LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
HEALTH AND ATHLETICS.
. . . . [To the Editor Of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Having had experience of women and girls in industry for the past twenty years, perhaps I may be allowed to say a word or two with respect to industrial women and athletics, My firSt experience was during the period when I was organ- izing .educatiOnal classes in the Edgware Road area. A large number of the girls and young women I came in contact with were ciressnaakers, milliners, and shop assistants. At first it was only a few adventurous spirits who joined the. gymnastic classes with all its additional activities, but in a short time all our accommodation was full to overflowing. At Woolwich, where many thousands of women were engaged on occupations of varying kinds—some of which involved them . in either sitting, standing or walking about all day— and where the working hours were twelve a day, our gymnastic classes and sports, with dancing, were so popular as to show that there was a' real demand• for them as soon as the workers . „
realized the resultant benefits..
From my own observations in . seeking to secure the well- ..
twing, health and happiness of these _young people in indUstry, I was *convinced that• those- who indidged in regular.. sport of any kind were those who rarely troubled the: medical staff, or. who had to come for correction for unpunctuality or irregularityat work, or because their conduct and .moralsneeded 'correction. I am. sure that just as.athletics develOP correct 'breathing, _Walking. and, carriage,. prOdUcing a much finer and healthier physical being, so the rules of the game produce a higher moral and spiritual aim: In sport, one learns the team spirit and that one does not play for one's own hand all the time ; also that . a lack Of self control or introspection may one the game for one's side. In these days, when. ne cannot help seeing that self control, unselfishness, and the, power to take One's place and respon- sibilities in and to the cominunity are the needs of our young people, it is our duty to work towards engendering. these, And in no pleasanter or indre suitable way can it be done than through the SPorti club at business, the.ghila' and clubs in leisure, the, organized games at school, and the extend- ing to the utmost the facilities' for ganiel in Our Parks and Open spaces. Wornen in inchistrY at the present tithe; particularly the spinster and widow, . are terrified of a penniless future, and it is this which makes them willing to undersell their labour, so as to be--sire of a. job, rather than Stick foi the legitimate Wage: At *times- of unemployment, such as we are paSsifig through; it is a great teniptatiOU to the unscrupz ulous and grasping employer to take advantage .of this. It is just because boys and men have had this espritde corps.- team spirit, masonic spirit or whatever one likes to call it inculcated during their early years, at school, in sport and in their unions,_ that we get- a much more solid stand when their industrial_rights are in danger, of attack. My own feeling is strongly that giyls ,should be taught to take their stand in the same way in their sports during their early years, so as to learn the lessons that -boys and men have done during so many past generations. We want women as naturally to stand by one another for the industrial and the common good as men do, and I know of no finer method of education than through sport and athletics. The physically anaemic girl has almost entirely disappeared from our midst, through. the. better conditions of working, dressing, eating and sleeping6 and playing which she now enjoys with increased sporting and athletic activities I believe the morally anaemic would follow suit.
_ In my present work amongst delinquent girls, I find it is the greatest difficulty to- get them to engage in sport in any sort of fashion of " playing, the game " simply because they would not be where they are if their previous life had not been one of " all,for self," " never mind who else has to pay " ; but that we are gradually getting towards a' team spirit, and the knowledge that if one wishes to belong to a community one has duties to perform towards and sacrifices to make for it, is one of the most Lopeful signs. Of course no one will accept-that the exaggerated and violent way in which a small section of women follow sport is going to be good personally or naturally, but well taught, methodically practised athletics must, in the end, produce what after all are the things to be striven for most,." self reverence, self knowledge, self control,". which must result in the woman being physically fit to do the work which she knows she is best suited for, and in the way calculated to produce the best results.—I am, Sir, &c., LILIAN BARKER. II.M. Borstal Institution, Aylesbury, Bucks.
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