The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1922-03-23
so LYNDEN FANS MAY KNOW,
HOW BASKETBALL STARTED

The editor of The Tribune was
associated with the inventor of
the game of basketball, DR.. James
Naismith, while serving on the
faculty of the University of Kan
sas ten years ago. DR.. Naismith
was head of the physical educa-
tional department at Kansas, but
did not coach the teams in the
sport he had invented, as the
game had developed fine points
far beyond the simple contest
he had planned originally.
Lynden fans will be interested
in DR.. Naismith's own story OF
how he invented the game, as
given in the Baseball Magazine
this month:
The next time you take part
in or witness a game Of basket
ball, just remember you owe q
debt of gratitude to DR.. James
Naismith. The first time I ever
saw DR.. Naismith was in a Red
Triangle hut in France. II need
not ask you If you are scotch, 4"
l said, "for one can tell by your
looks that you are" DR.. Maj
smith smiled and said, II was
born in Almonte, Canada, on Nov
ember 6, 1861; but you are right
about my being Scotch, both my
father and mother were born in
Scotland, so you don't have to
ask what church I belong to. 1t
almost goes without saying that
If one is Scotch he is a Presby-
terrain. My father was a woods
man and a builder. While build
ing a mill he drank some water
containing typhoid germs and
took. the typhoid fever. My
mother nursed him. He died
about ten days before I was nine
years old. My mother died on my
ninth birthday. When l was four
teen years old, I was doing q
mans work, driving team in
lumber camp. BY the time I
was eighteen, could chop my
two cords of wood a day with
the best of them. had no op-
portunity of going to school until
I was 10. covered a four-year
course in high school in a little
less than two years, and when I
was 81 l went to McGill Univer-
sity. l spent four years there.
graduating in '87. Having work.
ed in the woods almost all my
life l was very muscular, so was
much in demand at McGill on the
athletic team. was on the foot
ball team. also threw the ham
mer, and l was usually on the
tug-O-'war team. I was also very
fond of the good old-fashioned
r . t.fs ~ nicunI University to Sc
cure an education to enable me
to become Presbyterian minis
ter. Working with the men as
l did on the athletic field I came
to the conclusion that I could
get nearer them and be of more
service to them in Y. NJ. C. A.
work than as a minister.
After had graduated from Nc
Gill University, l put in three
years in the seminary. After
graduating I went to Spring.
field Training School at Spring.
field, Mass. This was a school
for Christian workers. It had
been started by David Allen Reid.
At first r. ]. Roberts had charge
OF the physical work, but when
went there, DR.. Luther Gulick
was in charge of the physical
department. After completing my
three years training course there
was appointed instructor and
taught boxing, wrestling, swim
ming, anatomy and PHYSIOLOGY.
One of the men I met there of
whom I became very fond was
\. A. Stage, wonderful man
n the football field. In 1895 II
vent to Denver as physical in
'tructor of the Y. M. C. A. After
hree years there I went to the
University of Kansas, at Law
ence, to take charge of their
department. of physical educa-
ion. You probably know that
he Springfield Training school
'here / was a physical instruc-