St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-11

sports. and there has been considerable
talk among the university students and
| the alumni concerning the organization
or a crew at the varsity. The enthusi-
asm Oflast Saturday at Minnetonka was
taken as an evidence by the students
that the time was ripe for the setting of
the ball III motion, and a number of
men are at work feeling the pulse of
the students and the faculty. the
pulse of the president was felt by the
GLOBE yesterday afternoon, and the re-
suit showed that the president was not
enthusiastic on the question for many
! reasons.
There are a great many questions
to be considered,' said President
Northrop. Zone of the greatest objec-
tions to be cited is the latitude in which
we are placed. We are too far north for
the Orgaization of a successful boating
| crew made up of university men.
There are few colleges which close as
early as does the University of Mime
sofa. This is one of the great objections.
| The men are disbanded about the 1st of
June. Just at the time when the other
college crews are getting into shape for
their summer races. Then, too. we
cali the students together about the 1st
| of September, too early for the racing
| season. To give racing crew the best
| opportunities possible they need all of
| the time for training that would be
| tilched from them IL Minnesota.
But there are other and greater OBJ
ie2tIons TO nv mind. the question of
! scholarship. There have been large
number of tue leading men of the
| country, who in their college days were
| leaders in ali athletic sports, but VEN
ture to say that the majority of the col
lege athletes are not the brainy men. 1
! do not mean to decry the athletic de
! part nent of college by any means, for
/ 1t IS prime necessity, but [ do think
/ that it can be carried too far
! The foot ball contest gives mau
! great physical power, and the
contests of land and water develop self
control and GOODNESS, yet these are not
the only things which are needed in the
college course. think that too much
time is given to athletics in Eastern
/ COilcBcS. anu III consequence ttiG Sid1u-
ard of scholarship of the students who
are the great athletes is not as high as
might be, and far below what it
would be if the men gave more time TO
their college studies. 1t seems waste
! of valuable time. a man is sent to col
lege to take advantage of tue great OPP
portuRity of his life. and to improve
his mind.
Another reason why it wO uld seem
the organization of a crew at the Mime
sofa university would be unWise is the
men cannot afford it. The majority of
them are sustaining themselves with
difficulty, and it would be great drain
| on their pockets to ask them to aid IN
the maintenance of a crew. 1t is all
right for Yale and Harvard, many of
| whose men are the sons of miliiOnaires.
Last year Yale graduated a class, and
the combined wealth of the fathers of
four of the members would aggregate
S250,000,000. 1t is different up here.
Yale and Harvard can call upon their
alumni for almost any sum and can get
it, but we could not do it here. l do not
want to discourage any enterprise that
is worthy, but it seems to me that the
question of finance and the objection
arising by reason of the Northern latI-
| tude, are sufficient reasons alone for the
dropping Of the scheme"