Lawrence High School - Lawrencian Yearbook (Falmouth, MA)

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The Lawrencian VALUES IN ATHLETICS Salutatory: — Members of the school commit- tee, our superintendent, our prin- cipal, members of the faculty, parents, friends, and schoolmates: — It is my pleasure on behalf of the graduating class to welcome you to our graduation exercises. We wish to thank you for the interest and help which you have given us throughout our school life, and we hope that you will enjoy our pro- gram tonight. Many of the great lessons of life come from the games we play in youth. There are a great many advantages to physical develop- ment, and it should be remembered that a fit mind lives only in a fine body. The idea of the importance of physical development has been in existence since the start of civil- ization. Let us go back to the ancient Greeks, who had a high degree of culture, and see how they went about securing a fit body. The Greeks were noted for their intel- lectual ability, and no race has ever surpassed them in physical de- velopment. The importance of having a strong body is clearly shown by the emphasis which the Greek peo- ple placed on their Olympic Games. For more than a thousand years the Olympic Games were held ev- ery fourth year in honor of Zeus, the highest of the Gods. These games were held in the most beau- tiful valley i n Greece. Of the many statues on the field the one of Zeus, made of ivory and gold, is the finest, being reckoned as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. At first, the only event in these Olympic Games was a two-hundred yard dash, but later the pentathlon, a five-fold match, took its place. The only prizes for these contests were olive wreaths. When the vic- tors returned to their native cities they received extraordinary honors, Statues were erected to them and they held the place of honor on public occasions. Often they were exempted from taxes, and in some cities they lived at public expense. These games exerted such a pro- found influence on the Greeks that a sacred truce was proclaimed be- fore the opening of the festival, and if any cities were at war, fighting ceased during the celebration. By means of these contests friendship and unity were increased. A Roman emperor finally did away with the Olympic Games. Although the Romans were a powerful nation, they did not put so much emphasis on athletics. The chief sport of the Romans was the gladiatorial contests which were held mainly for the entertainment of the nobles and because of the lust for human conflict. Prisoners of war and criminals were usually the participants in these cruel com- bats. Caesar once gave a show where three hundred twenty couples fought, and Titus gave an exhibi- tion of gladiators, wild beasts, and sea fights that lasted for a hun- dred days, in which ten thousand men fought. Such contests were stopped by the splendid daring of a monk who rushed into the arena and strove to part two gladiators. The infuriated spectators stoned him to death, but his brave sacri- fice had its reward, for the emperor forbade gladiatorial contests from that day on. During this period

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Lawrence High School not only physical development but also intellectual ability suffered a decline from the period before. In medieval times when knight- hood was in its prime, athletics were present in various forms, but the people rarely thought of them as the builders of strong bodies. Tournaments were the favorite game of this time, and these com- bats between knights often produced many injuries. A knight entered the tourneys principally for the pur- pose of upholding his honor. Although the gladiatorial contests and tournaments were considered as sports, they did not represent the Greek idea of uniting a strong body with a strong mind. At this time athletics and intellectual abil- ity of the people was still further inferior to that of the Greeks. It was not until the development of America that the Greek idealism was revived. Before the middle of the last cen- tury there was practically no such thing as organized athletics in the United States, and even in England the first intercollegiate contest be- tween Oxford and Cambridge did not take place until 1864. For a long period the keen desire of every normal boy to excel in sports was only half tolerated and time spent that way was often regarded as time lost. However, the energetic spirit of youth finally conquered the old-fashioned projudice, and to- day men realize that athletics form just as essential a part of a person’s education as the subjects taught in the schools. The term athletics which we hear so much about today, has been ex- panded until it includes all sports and pastimes which involve physi- cal effort. The present-day sports mean a great deal to those who participate in them, and they are the finest character building devices which we have. Athletics have also done much to foster the feeling of good friendship between the nations of the world. A good example of this is the Olympic Games, revived in 1896, which include most of the coun- tries in the world. With the excep- tion of the period of the World War, these events have been held at four-year intervals in some world capital. In track and field events the representatives of the United States have carried off the greater part of the honors. The most prominent sports today are those which involve team play such as basketball, football, and baseball. It is from team play that one learns the value of sportsman- ship and united effort, and these qualities are easily applied to every day life. More than this our mod- ern athletics contests develop in- tellectual ability. No man can play big league baseball without braihs. Other contests call for quick think- ing, and is me call for a very high order of intellectual ability. I have given you only a few in- stances in the progress of athletic development, but they will give you an idea of the steps the world has taken to provide a man with a strong body and to show him the value of the sportsmanship and loyalty gained from athletics. Our athletic contests should de- velop in us the principles which mark the difference between the man who co-operates unselfishly and the man who works only for himself, between the man who tries to build and the man who seeks to destroy, between the