SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1923 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE THkE
Cto get at the center of things. They million since 1913. But the Bigness
C orrespond enCe were good enoogh to admit me to the which is my First Impression of
Union by Early Doors. Soon enough America is something aside from that.
:s that Union is going to be the center It is more subtle, much more diffi-
Sir:-w eaters are tlse high moguls of the of America. But the baby's not yet cult to express.
Today America is athletc-a.ctmpos ;the boys envy umadtebrn-theme have not he ack. fn n ro vr uhlk
Winning teams in ettb ic bs-mad., girls deen t t aehemar th ane hon-hemen haentcome bc. I find Ann Arhor very msuch like
binnisk etamsndfth talubaseball, l eem it a rare honor to dance I have seen buildings and books and home. There are streets here, and
lge hand non-college sports tarer the with them. wAnd naturally e get professors. The University is not yet. avenues, houses, shops, magazines
legsandnoncolege pors ae te wht w reardmost Heee entl II have some norgettable impres- f ou can read . The people are friend-
idols of the hour-the gold calves wor- i accomplishment in our schools is un- I sy a
shiped by excitement-hunting crowds. important; athletic prowess is the Ions of your campus. It is a beauti- ly, they understand you when you
I fa place. I spent a whole fine morn- speak to them. I Find English ooks
As a people we have gone crazy over great thing. To call our high schools, lu fight i thenter up agins thrn ek sop wid. The mies, of
perverted athletics; athletico-maniacs colleges, and universities educational ig right i the center up against the in the shop windows. The movies, of
we might be termed.I institutions nowadays is really anLbry.Ihdabkbtmsto course, are American-and they are
we might;thy houd e termed; ttuin oady sratllye --the time I was losing the place. The Ist as ad at home. And I see the
At the outset, however, I want to eror ;they should he termed athlete rees made dappled radiance on the Michigan Repertory Company is about
make my position in this matter clear. facries. I grass. People were passing in twos to present a play by St. John Ervine.
Nobody is a greater believer in robusl Incidentally, I might add that in the and threes. Tall broad Americans What I don't find in Ann Arbor is-
health than I, for I am one with the affairs of the world mind is still king. and slender women. Like one of those, garden fences. In England every
ancient Greeks in that. I admire a Because of It man has been enabled allegorical pictures you see in ultra- house would he in a front garden,
well-developed, symmetrical, perfectly to win dominion over ,the earth. I modern art-shops, "The Wood beyond jealously surrounded with a little
formed human body. I think there ar sit down, for example, and by ra0i the World" and the, like. And your paling and a little gate you shut
few objects of greater beauty than the listen to a concert or a speech-in BOs- flag floating in the breeze behind me. carefully or else it banged. Or there
best developed men and women of an- ton, Havana, or Honolulu. I think Of The most vivid, the most challenging, would be a high brick wall with
cient Greece or those held up by our the deft word-mastery of Shakespeare, the most inspiring banner in the broken bottles stuck in the top. To
better physical culturists today. It is, Milton, Goethe Schiller, Stevenson, or world. I still felt a little strange and keep the other fellow out. Is it that
moreover, largely because of this at- Hearn; or of the wonder-working in- lonely in Ann Arbor, like a presence you Americans don't need to keep the
titude that I .desire to paint out cer- ventions of Edison or Steinmetz, or from another planet. What were I other fellow out?
tain evils in modern athletics. the subtle control over nature of Bur- those men and women thinking-what It's a small matter perhaps. But it
'o begin with, emphasis today is I bank. I recall the marvelous surgical were they going to do with life-what signifies a lot. It stands for what I
laid upon winning teams, not on we1- skill of Lorenze or Mayo, the great would they make of this wonderful mean by the Bigness of America.
developed individuals. This often ofganizng .ability of Henry. Ford. country that represents the finest op- It's a spaciousness, a freedom, a
means attempts to secure especially Mind, not athletic. prowess, assuredly, portunity that ever happened to the generosity of spirit I've found every-
big men, particularly in football, base- lay back of those amazing -accomplish- world? where. It shows itself in your good-
ball; and basketball, even though ments. Still, if we desire to .worship Then there is that gateway. I for- ness to the stranger. It shows itself
smaller men may be just as perfect musclebulk, brawn, let us set up the get what you call it-in the south- in the bearing of your waiters, con-
physically. rhinoceros and the elephant as our east corner of the Campus. It's shady; dctors, porters. Ther're men-and
hs, ty idols. Then all hail to the illustrious there are long wooden seats and a they know it. Everybody is sure and
Then, to get wnningteams, cmen rhinoceros, the peerless eephant! drinking fountain. - The sun is dim- therefore does not need to insist that
alreadyvery well developed phsically E. G. P., Indianapolis. med to queer shaped patches on the he's as good as anybody else. You
-is, for example, a common practice tlag-stofies-but there's a vibrant path talk freely to such people. You treat
forthe coaches of our leading colleges - IiPRESSIO( of radiance beyond and golden leaves. them as human beings. If you did
and universities to scour the country (Continued from Page Two) You'see people cross the avenue both- that in England, they'd think you had
and uighrsiiesto"scor"theckunty (Ced in sunlight, they go black as they an axe to grind. They'd cease to
"forth whigcl"sars" land mak it I am sorely tempt to try the us- enter the tunnel, and then you watch treat you with respect.
