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Show I Soldiers Are Benefited Both in I Mental and Muscular I Way and Officers Quickly J See the Value of I Recreation in Baseball, i f - F tho American army had Its I4 f Kipling, liko tho British army In India, tho eamo Immortal series of ballads and stories would havo beon given to tho J world and thoy would havo in- eluded masterpieces In whloh . 'r nport toned and characterized the tnlos. Kipling should have been an Amor-1 Amor-1 lean and lived whero ho might havo witnessed ; our army life. His stories Would have been tho richer, for our soldiers nro the richer or tho eport In tholr lives. , Sport In tho American army Is not only practiced prac-ticed but also recognized by tho government as ono of tho really Important Items In the soldier's sol-dier's life. And tho development of nthlotla " games among the troops Is comparatively a re cent thing. Perhaps that Is why Kipling saw no nport In tho British Indian nrmy. It Is not alone a econt thing, but Is, moreover, a growing I movement, based on scientific approval, The avornge citizen has ono of two conceptions concep-tions of army life, or a mixed and Jumbled Idea In which both views are chaotically confusod. Either tho army Is a place whero shiftless and lazy men go to escape tho necessity of working for tholr living, or It Is a place whoro tho poor soldier Is Unbearably overworked or It Is a place where both conditions exist alternately. Tho term "soldiering" Is ovldoncc of the first conception, and thousands of mothers' lettors on fllo In tho War Department testify to tho socond. But, ns In hundreds of other things, tho popular pop-ular Idea Is erroneous. Army life, of course, does not mean all hard work. Thcro Is work to bo done and tho men have to do It, but It Is ordinary or-dinary work which any community would require re-quire And tho soldier has time on hlB hands. bbh i?o, 101 mat matter, naa tho machinist or the man in any civilian walk of life. Into this admixture of work and sparo time comes sport. "Whloh (as Kipling would say) Is r tho samo In private life. Modern, or perhaps It Is better to say recent, facts havo shown tho inllUencc sport exerts upon everyday life. Con-scquently, Con-scquently, tho army, always highly keyed to a degree of cfnolonoy, has turned to sport as a means of being a better army. Tho need for tho physical development that carefully .supervised recreation affords Is patont. Army life can hardly be classed as sedentary. But, nevertheless, athletics servo as a means to muscular and mental development. "Work may harden muscles, but sport makes the muscles vigorous and refreshes them. Besides the mental and muscular benefits de-rived de-rived from tho practice of athletics, thero Is tho recreational element which army officials have been quick to seo was a thing to bo sought Nothing so complotoly romoves a man from the duties of hla existence as a hard baseball gamo or a smashing baakot-ball encounter. With tho view of relieving tho fatigue arid monotony of army life, athletics are resorted to. From the moment tho raw recruit enters hla first barrackB, his llfo Is stimulated by tho wholesomo participation In athletics. Almost the first thing whioh tho "John Soldier," as the uninitiated green men are dubbed, encounters Is H calisthenics. "The more I seo of American young men, tho less I think of their parents. The boys of this country Just grow," vehemently aald a llouton- ant stationed at Jefferson Barracks, south of Hl St. Louis, ono of five or six recruit depots for the army. "Tho men lack all Idea of proper physical training." H. Being without any knowledge of military con- dltions, the American recruit is also without any i idea of the proper and most effective ubo of hl muscles. Army drills nro such that a man cannot bo awkward and bo efficient at tho same time. An awkward soldier is an lntolerablo detriment to hln company, To eradicate tho awkwardness of tho "rookie" j he Is obliged to Undergo a series of calisthenics. 