The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-19
By HANS WAGNER

By HANS WAGNER
 It is my opinion that any man who has given thirty years of his life to baseball has not wasted his time. He has contributed considerable to his country. That gives me lot of satis- faction. I hope that all ball players will feel the same. By taking their profession seriously and giving as much as possible to the entertainment of the public and the encouragement of young boys to take up sport, they are sure to feel that way when they are about to retire and can look backward for reflection.
 I don't know of any profession in which could have done as well as in baseball. It has been my only educa- tion. Without It's opportunities I would not have been able to appreciate my own country as I have.
 After considerable thought am con- vinced that the game of baseball has done as much toward the amalgama- tion of races, toward Americanization, as any one factor In American life. It can do more.
 r. Probably you have noticed that in the great cities like New York and Chi cago, where the foreign population Is large, the proportionate attendance at ball games Is smaller than in cities O. city like Cleveland will draw almost as many people to zee winning ball club as New York city, and 1t has about one-fifth the population.
 Baseball people have overlooked many opportunities They must look forward in the future. That foreign population is great field. It has been suggested that the powers in baseball. should start a movement looking to- ward AmericaniZation by educating these foreign people into a love for baseball. Wherever they have a chance they take it up very quickly. I have seen little Italian boys trying tp play baseball the first year of their arrival simply because they saw the American boys doing 1t. In short time they had the American spirit. Without that spirit they are Americans in name only.
 Now if the baseball people would CO., operate with the public playgrounds associations in the various cities and with the Americanization societies, I believe scheme rcould be worked out by which great good could be accom- for the country. You can bet that whenever foreign boy becomes a base ball fan he immediately becomes an American. It gives him the real idea of what America means.
 Could Make Fairgrounds Schools
 Suppose, for instance, the big leagues should go into the playgrounds move- veteran ball player to conduct the games and instruct the little fellows at each public outdoor gathering place. In very short time more play grounds would be needed. It would start general movement toward the ball people would be repaid tenfold by the number of fans developed and by the development of new ball players.
 In this concluding chapter of my memoirs l would also like to indorse the plan suggested by John Heydler, ing toward the founding of a college for professional ball players.
 Such school, believe, would pay the leagues as well as the young ball players eager to enter the procession. There is no reason why we should not have a school for ball players just the same as we do for actors, for lawyers and other professions.
 My suggestion is similar to that of MT. Heydler, in that the school should be to big league baseball what West Point is to the army Without a West lack of trained officers. It is just as necessary to league. baseball that it's players be trained and possessed of all the knowledge that, men who have gone before can give them.
 The methods in the past have been honest and sincere. but sort of hap hazard. The popularity of the game has really outgrown it's system. Can you imagine what it. would mean to the major leagues to have college turning out from thirty to forty skilled players every year? Also can you imagine how hard young fellow would work to win diploma from that school if he thought it a genuine stamp of approval and appointment or assignment to some major league club?
 College Would Strengthen Game
 The young player in the past, by force of circumstances, has been com pelled to get most of his baseball edu- cation and training by his own efforts. The managers haven't the time nor the inclination to spend several hours every day correcting the farlts of the