Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-07-15
SPANISH GIRLS NOT
STRONG FOR ATHLETICS
They Convert Basketball Game
Into Regular Free-for-All
Fight.

Many leaders of local Fairgrounds.
doubtless feel that they meet with dif-
ficuities In their attempts to teach
new games and instill the spirit OF
fair play, but their trials are not TO
be compared with those OF Julia T.
Wood. an American woman, who
undertook playground work in an
American school for girls in Spain.
The King of Spain is very fond OF
sports but his efforts to make his
people athletic meet with small sue
cess. The women especially. nave
no sense of sport. Not very long ago
they even had their shoes fitted In
the privacy OF their own home.
The American telle of her amusing
failure 10 make Spanish girls enjoy
athletics. She started or with
Prisoners Ba Sc" a rather easy game.
! The girls listened with unsmiling
courtesy to her elaborate explana-
tons In faulty Spanish. Then the
game began with a spirited accom-
paninlent OF feminine shrieks. Soon
the coach noticed that as fast as
prisoners were captured they disap-
peared She blew her whistle and de-
| manded an explanation. When no one
volunteered any reason for the miracu-
lous number of rescues. she called on
Maria. Alteration, Ascension. but all
denied that they had been prisoners
Thinking she had been misunderTood
in her directions. the American again
outlined the rules and patiently ex-
plained that II was no disgrace 20 be
a prisoner. that the game could not
progress without prisoners All ex-
plantations were in vain. When she
jotted down the names OF girls caught.
they stood there in stolid submission
like a prisoner at the stake, while
plying captors tagged red-faced and
Inundated captives. Al last she was
forced to end the game.
Tennis was slightly more successful.
The girls wished. however. for a ger
want to pick up the balls and when
they played tennis among themselves
Il was always with this innovation.
The American Coach had planned a
ba sketball game as a test OF sports
manship. The gallery Of the gym
nasium was crowded with fond parents
who beamed with pride as two fine
looking teams trotted out. The tech
nique was perfect until the first pas,
of the ball. The game then became q
ra ging battle in which rules were for
gotten IN the fight Of individual
against individual. in life and deatf
struggle for the ball. The whistle wa
UNDECIDED. Nothing stopped the rio
1 until the coach darted into the melee
T and seized the ball.
Behind closed doors she renon STRAIT
= ed with the teams and appealed q
!: their pride and affection. Determine
! not TO disgrace their training, IN
teams returned to the floor.
;. AS Miss Wood says. AT least il wa
:, football now instead Of prize fighting
With the calm OF despair 7 let IN
game go on at its own sweet vii
They ran with the ball; they k!cke
il; they tackled; they pushed; the
e showed No known species of fol
d was omitted, but 7 remained stonil
n inpervious Ny one coherent ide
. was to terminate the contest as 500
5. al possible. and at the first pause
II the conflict I announced a rasty vic
e tory to the side which bore the tewe:
:. visible signs of battle"
p She was sure that one fawless me
= ment remained. for she had laid speci;
emphasis on the matter OF meetin
victory and defeat.
The two teams approached eac
other calamity enough. The var
pushed captain held out her han
: with a brave effort at a smile. 81
| emotion surged within her.
Il We should have won, she remark
II ed bitterly in English, for my benef
Y had not all the fats been on my side
| The victorious team burst into il
dignant rebuttal OF this argumeu
i The vanquished team, wantonly il
! suited, shed torrents OF tears; the
II captain went them one better Wi
II Mysteries. The gymnasium resoundt
TO the sobs. the walls, the invective
the model spoTtswomen. Even in y
gallery the torch Of battles was XII
\ died and flushed and excited paren
Il were disputing shrilly the claims
\ their offspring.
II The basketball game ended Nj
| Woods career as an athletic coach T
Spanish girls.