The Daily News. FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1914. ATHLETICS FOR GIRLS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 37, 3 July 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1914. ATHLETICS FOR GIRLS.

A correspondent in tlio London Times recently gave expression to some int> iesting views on tlie characteristics of athletic girls as wives and mothers. The. athletic girl is by no means a modern produet, being well to the fore in ancient history, hut centuries of repression and inanition have passed away, and now, in spite of the hurricane of protest, the athletic girl has come into her own, not by chance, but by deliberate intent. | As a matter of course, there has been a controversy as to whether this evolution is for good or ill, but when the subject is considered in its true light, theie can be no question that the. answer is overwhelmingly in favor of games having beneficial eli'ect on the health and morals of our girls. A well-known English medico recently declared that ''the girl who has played games and entered into the spirit of games is not only the best mate for any man who respects his comfort and .happiness, but she is, mentally and physically, the best girl." Such a statement places the tombstone on the already green grave of the "sweet little song bird" school. Another eminent authority has pointed out thai the value of games lies in the fact that t'.ioy evolve and develop the best elements of mental discipline and self-reliance. This has been very clearly demonstrate! in New Zealand, and may be regarded as a truism that withstands all hostile arguments. The player learns to "pass the ball," and sacrifice his or her individual inclinations to the good of the team or side. There are, of course, selfish players who are prone to sacriiioo the mana of their team in the elfct to secure personal glory, but these or~* fortunately few and rightly brought to book more or less effectually. It is -ibvious that girls who play games leavii the lesson which their stay-at-'.home sisters so often miss—that life is essentially a game of give and take. -Moveover, they should acquire an honesty and directness of purpose that is the enemy of deceit and small mindedness, and it is certain that they can and do obtain a clear conception of relationship, and while they may demand move, ' are also in a position to give move. ' The correspondent points out that the husband of an athletic girl may take it that his point of view will be understood and appreciated. He will have not only a life companion but a friend capable of passing fair and just judgment, and cl ceding a point as well as enforcing a demand. The great point is that t'.ie prophecy that games would ruin t'ie health of girls lias been proved to be erroneous, for women have become i healthier, and we are seeing to-day a race of broad-chested, well built young girls of amazing vigor, cheerfulness and elasticity of step, with a grip 011 lite and on themselves. Occasionally, there may be some, who, in the stress of excitement and exuberance of spirit, overstep the boundary line of decorous In: haviour once in a way, but that does not airect the general principle, though as time goes on, and the new movement develops, it is to be hoped that there will be 110 cause for complaint 011 tii.it account. There is, of course, a limit to which women slionld indulge in games so as not to entail the undermining . of their constitutions, but this may be fairly left to their good sense now that , they have won for themselves the right ! to call games their own. Of all tho ( aspects of the question that the col • t respondent places before the reading i' public, there is one that has yet at- '■ tracted very little attention, though it • is one that contains a touchingly bean- ' tifill idea which has the emphatic approval of the medical authority quoted above. He says: "The day lias now come when a boy's mother can play his names with him when he is a small boy, and talk his games with him when lie is a big boy—not as she used to talk, a duty, but with the same eagerness as himself.That is the biggest victory women have, scored against Fate during hundreds of years." The writer might well have added: "and the best."

with a vengeance. Seldom-, indeed, has the House listened to such a convincing ami scarifying speech. Sir Joseph Ward's criticisms on finance and on the naval question were not merely answered; they were torn to tatters, and, in addition, the financial administration of the Ward Government, and Sir Joseph Ward's own attitude on naval defence received such a handling, as they have never done before. Mr Allen covered the leader of the Opposition with ridicule, by a free use of quotations from that amazing speech which Sir Joseph Ward made before the Imperial Conference in 11*11 on the subject of naval defence. He showed the deplorable position in which the Ward Government left the finances of the country, especially in relation to the various leading departments, witli a clearness and effectiveness never before realised. He displayed a masteiy of the financial position which even the bitterest of his atopponents could not fail to reeognisc. That the leader of the Opposition was very uncomfortable under the scathing indictment levelled against his administration was plain to all, and his attempt to cover his discomfiture by quoting some quite irrelevant figures in refutation of the Minister's Treasury records merely served to emphasise his inability to effectively answer his critic. Now for the other side. Hear the New Zealand Times:—

Sir .Joseph ,v. r as in groat form, and made a magnificent fighting speech, framing a powerful indictment that was at once incriminating and convincing, Certainly, he stood on solid ground, Before ho had spoken a dozen sentences, lie had scored an unanswerable point by contrasting the former denunciation of Liberal extravagance with the startling fact that since the advent of selfstyled "Reform" to power, the administrative expenditure of the country bad gone up by tlie extraordinary amount of a million and a half sterling per annum. This is unprecedented and indefensible. Sir Joseph Ward surprised the House and . most certainly surprised the eounI try by the figures ho quoted show- | ing tlie startling increase in the imI monse landed estates that are standing in the way of closer settlement. But what else could have been expected? The Massey Government owes its very existence to the influence and wealth of the great territorial magnates. It stands for the protection of the big estates, and under ,a policy that enables the leaseholder to secure the fee simple from the Crown and sell to the land monopolist, it follows as a matter of course, that the curse of aggregation must he intensified. But it was on tlie question of the. Allen naval policy which is wholly opposed to the patriotic instincts of the people, that Sir Joseph Ward was most effective. He showed conclusively from the ■bill repealing the provision for the payment of an annual subsidy to the British Navy, and Mr Allen's own speeches, that the painter has been cut, and that the intention of the Government is either to establish a partnership with the Commonwealth or start a navy of'our own. In scathing terms, he criticised the pretension that the Admiralty had repudiated the agreement to station certain vessels in these waters, and contrasted the assertion that it was favorable to the establishrment of a New ; Zealand navy with the speeches of the l J irst Lord of tlie Admiraltv unreservedly condemning such a proposal. On the whole, it was a great speech. And now tlw .Masses Government is on its trial before that House. Presently, it wilt be required to face a further and more searching trial before tlie country.