, 1923-02-22
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

H4N For so hath fate 1t vrit;
@@E Thoughts far array and bitter-sweet
~ Beguile NTH cheat my wiHing feet.
O. This, this the trail | hit:
The Fern Lake Trail. where virgin snow
Lies soft and deep the pines below.
Away from road and far from rail,
Snowshoe and ski to break the trail
fToboggan's creak. the squeak of thong.
A girls bright sash, a snatch of song.
a frost-nipped ear and quick snow rub.
The rest Mt noon for bite o grub.
That winds and twists its way to make
From valley up to mountain lake.
With cabin on IT'S frozen edge
And ski-run down its steep-hung ledge
And campfire throwing yellow light
That turns to gold a world of white
a playground decked in brave array
"Ho, no, Jack FROST We've come to playT"
Sport in the snow-it's been the proper caper all
winter and the American people are Still at It all
through the North-from New England to Rocky
Mountain and from Yosemite to Mount Rainier.
Students of the times are commenting on 1t as a
new phase In the evolution Of the nation. These
winter sports have been growing In popular favor
for several years. This winter, however, the$r
vogue is such MS to make sociologists sit up and
take notice.
Now there are winter sports and winter sports
For example. on Il January Sunday $4,000 specta-
tors gathered AT the Garfield park lagoon to see n
thousand or more Chicago boys and girls compete
III Il series or skating rnces. ON the sam Sunday
10000 spectators attended an international ski
tournament nj Cary on Chicago's outskirts.
4 That is not what ! mean by winter sports. What
] mean by winter sports. by sport In the snow. is
the people turning out to do the playing themselves.
not TO watch somebody else do the playing. And
the people are doing It this year.
A generation or so ago the students Of American
life We're complaining that the American people did
not knows how to play. took no vacations and all
that sort of thing. Then the people did learn 10
play and did take yncations-ln the summer. The
next change was that n class of vacationists was
evolved who took vacations all the year round.
They played In the North in the summer ana fol-
low ed the warm weather South TO Florida In the
winter or West 10 California, or abroad. Now the
society visitors to the South have been Joined by
the Tin Can Tourists" who travel In divers
more than 1900 held the fourth annual convention
~ The Tin Can Tourists NJ the World In De Soto
park. Tampd. early In January OF this year.
The latest development of this recently acquired
appetite for summer and winter play on the mart
81 the people Is sport In the snow. II has been
evolved since the war. Perhaps the red.blooded
young fellows who came hack from "Over There"
IN such fine physical condition that they must let
on steam through real exercise have been In part
responsible. Anyway. the Idea has become wide
spread that cOastlng. tobogganing. skiing. snow
shoeine. skiloring. hiking and all the other Writer
sports easily within the reach of the average Amer
lem In the North are hrst-class fun. The comple.
mentary Idea Is that a real tussle with Inck Frost
In his nntive wllds Is more conducive TO red blood
nnd rosy checks and II good appetite thnn less siren
uous exercise under warmer skies at home or
abroad. An enthusiast might put 1t like this;