ATHLETIC FRENCH GIRLS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 4

ATHLETIC FRENCH GIRLS.

As the French fay, "Autres temps, au' Ires mocurs," and in nothing is the saying more applicable than in the caso of tho French girl herself. In a recent badminton tournament, several French girls competed, n thing unheard of until nuito recently.- They have played-a little fawn tennis certainly, but only a little. French girls took no interest at all in athletics, in the sense that the British girl regardetl tho latter. Tho "Queen," in commenting on tho matter, says: "Yet to-day everything has changed, and many Frencli girls can hold their own with their English 6isters in strength and activity. Naturally enough they are at present wanting in experience, and so cannot compete with very much chance of success against English girls in games which .require careful thought as well as skill and activity. Hut nobody who looks at the accompanying group representing the chief players who took part in the recent, badminton tournament at Dieppe for the French championships can doubt for a moment that in physique tho French lady competitors have absolutely nothing in common with tho anaemic girls, English or French, of past days. It is very easy to imagine any ono of them rapidly descending a mountain on ski, doing her fair sharo of tho work in a long and trying mixed double- match at badminton or lawn tennis, or facing without a tremor a big jump in a long hunting run."