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C H A P T E R 2 • • • The College Years N ot only did Naismith have to adjust to college life, but the move from the farm and the rural community of Almonte to the big city of Montreal also required him to adapt to a new environment. “As I walked down the street a peculiar feeling came over me,” he wrote later. “I had always lived in a community where everyone knew me and to a great measure controlled my actions. Here I was, in a city, on my own. No one knew me and what I did was my own business. This feeling was indeed new to me and for several days I lived largely in the realization that I was my own boss.” One of the first decisions that Naismith made was that his studies would be his top priority. He was confident that his decision to enter the ministry was the proper one for him, but he had to receive his bachelor’s degree before he could qualify for the School of Theology. “I determined to accomplish this as soon as possible and set myself to the task of studying,” he wrote. “I spent long hours over my books and everything else was forgotten in my desire to get my education.” On the wall of Naismith’s room was a small sign expressing the motto he followed throughout his college years: “Do not let anybody work harder today than I do.” 18 • Chapter 2 All of Naismith’s freshman classes were required. Most students enjoyed the option of taking French, German, or Hebrew, but those who did not have at least one year of French or German in high school—Naismith among them—were required to take Hebrew. Naismith’s study of Greek and Latin adequately prepared him for the class, but he still had some rough moments. “This class came at 1 o’clock, and just after a good dinner, we were inclined to go to sleep,” he reminisced. “Our instructor was a Breton from Normandy, a genial man of about 60. One day he gave me a sentence to put on the board. When it was translated it consisted of two words and I put them on the board and looked at him for his approval. He said, ‘Very good, Mr. Naismith. Two words, two mistakes. I assume if you had some more words you would have some more mistakes.’ I immediately brushed them off and wrote them correctly. He remarked, ‘I knew you knew it, but you were asleep.’” Naismith was in his room one evening, studying, when there was a knock on the door. He was surprised when two students he barely knew came in. After exchanging a greeting, one of them, Jim McFarland, spoke up. He was a junior and a fine athlete at McGill. The other student was Donald Dewar, also a junior but not an athlete. “Naismith, we have been watching you for some time, and we see that you never take part in any of the activities,” McFarland said. “You spend too much time with your books.” While McFarland was in good physical shape, Naismith could not say that about Dewar, who resembled an invalid. “Believe me, Naismith,” Dewar said. “What McFarland says is true. I wouldn’t listen to the fellows either, and you see the results.” The three students talked a while longer, and as McFarland and Dewar prepared to leave, Naismith thanked them for their advice. His first thought after they left, however, was negative: “I was sure that I was strong enough to study as hard as I wanted to and that I did not have time for sports.” The College Years • 19 Later that night, however, lying in bed before falling asleep, Naismith thought more about the advice. “The more I thought, the more clearly to my mind came the realization that they were doing it purely for my own benefit. I determined that the next day I would go over to the gymnasium and see what they were doing.” Naismith made his first visit to the McGill gymnasium the next afternoon, and that was where he met Frederick Barnjum, a legendary figure in physical education in Canada and the director of the McGill program. His presence made McGill one of the first universities in North America to recognize physical education as part of its regular curriculum. The activities were a perfect fit for Naismith, who soon became a regular participant. “I...

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