Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-11-26
IS FOOTBALL BRUTAL?
VIEWS OF MANY LOVERS OF SPORT WIZ
LOOK AT THE SUBJECT
From Various ACCOMPLISHMENTS Should Be
Eliminated-RefOrm in the Playing Of the
Game Necessary if 1! Is to Re-
tain Popularity.

New YORK, November 25.-From
time immemorial there has been a we'll
formulated and well-organized opposi-
ton to football. This has been revived
very conspicuously during the past
week in consequence Of the criticisms
passed upon the roughness and brutality
INDUCED in last Saturday in the game
between Yale and the University OF
Pennsylvania.
AS far back as the time Of King
James l. Of England the cry against
football was raised. That merry mon
arch in giving orders about the bring
ing up and training Of the heir appar-
emit did "debarre all rough and violent
exercises, as the football, meeter for
tanning than making able the users
thereof"
That was the royal stamp put upon
football $50 years ago.
Some years later Waller, the poet,
characterized the game as then played
by saying that the players ''Saiute so
rudely breast to breast, their encounter
seems too rough for JEST And so
opinion ran a few centuries back.
FOOTBALL REFORM.
There are many men in Gotham to-
day who hold the same views as did
worthy King James and the singer Wal
Ter. The Telegram in the interest Of
genuine sport, and in opposition TO eve
rything that savors Of brutality, here
with publishes a number Of interviews
with football critics, which were given
Il -. - kho1n ttaaffnncs-
"Is football a game for gentlemen as
now played? If the crowds who sit In
the grand stands Of all the big games
could see one game from the side lines,
where all the minor details OF the play
ing are In plain sight, would the game
continue to DO as popular as ii is to-
dap? What do you think will be done
toward purifying the sport AID doing
away with horse play?"
The first man spoken to refused to
have his name used. He said that he
had V seen a game OF football yet
that was not marked by conduct not
worthy Of q gentleman. He gave as an
instance Of this an incident in a game
PLAYED between Princeton and LehiRh
several years ago, when Jesse Riggs
was playing guard for the orange and
black.
1t seems the burly guardian smashed
his Lehigh opponent 10 the mouth, and
then, running toward umpire, claimed
that be had been hit Ia the face, laying
his hand appealingly on a brusie that he
had received some days before. The
Lehigh man was warned or disqualified,
nv informant forgot which it was.
But, any rate, be found to his horror
that the blow had completely disloged
two very fine teeth. Absolutely no no
tlce was taken of this by the umpire.
BRUTALITY OF FREQUENT OCCURRENCE.
THAT" concluded the college man,
sis an instance Of what occurs at nea
ly every game. Some times no u sees
il but the parties engaged, butt is there
all the same, and II is only because the
PLAYERS would be thought cowardly that
meme OF this kind Of thing is not brought
to the attention CT the public.
"Why, 10 the last game between
Princeton and Wesleyan, l saw King
strike a Wesleyan man with bis closed
fist on the back OF the neck when the
player was out Of bounds, aud after be
had called down In a voice that King
could not help but hear"
Captain Mackey, in commenting on
Saturdays game, says:
II have a bad confusion over the eye
! from a blow from Mprphy's fist Every
one on the field saw Hinkey strike
Knipe, with no provocation from the
latter except that be had Just made a
touchdown. The same player jumped
with bis knees on Osgood's neck, after
the latter had called down. McCrea
repeatedly struck Wharton about
the face and head, and : pulled
| of deliberately the protecting band
2 from his swollen and iniamsd
ear. although In doing so he caused the
latter agonizing pain, but the Pennsyl-
yauia team accepted those occurrences
as unpleasant incidents OF an exciting
game, and had no wish to dwell upon