“To-day, as we are so close to Christmas, we will arrange only the general details—–­have a sort of mapping-out, as it were.  But immediately after the holidays the entire baseball squad that enrolls will be required to start at once to get in general athletic condition.  There will be hard—–­what some may call grilling—–­gym. work at the outset, and much of the gym. work will be kept up even after the actual ball practice begins.

“Early in February work in the baseball cage must begin, and it will be made rather severe this year.  In fact, I can assure you that the whole training, this coming year, will be something that none but those who mean to train in earnest can get through with successfully.

“Any man who is detected smoking cigarettes or using tobacco in any form, will be dropped from the squad instantly.  Every man who enrolls will be required to make a promise to abstain, until the end of the ball season, from tobacco in any form.

“In past years we have often been urged to adopt the training table, in order that no greedy man may eat himself out of physical condition.  It is not, of course, feasible to provide such a table here at the gym.  I wish it were.  But we will have training table to just this extent:  Every member of the squad will be handed a list of the things he may eat or drink, and another list of those things that are barred.  The only exception, in the way of departure, from the training list, will be the Christmas dinner.  Every man who enrolls is in honor bound to stick closely to his list of permissible foods until the end of the training season.

“Remember, this year’s work is to be one of the hardest work and all the necessary self-denial.  It must be a disciplined and sustained effort for excellence and victory.  Those who cannot accept these principles in full are urged not to enroll in the squad at all.

“Now, I will wait five minutes, during which conversation will be in order.  When I call the meeting to order again I will ask all who have decided to enter the squad to occupy the seats here at my right hand, the others to take the seats at my left hand.”

Immediately a buzz of talk ran around that end of the gym.  The High School boys left their seats and moved about, talking over the coach’s few but pointed remarks.

“How do you like Mr. Luce’s idea, Dick?” asked Tom Reade.

“It’s good down to the ground, and all the way up again,” Dick retorted, enthusiastically.  “His ideas are just the ideas I’m glad to hear put forward.  No shirking; every effort bent on excelling, and every man to keep his own body as strong, clean and wholesome as a body can be kept.  Why, that alone is worth more than victory.  It means a fellow’s victory over all sloth and bad habits!”

“Luce meant all he said, too, and the fellows know he did,” declared Dave Darrin.  “I wonder what effect it will have on the size of the squad?”