Objection is sometimes made that sports are a non-productive form of energy--a waste of time and strength which might be employed in manual training or in work of economic value capable of being measured in terms of money. It is true that the athletics and games of boys have no money value, nor are they designed for such purpose, but the energy expended is not wasted. On the contrary, it is highly productive of both physical and moral growth. It is productive of strong bodies, clear eyes, speed, agility, strength, quick thinking, sound judgment, a sense of fair play, self-confidence, control of temper, coördination of brain and muscle, and respect for the rights of others. Their value is educational and cultural--a means to an end and not the end itself. The boy who by reason of financial necessity is required to become a breadwinner is deprived not only of a large part of the joys of boyhood which should be his as a matter of right, but of many physical activities, educational in their effect, which would otherwise train and equip him both mentally and physically for service in adult vocations and good citizenship. The repression of play and its attendant noise is always inspired by motives of consideration for the convenience of the adult and never by a thought of its effect on the boy himself. The repressive method of training, alone, is ineffective at any age, but if it is used sparingly in early childhood and then only when combined with suggestions and directions for activities to replace those prohibited it produces good results. As the child grows in years the positive, constructive, suggestive method of training should be employed exclusively. Quite as pernicious as the repressive method is the passive system of training--in effect no training at all--which permits the boy to have his own way in everything. It is the resource of the indulgent and lazy parent who seeks the line of least resistance. When combined with a lavish supply of money, its effects are usually ruinous. I know a boy now fifteen years of age, a typical spoiled son of a wealthy father. At our first meeting, a year ago, the sartorial display on his stunted physique was loud and elaborate and was the work, he volunteered, of his father’s tailor. He was decorated with a gold watch and chain, an elaborate scarf pin and two finger rings conspicuous for their size. He immediately began to boast to the little group of boys who surrounded him of the cost and superiority of his clothes, his rifle, his canoe and his pony. At first, the group looked on in mingled awe and admiration. Then their keen insight and sense of humor were betrayed in the knowing winks and nods which they exchanged, followed by a volley of questions designed to hold him up to ridicule, until the poor little sham of a boy, unable to bear their raillery longer, finally blurted out in an attempt to silence his inquisitors, “My father’s got more money than all of your fathers put together.”