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Show . 1 . FOOTBALL. Football is the chief topic of discussion in college col-lege management these days. - For some time an effort ef-fort has been made to induce the athletic committees commit-tees of the colleges to change the rules, so as to make the game less dangerous to life and limb, but so far .with little success. The students composing those committees have almost universally refused to materially alter the rules. Those demanding a change point to. the fact that there have been eighteen deaths so far this year from injuries received on the gridiron. They claim that the rule which permits the tackling of a player and throwing him to the ground, and then all piling on top of him, is too brutal. The faculty of Columbia college has voted to prohibit the game, the president, remarking that it is an "obsession" on .college life. An eminent gentleman in the pulpit denounces the 'game, placing it iu the same class with the murderous fights of the Roman gladiators, and with automobiling. The advocates of the game point to the fact that the rules do not permit of any deliberate injury to another player. No player is allowed to strike or kirjk another. Ho may ward off a tackle by a push with the open hand or with the shoulder. Any player play-er who deliberately injures another by kicking or striking is an assassin, as much so as if he stabbed him. They further cite the fact that keen-eyed referees are watching the play and will promptly put out of the game any player who wantonly injures in-jures another, and such a player is afterward tabooed ta-booed and ostracized. It is shown that the injuries have resulted from the players' being thrown vio- lently to the ground, an I that such injuries might result in an ordinary wrestling match. Whichever side i ri; lit iu the controversy, it is certain that the game is dangerous. "Possibly that is one of the fascinations vf it. 'This element of danger dan-ger is one of the fac nations of such sports as swimming, horseback ri ling, skating, polo playing .'''' - . ' ' and other contests which develop manly men. It is also, certain that football playing requires the highest high-est type of physical development strength, size, good lungs, perfect heart action, besides a cool head, quick eye, indomitable pluck and agility. Such qualities quali-ties can only be developed by correct habits of living. liv-ing. Cigarette smoking, drinking and other evil habits which stunt the growth and sap the vigor of youth must be entirely attained from. The football foot-ball player is the hero of the girls and the idol .pf the boy's. He has entirely superseded the "dude" of twenty years ago. with his narrow chest, lisping talk iuid white hands stained only by cigarettes. The natural ambition of every boy is to - be a hero, and lie will naturally take his cue from the one on the pedestal. He knows that the bad habits referred to will disutility him and, instead of being be-ing the hero, he will be clashed among the "willie . hoys." That this ambition on the part of boys has borne practical fruit is shown !; comparing the college graduate' of the present day with that of ten or fifteen years ago. Formerly, the college graduate was the butt of the humorists and cartoonists, so far us his business ability was concerned. Business houses found them so incompetent for practical af-iV.irs af-iV.irs that they discriminated against them. Those l who graduated with honors, as a rule, had such weak physiques and jaded brains that they were unable un-able to adjust themselves topnuiwd conditions of life. They could recite the Iliad in the original, perhaps, but they could not control men. The type has entirely changed. Today the typical graduate is a husky, strapping individual, with a clear eye and plenty of common sense as well as learning. It has been proven that by devoting half his time to football and the other half to his studies he has accomplished more than the boy who devoted all his time to his studies. He possesses the physique which makes him able to take care of himself in any little lit-tle discussion", mental or physical, which may arise, and he is not likely to be imposed upon. It is not right to class him with a hired murderer, whose only object is to kill someone else in an arena, for money. mon-ey. He is the kind of man who can take charge of A mine, a railway or a bank, and make a practical success of it. He is ready to do a stunt in rough riding if his country needs him, and he has been trained to face danger with steady nerves, and be up and coming in an emergency. It is regrettable that deaths should have resulted re-sulted from football, and if the rules can be so amended as to eliminate the danger of a repetition of such disasters, and without emasculating the game, it would be well. If, however, only such sports are permitted as contain no element of danger, dan-ger, and which have not been responsible for many deaths, then wc must eliminate polo, horseback riding, rid-ing, swimming, skating, baseball and other contests which develop manly men. Vicious- habits are rc- ! sponsible for more deaths than football, and anything any-thing which keeps boys from those habits should be encouraged. The learned college professors should weigh the matter carefully, for it is the most important im-portant question in college management of the present pres-ent day. |
