Show II I HZ METZGER'S COLUMN By Sol Sot Metzger J i there thero sometimes x W WHILE may mar be he duplication of or 4 1 effort cHort and therefore waste aste in the army ath- ath game amo in our training camps I in this country countr a a. condition due duo more mora to patriotic zeal on the tho I pai put part t of various civilian organizations orS org than to anything else when I we e consider athletic affairs with 1 7 our forces overseas we ma may congratulate congratulate congratulate con con- ourselves that a R simlar similar condition docs does not exist There General Pershing has turned that 1 job over o cr to but ono one organization the thc the one best hest backed and equipped to run it and It-and and wo ve need l not b be surprised if that lead leaders leader's rs judgment is vindicated Th The organization which has I undertaken this Job is known t among the men overseas as a the Bed Bcd ed Triangle It I Is the T. T M. M 1 I C C. A. A of or your own home town consecrated to service and pr practicing practicing c- c I tieng a religion that spells just that The Red Triangle is a live H e I wire ful full of or American pep pcp Like Llie t tIc the e Red Cross ClOSS its it symbol is service and merc mercy and its is member members members mem mem- I civilians stationed bers ber although c for the the- most part back of or the front line lne trenches have now and I then paid the heavy toll tol WOR NY It ft I is well that the American tor forces es have an organization like the Red Trian Triangle lc back of them It spells ef efficiency lency ir I. I a large w way wa j The Red ed Triangle has a rule it i lives up to to which counts heavily In n the long run It I considers no noone tone one for work overseas who is eligible for tor military dut duty Men cn big men mer in their specialties of drat draft age e cannot serve ser e the American Amerlean Amer Amer- lean ican Jen army behind the lines in France Brien Briefly this means that more men are released for the front line lne trenches than would otherwise be the case All Al this I Ia Is L- L Las as a it sh should uld he be The job of downing the Hun is best taken downing care care of h by young oung men as the job of ot serving serving those men is best taken care cre of or b by older me men men So the game is play played d and so 80 it must be played In consequence the need of or men for Red Triangle work overseas is growing larger and larger There was a time when the Tied Red Ted Triangle was wa not meeting the J need tn In the athletic work ork that t- t is 15 to be bo done This was due due to several er c l causes one of which was that that somo some little confusion existed J In this country countr as to what agencies agen agen- des cies were doln doing the arm army athletic work But that although not settled in America Americ has been overcome at Rt this writing in so far 1 as r recruiting men for overseas overseas over over- I seas is concerned FAVORS MASS ATHLETICS I L have purposely set down this brief brier summary of or the athletic situation in the American army before before- before dealing with wih that part of ot it being done O overseas In m my last article I dealt with arm army sport in thin country To Today ay wo will wi briefly sketch it abroad With our forces if i Dr McCurdy who has lon long been ben head of ot the i physical work of ot the Springfield Y 1 M. M 1 C. C A. A If I you ou think Dr McCurdy a mollycoddle mollycoddle-as as some college football stars mi might might might-it It ht-It It is well wel to recall recal that In addition additon to his work as a physical educator he has had time to coach football teams team's at that school which have havo habitually worried the coaches coaches of Harvard Dr McCurdy believes in athletics and his mass program for tor our our forces overseas fulfills fulfill's that that belief beler That he knows what he is about is proven b by the wholesale way he requisitions athletic goods may be bea a large amount of mone money but that is what Dr McCurdy had the I T. T M. M C C. C A. A put into athletic equipment for the American forces overseas at one crack rack last I winter wintel If I you are going over- over sease it matters not what game gamer I r you play Dr Dl McCurdy is read ready juL- juL you yuu JUl- JUl I Under him Dr McCurdy has I men who are division athletic directors The They have a big job There are man many thousands in a I division and l keeping these men fit ft and smiling b by means of or I sport is no small smal task task The Thc work is the scheduled work of or not our II cantonment and camp athletics in America To be a success the they I must be men who san can an hold a I group of soldiers long enough to toI get et them interested in games I But now that our forces are Inthe in inthe the C fight ht to the end with wih the I I Hun the civilian chian athletic director also gets get Into the schedule proposition proposition silon as well wel so we hear ComI Competition Competition Com Com- petton petition is the spice spie of life and I w when ven cn men return from a session in the trenches getting them back I to normal before the they return Is IsI isa I a job that the ordinary trainer i would die trying to solve sol e in his j I usual wa way j I TAKES YANK TO CUT IT j It I just tal takes es an ordinary I Yankee human being to put it I over And as cr c every little helps I he gets the boys playing ached ached- I ules tiles mental and contests I j I to get et their minds off what they I have hac been through h. h But big men are arc wanted h in this lp game too Bi Big I Continued on p page e 4 METZGER'S COLUMN Continued from irom pa page pago e 3 names and big reputations count with the boys In getting setting them back to norma normal It takes tho the best beat to get tho best results Hence tho the cry for Matty If It Matty wont over and got into the baseball end of ot it things sure would pick up in that sport wherever ho was Of Ot course a fellow who goes Into this game buries himself Hes He's not going to tobe tobo tobo bo be a sporting sparling page paso headliner or anything like that But ho he is going to bo be ns as great grent a as they make snake them for tor greatness as the philosophers say is nothing more than doing a thing thins privately that you ou might do publicly And the greatest greatness must be doln doing Just this thing thins when it helps the tho boys bos who are going to make tho the world safe for tor democracy baseball baseball base base- ball baU et ot al ale SAID IT WITH PRIDE Speaking of ot Mathewson reminds me of ot a yarn they tell at Camp Dix Dic In one of the tho Y M. M huts tho the boys were playing checkers one ono night last fall taU A A man J In dressed in civilian clothes and got sot into conversation with the secretary on duty Sa Say he said I bet m my boy 00 could lick anyone in this camp at checkers i Who Vho is your boy asked th the I secretary Mathewson And ho took a alot alot I lot Jot of pride in saying it H so the I secretory secretary told me I No you ou wont won't get any notoriety about doing athletic work over O overseas seas but it you oU will vill get et a heap of or satisfaction so those over there j who have written back here tell You wont won't even have o your sailing dato date announced or have hav an any friends at the dock to wave wac wavea waca I a goodbye n But t. t when you get gel gelback back homo home you OU will feel a heap more comfortable for Cor or tho the service you OU gave and you will have havo hadan had bad hadan an experience in sport that will fit tit you for any trend in that Hn line which will come following the war var Copyright 1918 by Sol Sot Metzger Metz |