1 In them he gots his first taste of army athlctlo life. These drills are plannod to give tho now fcoldler a senso of co-ordlnatfon betwoen mind and rausclo, to malto him pliable to tho rigors of his changed life, Co-ordination botween mind and muscle 1b ths absolute foundation for nit lasting success in BporL Ty Cobb probably presents the greatest e-xamplo of this sport virtue In baseball. Tho great McLaughlin in tennis was unoxcellod for supremo co-ordination of his muscleB and his brain. "Chick" Evans in golf is today the na- tional champion and four-tlmo WeBtorn Opon ehamplon because ho has attained perfect co-rd!natlon co-rd!natlon in his game, Cobb, McLaughlin, Evans aro naturally eftl-dent eftl-dent in thin rospect that 1b why thoy are cham- plans. If, theni tho soldiers aro scientifically taught to co-ordlnato their forces, it naturally lollowo that they aro moro capablo men phys-MBK phys-MBK Ically. ThlB initial development has a very po-MBK po-MBK tent lnnuenco on Hport in tho army. Army teams w In tho different pastimes usually attain a high Ht degree of succeas, dilo, doubtlooe, to tho greater understanding which tho soldier has of tho effort required to play tho particular gamo. That is just tho beginning, it la the rookies ivho aro subjected to tho calisthenics. Tho old H soldier has skilled hlmsolf in tho art of muscular S co-ordination. Ddrlngr hie eervlce ho is applying that skill. Beyond the rookie days sport is contlnuod and H' continued with a vengeance Tho wholo calen- ' dor of gamoa la employed: Basoball, track, K swimming, bowling, boxing, football and all tho K rest aro tho soldier's moans of kooplng htm in 1 trim for the eervlco ho Is required to do. And our little standing army, with its ever-changing H' personnel) has plenty to do botwoen tho boun- H1 darloB of oUr vast empiro and outsido of It. Because of tho typo -of men and tho general KH1' HI biiiiiiiV BBBBBBBBB adaptions of tho llfo, basoball Is tho sport which tho army most naturally follows. In tho barracks bar-racks at tho dlfforcnt army posts, baseball diamonds dia-monds can be readily and permanently laid out so that a placo Is always afforded tho soldier. In tho field, basoball requires such light accessories acces-sories thnt It Ip readily practicable to play It, A diamond can bo marked out and nil that Is necessary Is to play tho gamo. In Instances of foreign occupation, tho already al-ready mentioned lightness of tho equipment nnd tho facility with which a field can bo plannod make basoball possible. And, moreover, so llt-tlo llt-tlo expenso Is necessitated by tho playing of tho game that no difficulty In encountered on that score. Basket ball requires nets nnd an Indoor arena; football entails moro cxponso; swimming, inland, means a pool; and so on with tho other sports. Dut with basoball, tho soldier on his meager salary can well afford to buy an occasional occa-sional glove, or a bnt, or tho balls. And be it stated hero, that, although tho government, gov-ernment, through tho "VVar Department, sanctions sanc-tions Bport In tlio nrmy, Congress has never made any direct or Indirect contribution to a fund for that sport. Tho men alono pay for It. Usually they pay for tholr sporting necessities through a co-operative plan, whereby thoy purchase pur-chase at tho post storo all the material needed. Tho little profits which tho post store earns from these purchases goes to the stockholders of tho store and these stockholders are the various companies. So, the money Is kept In tho nrmy and goes Into a company fund for tho purchnso of further supplies. Not only Is basoball popular with tho men, but it also Is prolific of really first-class basoball. For an amatour, tho record of only four errors out of forty-five games Is quite an enviable one. Private Illnes of tho Jefferson Barracks post has made this record, playing with a team composed com-posed of tho regular soldiers stationed at that rocrultlng depot. The post team at Jefferson BarrackB Is ono of five similar organizations, all composed of bona-flde bona-flde enlisted mn, and, as a rule, of amateurs. In forty-five games during a season, tho Barracks' Bar-racks' team has lost only ten games. It has nttalncd a percentage of ,777 in 11 loaguo of clubs which aro