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Show STRENUOUS LIFE IN NAVY. Trophies and Athletic Equipment fop Jackies of the Missouri, The strenuous lite is now extending extend-ing to the navy and at a quick pace. Some time ago Secretary Moody, as i a result of a conversation with the President, promulgated an order authorizing au-thorizing the issue to any ship whose commander should report to the department de-partment that his crew has a well-developed well-developed athletic organization, of certain sporting paraphernalia appropriate appro-priate to the character of certain games in which the men excel, and of a series of prizes or trophies for which they may contend. This has been acted upon by the battleship Missouri, with the. result that orders have been issued for her equipment with. two. pueshjg baga,- twenty-four baseballs, four footballs, twelve bats, twelve broadswords, six sets of eight-ounce eight-ounce boxing gloves, six sets of fencing fenc-ing foils, twenty-four ball-players' suits, and an adequate supply of masks, gloves, protectors, etc., for all probable requirements. The suits are to have the name of the ship across the breasts of the shirts. This move has been made, not only in the belief that athletic exercises exer-cises are good for the men who indulge in-dulge in them, but that the interest exerted by competition between the ships' crews in manly sports will tend to take the place of less wholesome entertainments when the men are ashore. The pride of each ship in its own crack sportsmen will add to the esprit de corps and the hope is that the moral tone Of the whole navy will be raised by the new plan in spite of occasional abuses which will doubtless doubt-less be inevitable. New York Post. |