The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1920. SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3647, 7 December 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1920. SPORTS AND PASTIMES.

With which is incorporated “The Talhape Post and Waimarino News *’

Since the return to this district of f the young ruen who Avent to the war there has been a steady, yet notable, growth of athletic games and sports. The old English game of cricket is once more, apparently, the most popular summer sport, and it was some tter for surprise that there were sufficient enthusiasts in and around Taihape from which to form the number of clubs necessary for keeping up an interesting series of matches throughout the season. The Amateur Athletic Club is particularly active and the sports to be held on New Year’s Day promise to be the best yet held in this district. The schedule, prize list and a surprisingly large list of donations, trophies and special prizes has been published, which, with the prize money, offered by the Club should ensure competition that will furnish the sightseer and sportsman with a most interesting day's amusement. The number of cash donations, testimony to the heartiness ■ of the support given by the business- ’ people and others in the town and district to the upkeep of athletic conditions in which all young men in the neighbourhood may participate. On New Yearj’s Day the Recreation Ground with its beautiful surroundings . will be the chief rendevous of settler and townspeople generally Avho appreciate good, clean, well-contested athletic games. It is hoped that on this coming occasion there will have ie- - urned to Taihape from the great war, enough old bandsmen to render the ■ presence of a good band not only possible, but also assured. The One omis--1 sion in essential buildings on the Recreation Ground is the possession of a • suitable place for a band. Musicians cannot feel honoured in being forced to creep in under branches of trees to escape, from a hot sun, or from possible rain, while dispensing music to enliven people scattered all around the oval. The sound from a band is held down by the trees; it cannot travel over the area it otherwise would do if emanating from a rotunda ox suitable place in the open. In the past the band has been given a secondary, or a third or fourth rate place in the various organisations’ arrangements. We think that improwment in this respect is necessary if a good i musical combination is really wanted. Players should not be allowed to feel that their services are of little consequence, because that, is not in accordance with public opinion. The almost unanimous complaint has, during the last few years,, been that it was a mistake to have no music on tae I ' sports ground. Closely following upon j the Athletic Club’s Sports cornea the j great Caledonian Annual Gathering, > and those present at last year’s fix- J ture will remember how the Caledon- j ian Committee by provision of a j Pipe Band, and my keeping up a long ; series of dancing and piping compe'fll- j tions, gave life, animation, pleasure and interest to a large attendance of j people, who, instead of dwindljng away early in the day, stayed out the ; lenghty and particularly Interesting I programme of dvents. It must he . understood that the sight-seeing pub- j lie are not kept busy as stewards and j committeemen are, therefore, if publie interest is to be kept active there | must be no dead or uninteresting i patches on the dayj’s proceedings. Peo- ! pie go to sports gatherings to be amused and interested between competitive events; There is yet another organisation that is growing apace, one that has all the" elements of success to help it onward and make of it a most useful institution if not dwarfed or too much circumscribed by neglect in providing for encourage- ! meht of mental as well as purely phy- ; sical faculties. This is a Young Men’s Club, and while such an institution is ] in its initiatory stage its programme ;

I should be made sufficiently compre- ! tensive and ambitioiis to meet the : temperamental leanings of all its pros- | pective members. We do not regard 'the allowing of studiously inclined ! members to drift away upon nothing 1 more useful or commendable than 5 card playing, as successful work for a young club. While all kinds of aci ceptable games should be provided, j we think’ the first committee would do i well to lake especial care to have inj tellectually as well as physially in--1 dined members included, so that in \ setting up sub-committees there might j be those capable or organising and coni' ducting a debating class; a Shakcs- | perian class; an elocution class; a ' sight-singing class; a general musical j class for that special attention given |to such classes as would ensure suc--1 cess would also open up a gold-mine to j provide funds for future equipment and j extension. If the promoters of the j Young Men’s Club are going into the project without having determined upI on giving themselves up to something more than finding mere amusement for themselves and their friends in cardplaying, draughts and such-like games their efforts will fizzle out in failure as other similar efforts have in the past. On the other hand, make one | really good debater and he may make I’ the name of Taihape famous throughout the whole Dominion; make a successful, competent musical organisation, however small, it will be a source of profit to the Club, as well as furnish much-needed intellectual entertainment for a musically starved community. In evolving or developing public speakers the young men’ club would become a public benefactor. JWe know there will arise almost insurmountable difficulties, because it is fully realised that this is a time when young men prefer to put very nearly all their effort and energy into physical amusement, leaving nffthing but the dregs for culture and development of intellectual pursuits and pleasures. By persistent and determined effort we think a young menj’s club could break upon intellectual ground in search of intellectual pleasure. Progress might be slow, and, on the other hand, it might be surprisingly rapid. If nothing but exhibitions o» a physical and athletic character are to be given people will tire of them, in fact, it is claimed that there is already a notable indifference to repeated physical displays which are not in these days alternated with exhibi(tions of intellect culture. There seems to be good reason why a young woman’s club should be formed, and if such a club could not enter Into competition with a .young men’s Club in physical exercises could ho Id its strength, it certainly could hold its own if properly taught, in competit- > tions of skill, as well as in competitions of an intellectual nature. One club would act as a spur to the other, and, combined, the two clubs would doubtless be a source Of gtea? p|e» j amusement, and interest to the whole community, something in which j the whole community could Show a commendable pride.