Siklódi Csilla szerk.: Tradicionális sportok, népi játékok (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 2. Budapest, 1996)

Tradicionális játékok a magyar középiskolákban a századforduló előtt (Szabó Lajos)

The break-through at schools was brought in 1889 by Albert Berzeviczy, later minister of culture and religion, who made a proposal for the National Healthe Association on the introduction of the physical education and training games to schools. After this proposal a committee was established with the participation of wellknown personalities in the field of physical education and pedagogy. The task of this committee was to examine the question of the physical education at school and to make suggestions for the ministry. After fierce disputes the order which supported the games came out in 1890. This so called "game decree" called the attention of the schools to the importance of the games and insisted on their dissemination. The playing movement got the green light and became very popular at schools soon. The trend was strenghtened by the introduction of the national athletic competitions for pupils. The school, regional and national competition and show gave oportunity for the schools to show their skills in sports and games, and contributed to the dissemination of the athletics and plays, first of all of the ball games. Another decree ordered the introduction of skating besides the physical education plays and making excursions. It suggested to make skating-rinks in school yards if the weather was cold enough. The state wanted to promote the revitalizing and quick dissemination of the games with organizing trainig courses. The first course was held in 1893 with the participation of mainly pedagogues and physical education teachers. The professional physical educational revues (Tornaugy; Herkules) permanently published articles in this topic, including descriptions of the plays, theoretical papers and news. The physical education teacher József Ottó's book "Children's Plays for Secondary Schools" published in 1897 by the commission of the ministry was very important both for the contemporary people and for the researchers of our days. The book described almost one hundred plays for schools and the descriptions were completed with theoretical and methodological chapters. This outstanding sourse-material was illustrated not only with drawings but with 35 photoes. The photoes were taken at gymnastics lessons of a secondary school in Budapest in 1895. In 1899 the state syllabus for the secondary schools introduced the compulsory "afternoons for playing" besides the two gymnastics lessons per week. In these afternoons pupils had to play and make athletical exercises mostly in the open air depending on the weather. At the turn of the century the fierce disputes among athletics and gymnastics hindered the dissemination of the traditional games at schools. The origin of this dispute was the rivalry among the previously started German type conservative gymnastic clubs and the modem, English type liberal sport clubs for the leading position in the sportslife of the country. As at that time the physical education teacher train-