The New York herald., 1922-08-14
Athletics for Women.
Doubts of a Man OF Long Experience
In Outdoor Sports.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD: Your
editorial article of August 10 on ath-
letics for women interested me greatly.
For some time ] have been viewing with
mingled feelings the entry of girls and
women into the more vigorous athletic
contests, a field which for centuries has
been occupied exclusively by the male,
with the exception OF the mythical ANA
IONS and professional acrobats. ] have
read at various times accounts of the
discussion going on in England over the
possible bad rh1ysical results to the
ladies from participation in such ath-
letic contests. and have had some mis-
glvings myself as to the effect of the
accompanying strain on the more deli
cately adjusted physical mechanism of
the female and on her mental attitude
which your editorial article designates
as temper.
From long observation both asa par
tcipant in athletic sports on the grid
iron, the diamond, the track and the
gymnasium, as member of my
school and college teams, and later
as coach and instructor to various
school and college teams in the same
activities. I am not yet convinced that
participation by girls and young women
in the more vigorous activity of So
called championship physical contests is
OF benefit to them physically or tenn
peramentally. In fact ] am gradually
approaching the conclusion that the ef-
fects are rather harmful.
Though not engaged professionally for
the last fifteen years in the capacity
OF coach or instructor i am still quite
an active contestant in tennis. golf.
handball. swimming. rowing and occa-
sionally baseball, and / am close to so.
! am also frequently an enthusiastic
spectator at football. baseball. boxing
and tennis contests. and so have love
for competitive athletics developed by
amateur and professional participation
therein for a long period Of years.
Ny own boys and girls, all under II.
are healthy. strong. athletic youngsters
OF considerable skill and prowess in
varied lines or athletics. In track events
and in baseball and tennis games in the
reighborhood my girls compete with
their brothers and the other boys OF the
neighborhood with a considerable degree
or success.
! have always been student OF ath-
letics. not only Of the technic of the
games and contests hut also of their
effect on tho contestants, harmful or
otherwise. have. of course. a direct.
personal interest in their effect on my
own youngsters. ] do not. therefore
speak from the viewpoint of an old
fogy or of jaundiced philosopher of
the books.
In the period before adolescence, when
boys and girls are so much alike, the
participation of girls in athletic con-
tests seems natural expression OF
physical spirits. But after that period
the girl participants look more like imi-
tation boys,-and. like all limitations. not
quite 50 pleasing to the view.
ri is noticeable that the various fe-
male champions whose photographs have
been SO prevalent in the newspapers,
wcetslies and ma gazines the last few
years have faces more or less masculine
and more or less removed from the type
OF grlish or womanly beauty which we
admire SO much. There Is certainly
nothing beautiful about them in action.
and particularly when the action is crys-
taIlized in photograph. J might ex-
cept swimming, q sport in which the
girls seem to develop proficiency quite
naturally.
iknow the, y, fsIpor'tis. in several