New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-24
THE UNAL LEAGUE IND THE II. A. a.
THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT IN COLLEGE ATH-
LETICs-A REMARKABLE TRIUMPH IN
TILL sc1rScF OLE nRsrRrCTION.

LEIlDS-A hChAtsh hDlsI 'NNA
THE SCIENCE OF OBSTRUCTION.
To the Editor Of The Tri bune.
Sir: beg to call attention to the most recent de
veopment in college athletics. the Unal League IN
baseball Like all other great advances, 1t springs
from Cambridge. II owes its existence principally 10
the Harvard Athletic Association. known at Cambridge
as the H. \. A. The II. A. A. has absolute control
over the athletics Of the university IL CONSISTS ~
three members Of the faculty. three graduates ana
,broa undergraduates In semi-civlliked Yale and
barbarous Princeton the faculty pass general rules and
within those rules allow students absolute freedom
Thus the students know exactly what they can ana
what thew cannot do In Harvard this Anticipated
system was abandoned years ago. The students never
know what they will be allowed to DO until the
II. A. A. has met.-frequently not then. NO one ever
knows one day its members least OF all what inc
H. A. A. will do the next but its general at"tuue
toward the students is that of the thoughtful mother
who told her maid to find the children, see what 'ney
were doing and stop it. This may not do much good
IN athletics. but its moral effect cannot be over
estimated Life is full Of weird and caprcious changes
The II. y. A. impresses this fact on the students
Besides performing the functions that elsewhere
pertain the faculty, this body also undertakes exec
tive duties somewhat similar to those OF huule III
connection with the York Baseball Club II hSes
dates arranges series and acts generally as guide'
philosopher and friend in every branch Of athletics
pleasure for good cause for none at all the al
yantages OF this are obvious. II team captain gets
the better OF negotiation his act is never questioned
but n the opposing team captain has the best OF the
bargain the II. A. A. with eagle eve pounceS oowh'
tears up the agreement. starts afesh. drafts new
compact and demands compliance WITH us eAacO
wishes under penalty Of publishing an opponent 10
the world afraid to meet the invinciblc liarVTuS'
Other colleges In the past have meeKly Yielded but
this year one found unreasonable enough to insist
upon the engagements made by the Harvard captain
being kept, and, In spite OF all remonstrances to reject
a programme In which the H. A. A had embodied lis
preferences. From this the " Unal League
will now trace the development Of the unal
League In time for the season Of 1880 college
baseball association formed consisting of some sX
or seven members. This endured through the season
Of 1886, Yale winning the championship in every
year but 1898, when Harvard Harvard ana
Princeton then fast friends, though one can hardly
believe it withdrew and invited Yale ana CoIuThOa
into uuadrlrple baseball league. Columbia soon
withdrew. thus making triple league. In 1881
1888 and 1880 Yale still kept winning the champion
ship and Harvard withdrew. For the season OF looo
Harvard and Yale formed dual league in baseball
and PLAYED series In which Yale was again victorious
The result was equally unsatisfactory, whether the
league consisted Of six. -four. three or two. Inc
II. A. A., not discouraged, hit upon solution OF the
difficulty They tore up existing agreements Ignored
all but e prominent Of their old time adversaTies'
sent challenge, which, could not with selfrespect be
accepted and upon its refusal, newspaper Champion
ship was Immediately establlshed-wOn without pitching
a ball.
Thus was the Irnal League perfected. Tie Fl. A. A.,
II is understood, is determined to apply 1t to all
branches of athletics. The league IS to be kept select
by abrogang all agreements and proposing others ta'
out of the question This movement will be very
unpopular in YALE where heretofore the II. A. A. has
bean NalC senior of sporting
procvies has stated that next Bob Cook and Stagg
he considered the H. A. A. the most important con
rfbutOr to his summer trips to Europe, whlch ne mac
en1oyed greatly. But, strange to say, in Harvard
right in its back yard, It were, the H. A. n mas
enemies. 4 prominent Harvard athlete was heard to
his feelings not long ago with an emphasis which
will SOFTEN He said that individually the members OF
tho II. A. A. good fellows, but that as whole
they meddlesome, caprcous and out OF tohe WIFI
the wishes of students and graduates tat TO pie was
too small for them to put their fingers into that inc
faculty and graduate members OF the II. A. A. were 100
Young to impress the students with respect and TOO old
TO be in close sympathy with them that the students
were suffering from too much government, and wnat
they wanted be let alone, to manage their ahair
without interference under such broad general rules
and restrictions might be proper that 1t was better
for them TO make mistakes and learn by experience
than TO be constantly picked at by an outside BODY
that It was undlglfed to the last extent for college
games as recently happened, especially when their et
forts signally failed that ii the business OF the
captain of the nine not Of outsiders to determine
whether the nine would be In condition TO meet certain
opponents on certain dates and that defeat was much
to be preferred to outside dictaton topic like TINS
This Harvard athlete also accused the H. A. A. oi
being inconsistent and of not knowing Its own mlho'
For instance he said Harvard in years past uSed 10
play some Of her baseball and football games IN New
York Now that Is prohibited. various gr9anus Vi
objection have been assigned But forty or MY con
teStants are allowed to contest in the intercollegiate
field sports each year. Any objection to pernltlhig
nine men 10 play ball eleven men to play LootDal
in Eew-York applies equally TO The forty or nfty nelG
athletes It seemed cruel 10 remind MIN tDHt HarVaI
generally lost in baseball and football and won IN neld
sfhIeties some ono and the remark was passed
without notice lie added that he thought mere was
sill healthy tone in athletics In Harvard but That ts
norma development and progress had oeen thFOttisu
hv Zoo rnuch Interference and ADVICE, ana that II tc
students wore allowed 10 solve herathletc problems
for tbamselves for a year two Harvard woud soon
regain her proper place in athletics which she held for
81 rr way OF explanation IL may be added that in ad-
d, IN the all powerful H. A. A. there Is an advisory
onmittee of three for each of the prominent sports
q conference committee general athletics ana an
atbIetic committee Of the Board Of OveTseers. The
tvhole form about as perfect Bureau OF Obstruction
as ever was devirsd. Respectfully yours
New York, June D., 1891. COLLEGlAN'
c.u.-r huvers and workers will always find 10 d