The Idaho recorder., 1922-05-19

WELL WOIln MfitiG w iNteet tsfsN' i
vastly better than the average edi- !
torial delivcrance or Tor tnat mattsI
letteY than the average baccalaIrente /
.arYnon or any other ordinary homily /
delivered from the pulpit or PLATFORM. |
Ne slsggest that parents and teaeheIs
read il to their children AMI try 70
have the children think about II al
terwards.
One OF the differences between play
and snort il that play is exercise you
take for yourself, and sport ~ eSef-
,;Sa Won watch somebody else take.
play. Is engaged in by children who
nre healthy and happy. Sport Is en-
gagged in by grown-ups who are pui-
fy-eyed and bored.
Enthusiasm for sports is no sign
that a nation IL athletic.
In fact the kind of enthusiasm
WHICH loads dcwn the sporting pages
~ the newspapers, draws hundred
Thousand people to the bleachers at
a baseball match and attracts we'll
dressed crowds to race-course, ar
cues n nation of spectators ratner
Than q nation of athletes.
Instead OF sport encouraging play
III HfHN tIiT W NIL FitT'
About the only kind of exercise
,awadavs which people of twenty-one
or over take for themselves and 'ie
na, hire somebody else TO do is lane
ing. Of course there Is golf. But y
4 ,oo eariv vet 10 Say whether goif
4 destined 10 be permanent game
or a social fad. ,-...,.s.
4VatrhIng games instead Of playing
,nar, Il 1 s{yn of etTete civilization.
Th;s Il illustrated in the Welt
Lro,cn incident OF the Chinese Man
Sa,sc >rho was visiting in Washing
80 and was taken by his host TO at
tend = grand ball. The Oriental visit
~ - axnycssed himself as pleased with
,ha vnsetv OF the occasion but permit
tad himself tho inquiry, at Is oil very
',.all hnt / cannot understand why
,.e,,,. unner classes do all this work
,hennsaives. In China we hire people
~ aanre for us.n China IL very old.
The difference between fun MS an
oyarciec and fun as d spectacle u a
,,esv radical one. II Ia the difference
between the two kinds of pleasure
.bat are the privilege of the human
raee One h the pleasure of giving,
the other that of receiving.
better distinction perhaps would
lie that one Is the pleasure OF over
coming and the other IL the pleasure
of yielding.
In one case there is the forth-put-
ting az our energies, the pitting OF
arainst wits, of skill against skill, OF
bodily strength against bodily
strength. This is:
aThat stern Joy which warriors feel
In foemen worthy Of their steel"
And the Scriptures tell us that this
forhputting kind of pleasure " so
much superior To the receptive KIND
that ssl4e that ovcrcometh shall re-
eeive the morning star"
III hy morning star We understand
a poelicm allusion 10 the JOY Of live
ing this text seems 10 be psycholog-
ically accurate. The surest way to
aegeneracy and disease is TO stun
ones self with food, intoxicate ones
self With drink. indulge all ones ami
mai appetities, and spend ones days
in linouslnes and ones nights III
feather beis. Such a life Is bound tt
he a short one, whether a merry one
or not.
There Il good in sports wher
sports are play. For play Is the very
best means toward the formation oi
character.
In play We learn how to endure
how to get along with our fellows
and how 10 lose, which three thing
are now as important as any that cal
be nanici.
Even fighting, properly con
Quoted, Is not bad thing. That i
20 say, II Il not bad thing for tn
two prixa-fighterS, although il iS prob
ably very bad thing for the tw'
thousand spectators, who are gettini
nothing Sut OF the show but sort o
dehauch in blood lust.
In fact, watching people play |
rather an old mans business, an'
may be indulgcd in in harmless wa.
hv these who have not the energ.
nor the disposition 10 10 the playing
themselves.
A company Of professional sports
however, the kind you see at horse
races, prize fights and pool-rooms, !
not an Inspiring sight. Most of then
are inclined 20 be red-faced, puffy
eyed and pot-bellicd. All OF them ar
flAhhy.
And this law holds not only 70
the flesh bot for the spirit.
4 great many people place to-
much importance upon the acquisition
Of knowlcdge and the pursuit o
learning. There is no special henesi
in amassing information. In fact i
may become very much Ike the habi
Of going 10 baseball games and th'
mind that Il forever reading an,
studying AMI never doing anything
with the facts that II amaSses is Ii
ahle also Ia be flabby.
That form Of exercise which doe
the mind good is creation and con
struction.
II IL the doing things with the minis
that brings mental strength. and no
merely meeiving things by the mind
One reason perhaps why there ar,
20 many Christians and so littl,
Christianity is the habit of church
going and listening TO sermons.
To attend church service. to hea
the music and look at the xtaine,
glass, 70 follow the prayers in tn
book AMI the preachers homily ma
t.a.ssa