among tho strongest of the nearby City of St. Louis. This team was picked from about 210 enlisted mon. In witnessing a gamo played by the enlisted men, 0:10 cannot but observe tho agility which they display, and marvol at It tho moro because a soldier's life hi never fixed. In a gnmo botweon the Jefferson Barracks post team, ami one of tho etrongost amateur teams, tho soldiers' marked ability was obvious, team to a man, lleutcnant-nianagor, nnd all, Instantly In-stantly stood at attention. And when tho final note died away In tho dlstnnco and the single gun boomed across tho barrack grounds, tho hands of tho soldiers In tholr basoball uniforms wont up to salute. It was nrmy and eport superbly combined. Tho government's patronngo of sport has boon prollllc of several distinct results, each in.ltsolf worth tho olllclnl Interest taken in athletics. A matorlnl and Immedlato gain which tho government ronps Is In tho Increased cfllcloncy of Its troops. Great Industrial corporations havo offerod, and In somo cases made compulsory, athletic training for their employes, with the known rosult that Ihe employes aro better for It. It Is Just ns csscntlnl lo governmental activities, activ-ities, and especially lo nn nrmy, to have men of good physlquo and strong constitution. Sickness Sick-ness Is not so ilnngorous and recovery from wounds In war tlmo Is far more certain whan the men havo a body ovenly developed ono which Is not only Immuno to army life, as they soon get to bo froni living an nrmy llfo, but also ono which Is adaptablo to a number of circumstances. cir-cumstances. Moreover, sport In tho army means a bolter mental as well as on Improved physical condition. condi-tion. Mon who lead athletic llvoa havo vory llttlo possibility of being unclean. Thnt lo, mon who honestly try to be nthlotes.. Tho law of tho survival of tho fittest militates lnovltably against tho unclean man In sport. Noi- has tho soldier then time for brooding, for picturing hlmsolf unfortunate, or acquiring a feeling or ennui. Ills time Ib taken tip In a healthy, well-rounded day; ho le kept nctlvo and kept at a high degree of well-being. Discontent Is driven away. But of unusual significance too, Is nnolhp' and qulto different result of tho army's sporting nctlvltloo. Basoball nnd diplomacy seem hardly co-ordinate. Yet diplomacy, our forrtgn policy ban been salutarily aided by 'the national pus-tlmo. pus-tlmo. Of diplomacy's many moans to Its frequently fre-quently dubious ends, bnscball has served the country in sovcrnl instances. The colored soldlors of the United States stationed at Honolulu for duty In tho Hawaiian Islands hdvo been a big factor In winning tho favor of tho natives for tho occupation by this government. Thcso troops Introduced basoball to Hawaii, popularized the gamo, nnd were the moans of Innugurntlng a native league which draws very large crowds. Superiority at tho gnmo In tho Islands belongs to tho troops, but the natives among themselves are not 150 far less skillful. A people Interested In tho great pastime of -a dominant rnco feel more kindly toward tho Invader. In-vader. Animosities nro forgottonl oxcept animosities ani-mosities of tho baseball diamond, and, In the ex-cltomont ex-cltomont of a ball game, national questions sink V Top Picture, Awkward Rookies Scaling Wall. Bottom Picture, How the Awkwardness Is Taken Out nf tho Ara, I Ono of the Boldlers, Sorgt. Donaldson, mnde a throe-baBo hit, a homo run and two singles. Another made two doubles nnd a alnglo, and. collectively, thoy played fast and clean bafloball every man or them. The comparison of tho fast, clean and hard baseball which tho soldiers sol-diers played with tho samo atylo of fighting whloh has made tho Amorican Holdler a model In poreonnl valor- Tho sport is the army's big thing, outside of regular routine. Having won their gamo from tho Btrong vlBltlng team, the consequent dallying dally-ing on tho diamond wob taking placo whilo tho defeated players wero in tholr rooms dressing. The first call for retreat had already sounded and tho soldierH of tho post, with tho exception of the toam, had fallen in at attention. Straggling