Evening star., 1925-09-03

will become the most enthusiastic of
sportSmen later.
Suppose Johnny has made one
great personal discovery-the charm
of books, These interest him beyond
anything else in the world. Most
boys make this great discovery at
some time or other between the
ages of s and IL years Some make
it earlier and some later | know
one man who made it while sailor
at sea, through the medium of a com
plete set of Victor Hugo, the only
Books aboard.
Johnny. our small lad under dis
cussion prefers reading to going out
kicking a foot ball around. In the
rebound of this age. from too much
accent on the mental side of child
hood. to excessive emphasis placed
on physical health, perhaps there are
not as many of these book-loving
children as there were 20 years ago.
Some of them do exist. however,
and Johnny is one of them. He has
made the personal discovery of litera-
ture, but not that of outdoor games.
lie should not be lectured, or com
PEELED TO take them up, but should
be induced to do So If he Is nagged
he will shrink all the more from
Venturing out into the fray. If forced
to sports he will probably resent it
as much as the lad who is chained
to a piano by a fond mother. Once
from under the parental urge he Will
never touch the piano again in all his
life.
If it is possible, however, by eX-
ercising a little real parental ability
to get Johnny interested in games,
in all likelihood there will be no
greater booster of physical exercise
anywhere than John.
The enthusiasms. the personal dis
coveries. of manhood and woman
hood are even broader and more
numerous than those of childhood
as large and numerous the latter
are. for the adult has an increased
ability TO command experiences.
One of the beauties of life is that
il is never too late To mend, as the
old copy book maxim had II. Indeed,
one is never too old 70 make new
personal discoveries The ability to
make them, despite ones age. is per
haps the test of happiness in life,
since no one can be happy without
enthusissms. and no one IS likely
to have enthusiasms until he has
made personal discoveries of this and
that.
1t is heartenine. then. to read in
the papers of some elderly lady who
has taken up a course of study al
a great university. or TO hear of some
man who has suddenly gone in
for golf or some other interesting
sport or occupation.
These people have discovered these
things for themselves. What was
botany to the old lady. indeed. until
she, personally, discovered its charm
ing interest?
The man had been reading and
hearing about golf all his life, but
il meant little TO him until that day
a friend induced him to stroll around
the links with him. and to swing a
club Just for fun.
SO il is with gardening.
AS this is the occupation for which
no one is TOO high. no one too low,
so also il is the enthusiasm open To
every man, woman and child with a
window box or small plot of ground
at command. No one is too young OF
too old TO discover" gardening.
Those who have grown up with
the green growing things will he no
nature than the city man or woman.
who, at a later age. suddenly dis
covers the surprising interest and
beauty of these wonderful processes
of nature.
Such A one actually discovers hor-
ticulture, and really puts the seal of
approval on II.
How can it he otherwise?