcoors
grounds during recess time and noon
hours. it is interesting to observe the
adherence between the children on
,he opposite sides of the fence. The.
hoys are having strenuous time play
ing ball, darebase, tag. racing, box
ing leapfrog, snap-the-whip, and ev-.
erything and playing that requires
physical exercise. Everything is done
with a spirit of intensity and the max
imum of physical exercise.
Al very different scene presents It
self on the girls side. Some OF the
smallest ones are emulating their
brothers by playing tag, some are
tumping rope, but most of them are
walking about in twos, threes or
fours. their arms about one another.
Some are sitting in groups visiting;
others are looking longingly toward
the fence from which come noisy
shouts and much vocal exercise. Some
Of the older girls show by their whole
attitude that they are exceedingly
selfconscious, and others try to at
tract the attention of the boys.
ssss
Now this community, even though
prosperous, is not greatly different
from all other communities in it's
treatment Of the children's play hours.
why did not the girls run and race
and enjoy themselves? They were
still very young. The sophistication
Of the high school period was many
years on for the majority OF them.
They were Gtill supposed to be healthy
animals. In their physical develop
ment sex had not as yet drawn any
hard and fast lines of great diHer-
ence. Had they been savages, or of
the primitive nations, they would
have been wearing no more clothes
than their brothers they would all
have been treated exactly alike.
But with our civilization we lost
some Of the advantages of savagery.
1t is now painfully evident that our
little girls become self-conscious as
they enter the fourth grade AS for
the pupils in the seventh and eighth
grades. why the girls would never
think Of romping and playing, racing
and jumping at school. Absolutely
shocking.
But why let the barrier that di-
vides childhood from maturity inter
pose its stultifying influence while
the children are still SO young? The
girls in that playground should have
been playing any or all Of the games
played by their brothers. They would
even find it better to fight with their
lists than with their tongues. There
is generally less harm that way and
it is much more satisfying.
But the school authorities are not
wholly to blame. The grounds on the
girls side are as well equipped as
are the grounds on the boys side. The
Ault lies at home. As soon as Mary
or Jennie or Edyth or Ruth passes
eut OF the primary grades she is told
mat romping or strenuous physical ex-
ercise is strictly taboo Such is not
done BY nice little girls, you know.
And nom week to week, and month
% month this admonition is given nm
" Mary, Jennie, Edyth and Ruth
vili sit down to talk while the boys
are exercising their muscles, with ev-
cry natural impulse OF the girls cali
ms Tor them to join in.
we IKE to boast about the athletic
american girl, vet comparatively few
y tnem are athletic. Most Of them
cannot walk without firing or suffer.
ing nom sore feet; few can swim, sim
'1Wer can ride horseback, and the
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