THE DEAF CAROLINIAN
PUBLISHED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, MORGANTON, N. C.
VOL. XXIX. MARCH 22, 1924. NO. 27
NEW GYMNASIUM AND SWIMMING POOL
Not Likely to be Opened This Spring. Swimming Pool Almost Completed
Except Heating Apparatus. Extracts from Paper on
Physical Culture Training.
At last after numerous unavoidable
delays the tile workers are placing the
tile in the swimming pool in our new
gymnasium and the painters and plas¬
terers have just about completed their
work in that part of the building where
the swimming pool is located. The main-
part of the gymnasium, however, is not
so nearly completed. It is hoped now that
the weather is more favorable the work
will progress more satisfactorily and that
the early spring will see the whole build¬
ing completed. While we may not ex¬
pect to have the gymnasium opened for use
before next September, it is hoped that
the swimming pool can be used a while
before school closes this spring. This, of
course, will depend upon whether the
heating and filtering apparatus can be
installed as it would be impracticable to
try to use it without this equipment which
is already on the grounds.
Plans are being made to purchase other
equipment as rapidly as possible. 'he
cement floor for the bowling alley has
been laid and the maple floor in the
gymnasium proper will be laid very soon.
This addition to the plant of the North
Carolina School for the Deaf places at
the disposal of the deaf children of
school age in the state about as modern
and up-to-date plant and equipment as
can be found anywhere on the continent.
When the building is completed and
equipped we hope to have a physical di¬
rector who can give our pupils the very-
best physical culture training to be had.
More and more emphasis is being placed
on this phase of a child’s development
and the North Carolina School has al¬
ways tried to keep abreast of the times.
This latest move is onlyr in keeping with
her established policy.
Apropos the discussion of our gym¬
nasium we are taking the liberty of copy¬
ing part of a very excellent paper on
physical training, by Mr. Corbett T.
Arnold, which was read at the meeting of
American Instructors of the Deaf in
July 1920:
“The modern workman uses modern
tools. The day and age in which we live
demand efficiency. To have our depart¬
ments function properly, thoroughly
modern equipment must be provided.
Superintendents, principals, and members
of board of managers, your directors of
physical training are very keen about
keeping abreast of the times. Business
men will not tolerate antiquated equip¬
ment or methods in their business. Neith¬
er should they tolerate these things in the
various institutions they represent. Then-
stewardship should be just as exacting
here. The question should not always be
raised, “Just how much can we afford?’’
or “Can we not do without a swimming
pool or a new gymnasium awhile longer?”
Such methods if persisted in will tend to
dishearten your most enthusiastic direct¬
ors and must eventually bring about in¬
ferior programs. The question should be
squarely faced, “Just what are our needs to
place us on a par with other schools in our
departments of physical training?” Can
we fail our boys by neglecting to modern¬
ize thoroughly this vastly important de¬
partment of their work?” Do we value
our dollars more than the body and soul
of a boy? Cod forbid.
*****
No physical department is considered
complete unless proper provision has been
made for a swimming pool and shower
baths. Practically all new high and pre¬
paratory school buildings in course of
construction or planned have made ample
provision for natatoria and shower baths.
Many schools, Y. M. C. A., and colleges
have long been equipped with them. Mu¬
nicipalities all over the country have come
to a knowledge of the worth of swimming
pools and shower baths and have includ¬
ed the same as an important and very-
necessary factor in their programs of
hygiene and sanitation for their cities.
Were I to dwell at length on this subject
it would be assuming ignorance upon your
part of this very important phase of a live
and up-to-date physical-training program.
Such is not the case, and I am sure that
within this body assembled here today
there are superintendents, principals,
members of boards, teachers, directors, of
physical training, and friends of our
schools who are even now seriously plan¬
ning to place at the disposal of their pu¬
pils, teachers and officers at the very earli¬
est opportunity modern natatoria and
shower baths. Some already have shower
baths, but these are not enough.
By having modern swimming pools con¬
nected with our gvmasia we could add
another very important feature to our
programs. Swimming as a healthful,
pleasant, and symmetrical developing
exercise has no equal. Let us not lose
sight of the fact that during the past few
years an average of one person an hour
every hour of the day drowned in this
country. In almost every case it was the
result of not knowing .how to swim on the
part of the person drowned, and in many
cases needless loss of life was the result,
because those near at hand were not suf¬
ficiently “at home” in the water to save
life.
I most earnestly urge every member,
officer, and director of all schools every¬
where to keep the possibility of a swim¬
ming pool uppermost in mind and plan
seriously and intelligently to place one in
his equipment at the very earliest date.
Then we shall have added not only the
means of having the finest and most hy¬
gienic exercises, but we shall have added
to our equipment a decidedly humane
feature which has a very strong appeal,
that of making every pupil a swimmer
and every swimmer a life-saver.
*****
“In all of our gymnasium classes and
among our athletic teams from the young¬
est to the oldest we should endeavor to
develop leadership. We should be ever
on the alert to aid and assist that boy or
girl who shows initiative and lead them
to the point where they may become de¬
pendable enough to assume responsibil¬
ity. They can then assist us in handling
larger groups. By this means our pro¬
grams may be greatly enlarged and more
pupils receive the benefit of training. It
was Mr. Dwight L. Moody, I believe, who
gave us a good thought along the lines of
leadership. He said, “It is much better to
be able to get 10 people at work than to be
able to do 10 people’s work.” Let us be
on the lookout constantly for the “key”
boy in our groups and give him a job.
Do not give a boy too easy a task. A real
boy enjoys a hard task and he will try to
measure up to it. The more individual
initiative we develop through our work,
the better fitted our pupils will be for the
responsibilities they must eventually as¬
sume.
*****
It is decidedly better to emphasize mass
play and exercises than to cater to the
individual or the few who desire to “star”
in one sport. Let us foster the all-around
type of athlete. He is more to be desired
than a “specialist.” Let “good sportsman¬
ship” be our daily sermon. It is ample re¬
ward for us to see our pupils, through our
program of sports, develop moral clean¬
ness, mental alertness, and physical ef¬
ficiency. Victories are desirable in our
competitive games if they can be won
without lowering our standards. Let us
keep before our pupils the standard of the
Apostle Paul, who was often an interested
spectator at the gladiatorial contests of
(Continued on Page Two.)
