Dr. Janes Naismith

By Oswald Tower Editor of
the Rule Book.

A leading newspaner publishes an editorial under the caption "He
invented Basketball", concluding with the following sentence: "Few men
in the whole history of sport have done so much for clean living and real
sport as did that simole and modest man who vrovided the world with an ex-
citing game which requires both teamwork and individual prowess", The only
exception one can take to that statement is in its use of the word "few",
for Dr. Naismith has no peers in the whole history of snort with resnect to
his contribution - his name stands at the head. All of our other great gemes
calling for team competition have come to us through a vrocess of evolution,
Basketball alone is the creation of one man, invented out of hand for a de-
finite purpose and to fill a real need,

That Dr, Naismith was a sinmle and modest man the writer can attest
from personal observation. During the period from 1910 to 1920 I had the
privilege of serving with him on the Basketball Rules Committee. Never
would one have susnected from any remark made by him in the many meetings
that we attended that he had invented the game or that he had a greater
knowledge of it than the rest of us. He sat calmly by while we harranged
about the rules, occasionally offering a helpful suggestion but never
urging the adoption of any ideas of his orm. He gave us a free hand to
tinker with his game and I often felt that he was quietly amused at our
efforts to immrove its game,

My last long interview with Dr. Naismith took place in 19%6 wien he
asked me to go over the manuscript for his history of basketball. He was
having difficulty in finding a nublisher because of the uncertainty of the
demand for such a book. I remember saying to him: "Some day there will be
plenty of demand for it. Don't let anything haooen to that manuscript, for
you are the only man in the world who knows the whole story of basketball.
Whether you find a vublisher now or not, vou have the satisfaction of know-
ing that you have put on paper the story of your great contribution to human-
ity and that it will be available if anything should hanpen to you".

Dr. Naismith's contribution to human welfare cannot be anpraised
adequately, Never has there been a game played over so great an area of
the earth, under such a variety of conditions and by such diverse grouns
of players. It has nrovided an interest for millions which is wholesome
and uplifting, I had honed that Dr. Naismith would be spared to help us
observe the fiftieth anniversary of his game and to receive fitting
recognition of his achievement.

Oswald Tover.