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Evening Star, Issue 16782, 10 July 1918, Page 4

It k regrettable that it. is necessary to

A Poor Spirit in Sport.

draw sharp attention to a mean spirit that has been raised in connec-

tion with the animal sports meeting of t'ho Dunedin and suburban schools under the auspices of the Caledonian Society. An dfort is being mado to confine competition at these limits to pupils of State schools tinder tho control of the Otngo Education Board and t'ho Boards of Governors of the Otngo Boys' High School, Waitaki Boys' High School, Clove High School, and the King Edward Technical College. For some unexplained but obviously unjustifiable reason tho originators of the movement aim at penalising the Roman Catholic schools in a humiliating manner that, is anything but creditable to the supporters of school sports and. the 'promotion of healthy competitive recreation for our hoys. Is tho despicable movement another example of the old curso of "' the wea.rin' of the green"'! 1 It looks very much like it

The movement is explained in a circular which has been forwarded by tho Dunediu and Suburban Head Masters' Association to tho Caledonian Society, whoso directors are ashed to accept at a meeting to-mor-row night the conditions framed by the as;ociaticn for future schools sports. The iirst of these conditions stipulates tltat if all tho conditions as drawn up by the teachers bo agreed to, the school sports dial! be held under tho auspices of the Caledonian Society; the secocd condition limits competition to State schools; and the third provides that the sports (shall bo- governed by an equal number of members from tho Caledonian Society and the State school teachers—eight from each body. The- remaining conditions deal with events and the rules of competition, and contain no unsportsmanlike barb. What is tho reason for a complete exclusion of tae Christian Brothers' pupils from the. annual schools sports? Surely it cannot bo based on sectarian grounds, That, would be too ridiculous for even a moment's serious

consideration. Sects may differ, and differ to the point of blows, on questions affecting the status and educational privileges of denominational schools, hut such differences of opinion should never be permitted to enter into sport, and especially the competitive sport of children. Men with a wide, experience of competitive recreation know with pleasure that a green jersey generally means that the wearer of another color must play hard to win. if the cause for the -uiireasonabio movement of the Head Masters' Association be not sectarian, what is the ground for it, and what is the association's object? One hesitates to infer that the teachers in the State schools resent the marked success of the Christian Brothers at the- schools sports last year, and have adopted a mean way to make success easier in future for their own teams and representatives. This wouk! be a poor spirit to inculcate in juvenile sport. The society should noteven bo given an opportunity to reject the proposals; tho association's conditions should be withdrawn in the best spirit of good sport. Let everybody unite in hunost effort to keep the vicious spirit of sectarianism out of sport. Banish it from our playgrounds, and "-clout" the enthusiast who dares to false it.