While chiefly known to the public as a golfer, Holabird was catcher on the school baseball team, half-back on the eleven, held the gold medal for the inter-class track meet, and, in fact, excelled in all athletic sports.  As a scholar he always ranked high.  He was devotion itself to his parents, his brothers and sisters, respectful to his elders, a leader among his associates, and beloved by all who knew him; tall in stature and muscled like a Greek god, with clear-cut, delicate, refined, and manly features....  With a rare combination of strength and gentleness accompanied by a bearing and life well illustrating “He was one of nature’s noblemen."...  A splendid athlete, with a life without a spot or stain, he was a natural leader and a model for all the fellows in the school.  The younger boys followed and imitated him....  He hated everything false or unclean or vulgar.  To us all, men and boys alike, it was an inspiration to know him.[47]

Our standards for boys and men have been too low.  Charles Wagner says, in writing of youth and love:—­

    Chastity has a host of enemies....  These enemies are quick to throw at
    your head, as an unanswerable argument, “He who tries to play the
    angel, plays the fool.”

But he continues:—­

Many play the fool who have never tried to play the angel.  They have not fallen into the mud because they tried to fly too high, but because they began too low down....  A society which permits license in youth, and counsels it, degrades love....  Sin against love at its base,—­in youth,—­and the life of the whole nation is torn, and suffers immeasurably....  The rule of conduct here is chastity Every infraction is a sin.  Though this law may seem difficult and severe, it is the only safe one.  Morality without it is but rubbish.[48]

A start has been made.  During the last decade, we have declared that we must no longer have two standards of purity, one for the man and another for the woman.  We recognize a difference between the nature of the man and the nature of the woman; but as our goal and as our standard for practical life, we have abandoned “the double standard.”  This is a great advance, for our young people as a whole measure up fairly well to standards which society as a whole sets for them.  It is entirely within reason to expect a large majority of our boys to reach full maturity and marriage with an absolutely clean record, as far as personal and social purity are concerned.  In fact, we should be constantly working toward a time when the personally impure boy and the socially impure young man will be eliminated.  Both the men and the women of our nation must demand this.

There are many ways by which we may guide and help the adolescent.  Only the abnormal boy is not active and curious.  If we do not provide wholesome activity, boys are likely to find activity which is destructive in its influence.  Therefore, we must do far more than mitigate bad influences.  We must plan proper regimen.  We must supply a steady succession of constructive activities as well as definite instruction to satisfy curiosity.  No other course will do.