Naismith Basketball Book -- Page two

With this principle in mind he decided upon a horizontal goal
that would require an easy throw rather than a powerful one -- that would require
skill instead of brute strength. Knowing that a goal on the floor level would
lead inevitably to the line plays of football, he concluded that the goals must
be elevated. This would do away with the necessity of players protecting the
goals with their bodies, and would eliminate much roughness.

He requested the janitor to get some boxes to serve as goals,
but received peach baskets instead. These Naismith tacked to the lower rim af
the balcony railing at either end of the gymnasium. ‘Thus the game of basketball,
which now attracts more spectators than any other sport, was born. Dr. Naismith
pictures the development of the game from the time it was permissible for each
team to have as many as 50 players to the present five-man, high speed teams.

The book is written with that dry humor which was so charac-
teristic of Dr. Naismith. Every basketball player and fan will get keener en-
joyment from this great game after reading Dr. Naismith's book. It has an

introduction by Clair Bee, coach of Long Island University.