68o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



right and wrong his behavior goes far to shape the yet pliant disposi- 

 tions of those around him. . . . These, then, are the dangerous aspects 

 of athleticism. It is liable, if allowed full play, to damage seriously 

 the intellectual interests of a school, without raising appreciably the 

 moral tone, and also to become a hindrance to school government. 

 It is quite obvious, then, that great care should be taken to control 

 this development of school-life. It should be looked upon as ever 

 tending to form an excrescence." 



Mr. Littleton next proceeds to inquire how the evils of excessive 

 athleticism may be diminished. A boy places but little reliance upon 

 any representation of the teachers as to the unworthiness or secondary 

 claims of athletics in comparison with proper educational objects, 

 " He looks upon them as a class bound to preach such doctrines in the 

 position they hold, and that it is only to be expected they should do 

 so ; but as for really thinking that they are right, when as it appears 

 to him the whole of England is the other way, that he can not bring 

 himself to do." Here is the difficulty ; the motive power is the public 

 interest. " That motive power is the consensus of fashionable opinion 

 which acts externally on the feelings of the school and produces such 

 results." But, as it is futile to try to correct public opinion, the only 

 way is to prevent its taking effect by withdrawing the boys fi*om its 

 influence. It is in the power of the authorities to prevent those public 

 contests which kindle such widespread public enthusiasm, when the 

 interest and applause of multitudes are presented to the boys in their 

 most imposing and dazzling form. That is, intercollegiate regattas 

 and athletic contests of all sorts, which draw out great masses of ex- 

 cited people, had better be avoided in the interest of sound education. 



But, while the prestige of athleticism might be diminished by 

 guarding in this way against external influences, Mr. Littleton recog- 

 nizes that the plan would have to be supplemented by agencies of a 

 very difi^erent character. The school-work itself must be made more 

 attractive. He sees that there is a very important change in the higher 

 education of late years, which is not without promise of counteraction 

 to the excessive devotion to sport. This change in the objects and 

 methods of the school is thus described : " Certain conditions have 

 given birth to a now widely-accepted theory of education, which in 

 all probability will effect still more marked alterations than it has 

 hitherto. The conditions are these : Owing to the increase of popu- 

 lation on the one hand, and the advance of learning on the other, we 

 are brought face to face, not only with an increasing number of sub- 

 jects to be learned, but also with an increasing necessity of learning 

 them. Many members of the class from which, thirty years ago, the 

 ornamental men of leisure were recruited, now find that existence has 

 assumed to them a more somber hue ; paths formerly open to them 

 are open no longer, and through knowledge alone an access to ease 

 and affluence is to be obtained. Accordingly, the avenues to knowl- 



