There has been a congress in Paris for planning athletic grounds on the miles of space occupied by the fortifications now in course of demolition, a Paris correspondent writes. And while this congress was being held under the auspices of the City Fathers—who realizing the sports boom in the' capital, acknowledge the necessity of encouraging it by providing more facilities—Senators were discussing the Bill making physical training compulsory. With the great economic struggle that will begin when this business of settling the peace has been disposed of, France sees that three years is much too long for young men to remain under the colours, and therefore M. Lefevre, the War Minister, has given the assurance that compulsory physical eduention will undoubtedly reduce the period of military service. the period of military. service.
It is proposed to make physical training compulsory for both sexes from the age of si In the case of youths the train it ill last until their incorporation in the army. For girls it will be given in the primary and secondary schools, in conformity with Isws and regulations special to public instruction. There has been some difficulty about making physical exercises com pulsory for girls. Some Senators were afraid that the heavy hand of the State would spoil the "budding grace" of girls, There are, it seems, laws in existence providing for physical exercises for girls, but they have-not been applied. They will be applied in the future.
The obligatory exercises to be imposed are intended to avoid malformations of the throat, nose and lungs, for it is argued that these irregularities can be best got rid of when a child is not yet formed.
is, however, proposed to differentiate between exercises and athletics. Sports will not be imposed on children of tender years. When boys grow up they will have to take part in games, and their physical development will be of as much concern to their inaeee og their progress in reading, writing and arithmetic. The Bill provides for examinations in physical culture, so that in time certificates of fitness will come to have equal importance with certificates of pra. ficiency in learning.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.