Fifty Years of Progress 1880-1930

A.A.A. JUBILEE SOUVENIR Competition throws an athlete into contact with other men. It forces him to make observations, comparisons, and deductions about his fellows and their merits. In victory he sees that it is best not to be unduly elated, but to be quiet, chivalrous, and generous towards opponents. Con– descension and a patronising air are loathsome traits. In defeat-and it comes sooner or later to everyone-not to be depressed and downcast ; to give the victor his due, and to fill oneself with determination to come back and fight it out again another day, and finally to go down fighting. At a dinner given iI,J. honour of the British Empire and American relay teams in 1924, that famous athlete, the late Sir Montague Shearman, said in the course of his speech words to this effect : " Where every man has done his best there is none victorious and none vanquished." THE CLUB The first duty of an athlete towards his Club is that of selflessness in its service. He must help to maintain the spirit of comradeship and esprit de corps among his colleagues, and if necessity arise he must sacrifice his own interests for the advantage of the whole. THE NATION The promotion of athletics and out-door games is an essential and valuable factor in national life. It is the ambition of every eugenist to see a race of men and women whose minds and bodies approach perfection. The physical culture of a nation assists in the preservation of international prestige and pride of race. Competition with other nations teaches us to recognise their good points, widens our outlook, and promotes inter– national friendship. THE WoRLD Through the medium of sport men and women of all nations are drawn together on common ground, and it is hoped that in the years to come friendships made on the playing fields of the world will neutralise and eventually eradicate such despicable things as international jealousies, greed for territory and the material things of life. In these days of feminine emancipation I feel the urge to say something quite brief about the entry of women into the arena of athletics. There is a great gulf between the days of their Spartan sisters and modern times, and during that interval women have been subjected to domestic and sedentary occupations with little or no freedom for the pursuit of the more violent forms of physical activity. It is probable that in the mean– time their minds and bodies have suffered physiological transitions and modifications. It is, at the moment, impossible to prophesy the extent to which feminine athletic prowess will go. In spite of the conflicting opinions that have been expressed, I believe that training and judicious 60