The Chronicle LEVIN. THURSDAY, APRIL 27. 1916. SPORT.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 April 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN. THURSDAY, APRIL 27. 1916. SPORT.

Sport, figuratively speaking, moves with a crippled gait these da.ye. The reasons are not hard to find. For one thing, it i« natural that those who have lost friend* and relatives nt the war should be disposed to ccntc.niplatc unduly the serious aspScts of insand it is true that a ••predominating proportion of the people in every community is comprised in the division we apeak ot. But- is enduring dolour anything of benefit' to the communities? The Chronicle tTTTnkis not; and for well-weighed reasons. It lias no hold with those who argue that a too-free provision ol sports and games will deter young men from doing their duty to the country. To our mind, the very spirit that induces a love ot sport inspires also the spirit of adventure; and wliero the iexcepfcions exist, the adjurations of the .hustings speakers or the publicists will avail little or nothing to alter the existing determination. These points, however, are by the W*y. We would reaffirm our conviction that sport per se is desirable; it gives oportunities for the outflow of the exuberant animal spirits of those who play, and affords the onlookers and other followers ot its interests a cure for the wor'd-widc megrims and: local despairs that afflict here and there a section of society or a wider aggregation. New Zealand, it would seem, following Chi note precedent, is "beating its Joss" in a twisted sense of the phrase; or in better simile, it is abjuring sack and cake in the hope that somo jealous dcini-godi who is alleged to preside over War will become appeased. There should be a clearer perspective taken

in regard to these matters. If sport was necessary in the pre-war days it is necessary now. "Why was foothill playedP or cricket, or hockey, or hopscotch for that matter? Not merely for pastime, that is a certainty. Gaines such as these are intended to promote that proper circulation of the bloodi that induces normal' health of body and mind. To those who possess something of the introspective sense, the fact becomes evident that for health reasons alone there should bo hearty encouragement given in these days to the best torms of sport. If "the sane mind in the sane body" of which the Greeks were the greatest advocates was desirable in pre-war days, it is doubly m today. The men who are unable to go to the war because of family ties or other weighty reasons surely are entitled to follow rational pleasures. So, too, are the middle-aged audi oldei ones amongst the communities who retain a fair amount of strengh or' euergy. The war's progress, to our mind, is likelier to be hindered than helped by any enduring attitude lugubriousness in the dominion.