New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-23

poets of the case, is not to be considered nope
less, albeit grave and alarming.
ATHLETICS JUDICIOUSLf CoNSiDEhEO
The subiect of athletics has been thoroughly
investigated by a committee OF the facuity
of Harvard College The report presented at
tbe last meeting Of the Board of Overseers and
favorably acted upon is of great practical value
and will tend to overcome much unreasonable
prejudice now existing against college ath-
letics. The committee received replies from
over one thousand students to list OF printed
questions respecting hours and forms OF exer-
else injuries received in athletic contests,
the annual expense incurred, absences from
class-rooms in consequence OF lntercohegiaoe
matches. and many other details. Inc sta
tistics compiled in the appendix OF the report
dispel many illusions respecting alleged abuses
of college athletics and fully sustain the COM
mittee's recommendations for increased accom-
modations and facilities for physical training
and sports. =,
The charges ordinarily made against college
athletics relate to alleged interference with
studv and loss of time the Encouragement OF
general exercise among the mass Of students;
freouency of accidents and detrimental phys
ical effects of over-eXercise; the heavy cost
of supporting ball mines and crews, and the
bad effects of excitement and dissipation caused
by intercollegiate contests. These crltlclsms
are tested in a practical way in the statistics
and are successfully traversed. The attend
ance in class-rooms of members Of teams IS
shown to compare favorably with the average
attendance of students, and particularly with
the average of men who do not exercise or
are not interested in athletics. The record OF
the distinctly non-athletc men is worse than
that of ten out of eleven teams. Tho absences
from recitations caused by the attendance OF
students as spectators of contests at Cambridge
and elsewhere are found to be trivial in num-
her and there is no warrant for believing that
athletic sports seriously interfere with the
prosecution of college studies at Harvard.
The statistics prove, moreover, that out OF
1,O21 students only sixteen take no exercise
whatever and that about 800 devote from one
to three hours day to it. The average OF
regular exercise throughout the year is about
one hour and twenty minutes-an allowance
which, while not excessive, shows that the
general effect of athletic contests is beneficial
to physical training among the main body of
students
In a similar way the statistics dispose Of the
other objections urged against athletics. Ac-
cidents are infrequent. Out OF / 200 students
taking regular exercise in some form, only
twenty-four have received serious injuries, the
majority Of these in football and baseball
The total amount contributed during a year
by students for the support Of athletics is
S15,421, and while the average per man,
c. l.. .l. IL hull of - f,n
men who can well afford to patronize organ
izations of their college About 400 students
contribute less than $40 each, and $50 give
nothing The moral effects of athletic con-
tests upon participants and spectators are jul
diciously considered by the committee with
adventitious aid from statistics, and are pro-
nounced on the whole to be good rather than
bad. The necessity for systematic regulation
Of games, races and exhibitions is reaffirmed
contests with professionals and the employ
ment Of trainers are condemned, and matches
are restricted to days and hours which will
not conflict with rotations; but with these
reservations the committee heartily favor
everything that promotes physical training and
recommend action for securing larger play
grounds for the students and for extending the
accommodations of the college gymnasium.
The committee very properly criticise the
betting which accompanies some games, the
time expended in discussing unimportant de-
tails of intercollegiate contests juvenile cele-
brations of victories, and the traces of pro-
fessional spirit to be found here and there in
Harvard sports. They discuss the subject,
however, with impartiality and sagacitS and
render on the whole favorable verdict for
college athletics