"worth whle" for the latter to come 'ual sort of stuff. I feel sure (never them, closer, closer, and listen for I don't think you are any freer, po-
to that uni ersity or college and go having tried) that I could skirt the their voices till they pass. litically, than we are. Though I am
out for athletics. In fact, it is aiout usual topics with a light, amusing! I've been in America exactly one Isr o hn o r.Teespo
that the winner of the Indiana college touch I could tilla my-,pam g Iv enmAeiaatyoe sure you think you are. There's pm-
. c my space with week. I've seen the Michigan Cam- I hiition, isn't there? And don't you
basketball championship was taken comparisons-English and American I pus. I've had a day in Detroit. And make it hotter for the Reds. Social
bodily, coach and all, from the high cigarettes, tobacco, football, restau- beyond that I've seen I suppose, less ly you are certainly free, though I
school - located I. the same town. rants, advertising, dancing, slang. than fifty square miles of your terri- sometimes think you are over-organ-
Thus, men already well developed in And yet - - , tory. Oh I want to see Washington ized here-things that would grow up
high school were rigorously trained Perhaps it would help along if I and New York, Chicago and Columbus, better left alone. But there's no up-
for playing in college, made a confession right away. I Ohio. But already my first impres- per and no lower-middle class in Ann
The intensive, training today Is, want not merely to seeMichigan Uni- sion is an impression of Bigness. Arbor anyway, no country families
moreover, particularly bad for ath- versity, but America as a whole. An I cannot share the superior attitude and no social position to keep up.
letes, since they are worked so har ambitious programme for nine which regards "mere" numbers with You are far less formal. It is only
thatthey-bansis energy for intell.e- 'months! Of course 'in very leky contempt, I cannot even assume fair to say that the war has upset
tual endeavors. I know this from per- to be starting here. It's a fine vant- boredom with the information that that a lot in England.
sonal contact with such men in toy age point. I'm told that Michigan there are a million automobiles in I perceive you have a Profiteer
classes an from the statements of draw men from all state of the Un- California, or a million people in De- class. I think your breed is worse
men in training. For them the "work- ion. I wanted so much to see Michi- troit. I rejoice with you that you're than ours. He b# richer pastures.
outs" are the big thing in. school. Of gan University that I tried right away population has increased fourteen (Continued on Page. Four)
course, if these men are expecting fu"
become profefssials in the variou-. - . ...- «. --.
fields of athletics, 'such exhaustind
training would be less objectionable
It' would then be the apprenticeship
for their life work. . If, however they
are presumed to do some scholastof it as a andat
work-and most high schools, col- W h at do yo u 1 AvE you ever thougn it sasary
leges, and universities insist that their-
lees and univerites insit hat her tempted systematically to save part of it? It is
athletes shall at least do a semblance
of mental labor-the intensity of the ur at
"grilling" they get on the field Is ayatogether probable that it would be possible for you to
positive har to the men themselves.
They can't study if they want to. i do so without greatly inconveniencing yourself.
All this emphasis on the intensive - allowance,?,
trainng of a relatively few- men is1
bad for the remainder of the studentI
body, whose physical culture is neg- .TT is a fault commonly found with college students
lected. And pre-eminently this groupr o i
needs bodily development, not those ifthat they lack a sense of responsibility which every
already perhaps over-developed phys--
ically. Nowadays athletics put the successful man must have. The training received from
emphasis on the wrong persons, just
as though we sent our well rather the effort made to economize will aid greatly in building
than our sick to the hospitals. Whatsh p i t
Is needed, and that most emphatically, such a responsibility
is to stress the physical culture of
the ordinary and under-developed"
student, not that of those alrndy
well developed. PT ERHAPS you have noted the changed attitude to-
And finally must be mentioned th I'c
effect of this athletics craze on men- Tward finances in men about to graduate. They feel
tal pursuits. This is seen in the mat-i
ter of salaries, as we often pay our Iethe need for stricter economy-with their own money
coaches more than our presidents. in
reality, a coach as the heaa of the Why not be as careful of that given to you.
department of physical training F
should get about the same salary as
the head of any other department; he'
should never receive as much or more T INK this over. Perhaps there may he an idea
than the head of the institution. Asth
well pay .a cabinet member as much -ifro.
or more than the President of theit or you.
United States. Naturally, wits this
athlete worship the men on the team
are the heroes of our educational in-
stitutions. Their letters are symbols
of glorious successes. Governors com-
mend successful football captains: F
never winning debaters. A handful1 The Ann Arbor Savings Bank
comes cut to hear a debate: overlow S
crowds fill the bleachers or halts for UN I V E R S I T Y AVE N UE B R A N C H
football 'and 'basketball gain. A
students and winners of the Phi Beta
Kappa pins are scarcely known, not
'appreciate d. "W rers of'athletics .....:..«....... ........... ........... ............... ................. ..............Y.. ... ...... I
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