Football for Moral Health

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 62, 4 June 1927, Page 11

Football for Moral Health

PRESCRIBED AT CHILDREN’S COURT EOOTBALL as a preventive for criminal inclination was prescribed at the Children's Court today by Mrs. Nellie Ferner, the magistrate’s associate. Mrs. Ferner thought that boys would be much better learning to pack a scrum on Saturdays than doing fiveflinger exercises on the pianoforte. “What does he do on Saturdays?” she asked the father of one of three boys who were charged with the theft of lead-piping and gas globes from an empty house. "He goes to music,” said the father. Mrs. Ferner: Well, he’d be much better playing football or cricket. The Father: He plays football all the week at school. “He’d be far better playing in a team on Saturdays,” continued Mrs. Ferner, and she forthwith made arrangements with a man in the body of the court to have the boy enrolled as a player. “Would you like to play football?” •he asked the boy himself. The Boy: Yes. I want to play for - team. Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., added his opinion that the lads ought to play r games on Saturdays. It was very nice to learn music and other arts, but indoor study during the week-end tended to make lads not quite normal. The tallest boy, who had sold the lead for the others, but who had pleaded not guilty, was also asked if be played. “Yes,” he replied, proudly, “I play for fourths!” According to the police evidence, the tallest boy had permission to get bottles from an empty house. The other two had gone in after the door had been broken in. and had torn out the lead-pipe fittings. They were unhble to dispose of them and the tall boy had sold the lead for them. One boy, who had been in trouble before, was committed to the care of the Superintendent of Child Welfare, and the other two were put under provision for two years. The value of exercise was also stressed to the parent of a boy who had been indecent. Counsel for the boy said that although he was only 151, he had grown exceptionally tall. He would need Proper pathological treatment and Plenty of exercise. His brothers were excellent tennis players and one was a good boxer, and it was difficult to understand how the sexual tendency had come out in this lad. He was just too big to play with lads and too weak to play with men. The important thing was to give him plenty °f Physical training. Mr. Cutten agreed that exercise was necessary in order that the boy might !l ot go wrong physically. He urged the father to consider the boys difficulties sympathetically. He would "? Placed under the care of the Child ''elfare officer for two years.