Show 4 Penn Ma May Adopt New Method for Awarding Sport Letters By WAI TEIl CA CAMP IP SpecIal Correspondent to Tile The Examiner Standard Examiner CopyrIght 1923 by The Standard standard- Examiner NEW YORK TORK May lay 19 Action ot of the ot of In issuing a a new set regula regulations lions the th awarding of athletic In- In InsignIa insignia In lenla signia signIa will bring brine the th matter clear clear- clearly clearly ly Jy before the tho other colleges and universities this lear ear car It will vill be necessary for tor them to determine once for all which course they wIsh to toll follow ow They will have to say sav whether they Intend to get back to the old distinction of ot the varsity letter J which had a definite and precise meaning or whether they will con con- continue continue continue the method of ot awarding such letters on the basis of ot popularity favor committees committee's prejudices cap cap- captains captains captains coaches hard bard har luck bois bos and wonderful work In a minor sport Wi W are goIng to find out whether er or we w shall thai I preserve the th basic 1 principle of ot the varsity letter This said flatly natly The The man wearing this letter has haa bee beer through the mill He has I hard enough and done don enough tobe tobe to be selected as a member ot of a ma- ma jor team team He Ho has had althe all al the dis- dis discipline dis discipline I and drudgery ot of up through the scrub to the var sity and on his own merits merit has earned a place on that varsity I Finally he has hIlS ha made himself rood good enough to represent his bis Alma Mater In a major sport port In contest with her darest d re st t rh rival rhal al in the real match of ot the year and has actu actu- actuallY actually actually ally done so This letter Itter is a state state- statement meat ment nt of ot Incontestable tact fact act that Its wearer has haa actually played on the th varsity team In that big bic match malch This T l latter Jatter point has been clear clear- clearly clearly ly iy brought brought- out two or three times In the th hl history ory ot of athletics when attempts ha have base e been made by com corn committees committees representatives and athletic representatives to deprive a man ot of o his hl varsity vanity letter BELL BY HORS HORNS S Pennsylvania authorities a ave ave taken the bull bv by the th horns They propose to guard the tho varsity let let- letter letter let let-ler ter and have havo struck a direct blow at the tendency growing ot of late In almost all nit and universities I ties tits toa toward rd a letting do down don n ot of thu Ow bars and making the tho insignia la which may I be e given civen by i or ot through popular opInIon opinion opinion ion or on account of ot a rise to prominence in some somo of the mInor sports The s 's letter Is almost like Jike I a Hall of ot rame of ot intercollegiate sport About 15 or 20 ears ars ago agi there was a mania for tor Indiscriminate nate nate distribution of ot such insignia at several everal universities notably at Yale The Th result was that the members ot of o varsity major sport teams simply refused to wear we let let- letter letter let letter ter cap or sweater because a as one put it ho he h Was s likely to be with some lorn player o em winks It took a long lone time to straight straight- straighten en en out this t ls and even now members ot of o old team coming are arc ar chary of extendIng tn time old respect to men mn on field 01 1 fi i i- i campus a Tar varsity let let- i ter The of official tic I organ of ot the Uni- Uni University ver of ot Pennsylvania hit the th nail nailon nailon on the tho head when It said editorially editorially ally ally The purpose of ot the tho th counCI Is to make mak the major sports ports Jette stand for something worth while It will be prized In proportion to s Itha-s the tho difficulty In winning It It 1 hn has ben been made thoroughly plain that the authorities at Penn will ill do all In their s to encourage encourage age minor sport port teams teama but It Is Ise es e eIdent Ident blent such uch encouragement will not take the thO th form of ot the award ot of varsity Insignia In many Institutions the athletic ba has ls s become almost sImply limply because it has been hc conferred on members member of te ms other than Ihan those In maJor maior and upon men who were substitutes tote tates on major teams but did not no 01 play In big Us contests There ss nothing more ludicrous than the rushing in of ot substitutes in the last few tew minutes of ot tho the big biff varsity sport contests so that addItional men may this PROVISION The Th new Penn rules restrIct the coveted letter Jetter to the th major sports In football It Is made ob- ob obI ob ob I ato y that the tho recipient must have participated in the th last Jast tW two games gaines of ot the thc season and the th rule permitting the football 1 to 10 recommend which members ot of othe the team shall hH roo lT the th letter Jetter letterIs letteris Is rescinded A similar strict provision is made effective 0 In bas baseball ball and even members of ot minor mtnor sports teams which succeed In winning winnins Intercol- Intercol Intercollegiate Intercol championships will here here- hereafter hereafter hereafter after receive only a minor sports letter Moreover managers of inn ma- maJor ma major jor sport teams may receive eer- eer certificates certificates but will not be bo allowed to wear near the letter Jetter on their sweat sweaters ers The remainder ot of the tho regu- regu regulations lations aro are so drawn that credit Is given civen to nit all without In- In Infringing in In fringing on the clearly dearly drawn line un guarding the varsity letter Itself As a II matter of ot fact out of ot col cou- cou lete col-lete lege tho the real possessor of ot varsity aM letters are cry ery modest Tr about are ar to turn their sweaters sweater Inside out to avoid undue display This mod mod- modesty modesty mod esty shows the th kind of ot men wh ysa come comae through In these ma maI mat y sa games But as for tor an any committee or authority being able abl to state stat b by edIct that the varsity letter Jetter means anything except just one fact tact or orto orto orto to assume th It can be b bestowed or taken a away way at pleasure is b rI- rI rIdiculous ri ridiculous A man may be b forbidden to wear such Insignia while under the authorities of ot the college o but when he has ha once one represented that In- In Institution institution In Institution in actual play In the th big match of the year there Is I no power on earth that can alter the fact that he did play That after all Is what the th varsity letter means |