The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-08-28

est in life outside the physical con-
fines of the home.
However. when we enter the field
OF competitive sport. / mean WARE
competitors are staged before thou.
sands Of people and the game be-
comes moro a spectacle than mere
ly a game, woman should hesitate
to enter tho lists.
It is not q question OF woman's
ability to play tennis, golf. polo or
set her hand. 1t 10 purely q ques-
ton of temperament. Women make
remarkably good athletes. They can
develop strength. and there Is no
question Of their skill. but do not
believe that the average woman
has the nerve equipment to sustain
her In Important championship
matches.
There are. of course, exceptions.
Cecille Leitch. British woman golf
champion. IL an exceptional woman
who appears to be capable OF
standing any nervous strain which
the game may entail. In fact. she
has no more nerves than has
trained male athlete.
Molla Mallory, the American
wizard of the tennis courts. 10 OF
the same temperament. She doesn't
know what nerves are, and wheth-
er she Is playing to a victory or
defeat. and no matter what are the
stakes. she Is all coolnes and self.
possession.
I have read in tho newspapers
some criticism Of Mile. Suzanne
Lenglen because OF the fact that
she defaulted after losing her first
set to Mrs. Mallory. / am en-
phatically OF the opinion that such
criticism is unjust. Were man
to act in this manner. undoubted-
1y he would be open to criticism.
but Mile. Lenglen Is highly
strung, entirely feminine woman
with q sensitive woman's nervous
equipment and temperament 1t is
no sign Of lack OF courage that
she broke down and was unable TO
continue her match. 1t was purely
a natural feminine phenomenon.
And this reflected no dishonor on
France-no more than did Car
pentier's gallant defeat and q
moral victory.
wOMEN'S TEMPERANfENTAL
HANDICAPS AS CHAMPIONS.
Miss Alexa Stirling is another
example OF a splendid sportswoman
who Is not temperamentally equip
ped for championship competi-
tons or to participate in sport
spectacles. She Is q remarkable
golf player. as measured by her
performances In England and
France against Miss Leitch.
Women are essentially emotional
and they react in a different man.
ner to the shouting and the noise
and the excitement Of a crowd
than do men. Your male athlete,
whether the game 10 going against
him or not. Is inspired by the
presence Of thousands OF spectators.
by the color and clamor Of the en-
thusiastic onlookers. Many women
would be nervously wrecked by the
excitement and psychological effect
of the crowd even though that
crowd were friendly to them.
Even in average circles there is
still q great deal Of organization to
be done in sports. And among the
chief needs in this respect IL the or
gAnixation Of sports and games for
school children. All the public
schools, and nearly all middle
schools, give quite as much atten-
ton to games as to science or let
tars- Tho Same Il true Of certain
universities. And the defense Of
this policy 10 that games have such
high educational value. both
morally and physically.
It Il strange that the persons re.
sponsible for the welfare Of Britain.
persuaded as they arc of the afore-
said high educational value OF the
games. have never provided for
sports In tho schools of the people.
lately the colleges Of Oxford have
been lending their grounds to Ok
ford board schools and also helping
to tit the schools out with games
apparatus.
Hero is one example that might
well be followed elsewhere. not
because It 10 good that the proper
education of the mass Of the young
should depend on the charity of a
few units here and there, but be-
cause such efforts provide an object
lesson for the nation at large.
1t Is q scandal that every school
In the island has not It's own sports
field with fun equipment. And 1t
would be equally a scandal II at the
present moment a group Of educa-
cational madmen got hold of the
House Of Commons and insisted
q