The Washington times., 1922-04-16

the country for which he was will
ing to die as Blighty. A London
regiment went over the top shout
ing, Early doors this wayp A
platoon would dash into the hell
OF the barrage kicking a football.
with the suhaltern In command
exhorting his men to keep their
eye on the ball.
To the French ally and the Ger
man foe this was alike incompre-
hensibie. Neither could quite un-
dsrstand the mentality which In
duced q British battalion to listen
intently while the Germans oppo-
site sang the Hymn of Hate"
again and again. The men picked
up the tune. made a rough transls-
ton OF the words, and when they
were relieved marched into billcts.
tired and mud-stained. but singing
Hate England" with riotous fer
vor.
They passed q French general,
and left him more convinced than
ever that the English were mad.
They played their games and
went back to the trenches and held
on with indomitable pluck and per-
sistenoe. making jokes in the in
tervals OF combat.
SPORT FOR sPOkT's SAKE.
The games themselves we play
In that spirit. We decline to take
them too earnestly. We really
want to play. to relax our minds.
to SAVIOR life with the salt Of
amusement. Sport. we feel. ought
to be rather sportive. and we are
inclined to so about II in q leisure
iy. fres-and-easy fashion. seeking
recreation and preferred to play
the game" rather than to win IT.
Perhaps that is one reason why
90 often we don't win II when we
are pitted against foreign competi-
tors. We have taught all the
world our sports. only to find that
our pupils can pretty frequently
excel their teachers.
There is hardly civilised nation
which has not got the better Of US
at one time or another In contests
of SKIN. agility and strength. We
invented 10 hoxe; but II 10 q
Frenchman who knocks out our
best boxers.
We started lawn tennis. and
have to yield the championship
finals to Americans. New Zealand
srs. South Africans.
Our English ladies' are supposed
to be more athletic than their
sisters essewhers. but they cannot
hold their own at the net with .
French Gfri. swedes. Danes,
Indiana. Dutchmen can surpass MS
I'M the stadium We believe our
selves q horss,ovinG people: but
an Am~1can team carries an be-
fore s on the polo ground. and at
Olympia cur bold croes-country
riders are outdone by horsemen
from France, Spain. Italy. even
little Belgium Last year I think
We hardly won. or kept. champion
ship honors In any branch Of sport
PLAY AND MENTAL P0IsK.
Some people groan over this a.
. symptom OF physical and moral
dscadsnos. That. however. is not
the true sxplanatisuL The fursiGn
sportsmsn and athletes devote
themselves to their particular 100
with professional energy and sim
gfeness Of purposs.
Wa. on the contrary, are out fpr
pAstime and recreation. We want
to enjoy ourselves, which you can
not % II you turn games ana sport
into . grim. fierce, pnssty com-
petitfve pursuit. We nhe % keep
our minds in q state q pleasant
detachment, so that ws can turn
easily to the play without being
wholly absorbed by II, and mix In
Il pleasantly with other interests
and avocations. 80 our cabinet
ministers can spend a weekend
at golf. in the very midst of q
political crisis, and come back TO
their offices better qualified to
tackle their difficulties with iuds-
ment and tact.
II is all part of that Illogical,
slightly humorous. and always toll
Grant attitude OF the average
Brfton toward a confused and not
wholly ineligible universe.
1t helps us to keep our temper
and avoid being ratified by great
events or small. So on the whole
the peculiar English "play-habit"
is q good thing for the English
man. But I doubt whether any
body else-not even the American
or the Irishmsn--wi1 be able to
assimilste IT. For 1t is a growth
of English soil and climate. and
can not be transplsnted.
H H-xuI