Strag-gling across tho diamond and holding tho usual poBt-mortom over oven a victory, tho soldler-playem soldler-playem hoard tho first Bhrlll note of rctront. And as tho buglo continued to awakon tho , echoes In tho cliffs along tho Mississippi, the In importance and aro correspondingly disposed of. Irt Cuba, tho friendship which tho ball-playing troopB established with tho pooplo has dono as much ns any single agency to make tho Cubans Cu-bans have faith In us. Civilizing or Amcrl-canlzlng-wjth tho ball and bat might bo made the tltlo or a history. That Cuba, has beon materially ma-terially aided in her career toward Americanization American-ization is obvious by tho success or her basoball baso-ball mon, and Incidentally tho fair succoss of her government. Some of tho fineBt players against iho soldiers luiVo como rr6m tho ragnmuITln class In Cuba. Nicaragua presents onb of the best and most typical ihstnncos at th0 cfroct 0f sport upon tho politics of tho country, in tho Latin ropublles, whero politics is a matter of stilettoes and guns, baseball haa been tho ono stabilizing influence 8tatloncd nt tho American legation at Managua Mana-gua to guard tho lives and property of tho Amorican mlnlstor and IUb family la a dctach- mcnt or American marines, tho soldlors of tho sen. Naturally tho presence of foreign soldiers would bo resented, although tho handful of American marines nro recognized as being tho greatest slnglo factor In tho absonco of revolutions revolu-tions which Nicaragua has enjoyed olnco tho marines wero landed. At first tho "nrtesanos," skilled laborers and tho mlddlo class goncrdlly, rcgardod tho presence pres-ence of tho soldiers with great disfavor. Basoball, Baso-ball, which tho mnrlncs played for tholr own diversion, soon Interested thcso people, A few obtained balls and bats and began playing. Soon others followed and tho Amorican aoldlora readily offered instruction to tho natives. Tho "ai'toyanos" discovered porhaps to lliolr surprise sur-prise that tho soldlors wore good fellows to know and play. with. A mutual acquaintance founded on muti al respect ensued. Tho officers a id prlvnton of tho marines organized or-ganized nnd confehed teams ot" tho natlveo and started thorn ptcylng among thomsolves. Pro- I Tn m V, tcnms and tno marines played together. Hopelessly beaten at first, tho Nlcara-Buans Nlcara-Buans persisted, and with tho assistance of tho eoldolrs have acquired sufficient skill to defeat tho mnrlncs occasionally. Tho very children of Nicaragua play ball In Spanish language Is not rich enough to contain such terms as "strike." "foul," "batter up " and tho rest the Nicamguans rather Incongatously use tho English right along with tholr 8pn" ancWh n,UhM,r th Ptro"K ot tho pros.den and the archbishop. Enthusiasm mounts high over tho game, and tho result of it all Is tha the marines are exceedingly popular. No politician or statesman could havo dono half so much for tho peace and tranquillity of tho erstwhile revolution-ridden Central Amorican Amor-ican stale. A peoplo who play baseball and como out In thousands to witness tho games nro too well Batlaflod to bother about revolution At tho tlmo of the Boxor trouble in Chins, when our own troops wero tho first soldlors of any nation t6 ontor tho City of Pokln, tho In- ) evltnblo bnl and fnt followed. Had it not been for tho early withdrawal of tho United States troops, basobnll might havo obtained a much strongor foothold In China. As It was. only a llttlo Interest has boon nrousod among the j Chlnoso. But Japan's Interest In tho gamo dates from tho allied oxpodltlon ngnlnBt tho Boxors. Tho Japnnoso soldlora learnod tho gamo from tho Americans, and, ulort peoplo that tho Nip ! ponoso aro, thoy lost no tlmo In ndoptlng It na j "no of tholr great pastimes. At prcsont, Japan- oso teaniB havo attained qulto a bit of succoss, oven playing agalnnt professional teams of this, j country. ; The story of Cuba was repeated In tho Philip- J pines, and tho success wna the samo as In Cubiu Bl Tho Phlllpplno Islanders nro nn niert peoplf if? like tho Japanese, and took to tho sport with th if samo oagoruoys, ' - 4 |
