The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-23
Concerning Football.
10 the Editor Of the Press:

10 the Editor Of the Press:
Did you ever make remark abiding
| to the brutality of football in the pres
ence of PLAYER or upholder OF that
much abused sport? Did you ever men
| ton to one of them the likeness which it
bears to prize fighting, or its close rela-
| tionship to the bull fight? Ii you ever
did, you doubtless noticed that the ex-
ponent of the game regarded you while
| speaking with look of undisguised pity
with which shade of contempt might
have been mingled and as soon as your
remarks were ended he probably asked
you if you ever saw game. You re-
piled of course that you never did, and
possibly added that you never wanted
to, while he sagely advised you not to be
too severe upon thing about which you
knew nothing, and to study football up a
little and go to few games before your
opinions became unalterably fixed.
If you followed the long-haired giants
advice, you doubtless found that book
of army tactics is plain and simple read
ing compared to the complicated and
technical descriptions of modern team
play in football, and 1 doubt not that
against your will you found yourself ad-
hitting that man who could invent
those ingenious combinations must be a
tactlcian as able as many a general of
military renown. Your idea that brute
strength is the only factor in football
would have been destroyed and replac-
ing it would be an honest admiration of
the patient intelligent labor which ena-
ables the young men on our great elev-
ems to hold their coveted positions.
Brains. not muscle, make football what
1t is today the finest open air sport in
existence. Accidents largely arise from
improper training of reckless play.
OWEN.
$50 far this season five young men
have been fatally injured at football. The
last fatality occurred day or two ago at
Pennington, Conn.,, when two young gil
ants of an aggregate weight of 400
pounds, in one of these contests of brain
and muscle, threw themselves upon a
slender young man of 100 pounds. GA
cracking sound was heard" said an OBJ
server, and it was found that the head of
the slender young man had been forced
sideways and downward upon his chest"
with the effect of dislocating one of the
vertebrae and paralyzing the lower part
of his body. This accident was very sim
liar to the one at Adrian, only in that
case the dislocation was in the neck and
death was almost instantaneous. Proba-
bly, if these two young men were in a
condition today to listen to suggestion
that football was brutal and dangerous
they would wear look neither of pity
nor contempt. We presume that our
correspondent will hardly take the
ground that the superintendent of the
West Point military academy is ignorant
of football, or that he is squaemish. 1t is
well known that the drill at West Point
involves many dangers, and encourages
the cadets to take many physical risks,
yet in his last annual report the superin-
tendent takes the ground that the bene-
fits derived from the game are not :'com-
mensurate with the risk it entails to life
and limb, which, according to statistics,
are much greater than commonly sup
posed" When the superintendent of
West Point academy pronounces a game
too perilous for the cadets at that insti-
tuition, all of them fine specimens of
physical strength and soundness, to in
dulge in, it is pretty conclusive proof
that it very perilous indeed. 1t is proof
too that is not likely to be brushed aside
by sneers at the ignorance of the rules of
the game Of those who criticise it.