Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-04
REVIVAL OF FOOT BALL.
A Fine Sport, but 1t In Becoming Too
Brutal to Continue Popular.

From the Chicago Herald.
The revival Of foot ball as a general sport
is not commendable 1t Is a brutal I'M
scientific, unmanly game, compared with
which horse racing is refined and prize
fighting rather respectable In the accounts
of the game between Yale and Harvard on
Saturday last incidents Of brutality are fire.
quent. At one time Beard of Yale is said
to have been using Wrightington of Har-
ward none too tenderly in the center Of the
| field out Of bounds" This caught the sight
of Big Acton of Harvard. who rushed
over and. saying None of that there"
caught Beard on the jaw with a right
handler. which. the account spiritedly says,
brought him to earth beautifully" This,
mind you, was mere incident--an episode
| which had no bearing on the game itself,
but simply served to show what the ini1u-
ences of the so-called pastime are bound to
produce. 1t was "a knock-down inspired by
the violent brutality which Is the chief ele-
ment of the game.
The vivid story of the play reads like the
description of dog fight:
Armstrong broke out of the V for eight
yards, being heavily thrown by Mackie.
Thorne smashed into Manahan for five and
a Armstrong struggled through the center for
one. Thore found Mammalian again for four,
but the next time he tried it Manahan prov
ed that he could stop a man once in
Acton twice for ten yards and the ball was
downed on Harvaru's fifteen-yard line.
Yale's offensive play in contrast to Har-
wards was quick and snappy. Her plays
were made in rapid succession giving Hair
ward little time to think of what was 60
ing on. Butterworth crashed into the CEN
ter again, but didn't gain, but a series of
push plays Melted Thone and Butterworth
yard each and then Butterworth damned
his way through the Harvards five-yard
line. Harvards crimson champions were
fighting for every inch of ground but the
Yales were forcing the ball along slowly but
surely, while their friends gradually lost
their senses. Armstrong smashed into the
big Harvard wedge and fell down under it
with two yards gain.
Capt. Waters of Harvard was so badly
hurt that he had to be taken off the field.
Three times he was knocked down and
finally, Notwithstanding that brute pluck
which is one Of the most ignoble phases of
mans vanity when exercised for the mere
purpose of display, he was forced TO sue
| cumb, leaving his team demoralized and
vanquished.
The lull in base ball interest has led to
an attempted revival of a number of sports.
Tennis was given considerable impulse
last summer, and cycling achieved a new
popularity. Both of these sports are de-
cent, clean, scientific and manly, but foot
ball is only to be alphabetically character
lied. There seems to be probability that
base ball will recover its old ground in pub
lie favor, and ii is to be hoped that such
Will be the case. 1t is a fine sport and
worthy of popularity in every way. But at
least let us put stop as soon as possible
in many features, is worse than prize fight
ing, being less a matter of skill, more dam
gerous to the participants and involving a
much larger number OF contestants.