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In gathering information for this volume a questionaire was sent to some three hundred schools and colleges. Replies were received from two hundred and thirty-seven of these. Of this number only one school went on record as opposed to athletics for girls and women. All of the others make provision for athletics or some form of physical education. Some schools provide little or no supervision, it is true, but the great majority provide for or realize the necessity for provision of adequate control of this form of training.

The impression one receives from scanning the replies to the questionaire is undoubtedly that general athletics for girls are becoming more and more popular, and that development is slowly but surely broadening out to include eventually almost every form of athletics for almost every girl.

From the physical standpoint, any exercise under favorable circumstances is beneficial in that it develops and brings into play the muscles of the body and stimulates the whole system. But all forms of athletics should be carefully supervised, particularly for growing girls. Every participant should have a thorough physical examination and if any limitations are placed upon her athletics, the reasons for such restrictions should be carefully explained. It is natural that some people are more delicate than others—absolutely unfit for some of the more strenuous games—but there are always less strenuous exercises which may be indulged in.

The physical condition being assured, the girl should be watched so that she does not enter into the sports or games with too much intensity. It is a common tendency of the average American girl to throw her whole soul into the particular matter at hand. If it happens to be athletics, often her enthusiasm helped out by a thoroughly admirable spirit and by quite a lot of “grit”—as her brothers term it—keeps her playing when she is really tired out physically. This is the time where a coach—or if there is no coach, friendly advice—will show the girl that she is not getting any benefit out of the exercise, and she is running the risk of injuring herself.

This excess is as wrong in athletics as it is in anything else. Be temperate.

My advice to every girl is: Know your physical condition; use common sense and gauge the amount of exercise you take by your physical condition and stamina.

Athletics as a builder of character are just as important as a builder of physical strength. Fair play and good sportsmanship are the two maxims kept constantly before the eye. A girl who has won the reputation of being a clean, square player is happy herself and is admired by all with whom she comes in contact. There is no higher compliment than to be called a “good sportswoman.” A girl who can lose and smile, or win and not exult over her opponent’s defeat, is quite apt to get something bigger than mere physical development out of her athletics.