Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-07-14

epl the saving OF others lives or the
lefense OF ones country could justify
uch destructive exercises and excuses.
3ut these have been greatly exagger-
ited. The life history of the lead
ng football players of the past 15l
years, Notwithstanding the frequency
With which contusions, sprains and
even broken bones occur in the remen-
1ous struggles of that mighty game, |
makes up Il record of vitality and
activity in the period succeeding grad
lation which proves that, despite the
occasional outcrieS Of the press, this
form of athletic contest works little
injury among thoroughly
trained competitors. The more serious
accidents Of football generally occur
in the beginning Of the season, and
among players who have not passed
through the hardening stages
Of practice. Boat racing is probably
fraught with much more of real peril
TO Its participants, yet distinguished
English statistician, studying the life
history of $50 Oxford oars has
reached the conclusion that, even after
making due allowance for the fact,
that these We're all at the start picked
men, this great body of athletes have
shown it's stability distinctly above
the average Yet there is real danger
to be guarded against.
But when it comes to physical con-
tests (which result merely in the con-
sumption of current physical force
which would, or might otherwise be
devoted to study" this speaker said:
To those who hold to the good old
notion, the excellent, virtuous notion.
that all young men go to college to
make themselves scholars, it is, indeed
a great trial to have to contemplate
a state of things in which no incon-
siderable portion of students treat
scholarships as an object distinctly
subordinate to gladatorial prowess, and
who really graduate, if they graduate
at all, in athletics as a major, with
classics or mathematics or philosophy,
something else, it hardly matters what,
provided there be soft snap" to it,
as a minor, or perhaps, we would say,
4 minimum. Certainly this presents a
view of college life which would have
filled with horror the founders and
early governors of our New England
colleges. And it needs to be said at
the outset, in dealing with this subject,
and to be said firmly and aggressively,
that there are hosts of young men
coming to college whose circumstances
and means, and views and plans for
life, are such that they cannot afford
to treat their college privileges in this
way; who, if they "go into athletics, .
IN the accepted sense of that phrase
will sacrifice the one opportunity offer
ed them; whose presence with theil
classes means a degree of sacrifice and
self denial on the part of parents and
friends, which would make it little
less than PROCLAMATION to waste an hour
of the time which has been purchased
at such price; and whom it is mean
cowardly and brutal to coax or bully
into training for baseball or football
or boating. And yet, with due consid
GRAFTON for the rights and interests OF
students like these, college athletics
cOnfeSSedly are not a means to the
end of health, and strength, but as
an end in themselves are not wholly
of evil.
1t is the opinion of Mr.. Walker tina
even the entertainment which colleg,
contests furnish to the populace is
consideration in their favor, and JOINED
to this is their influence in spreadin:
the use of these games; there is alst
the effect in favor of gymnastic worl
which they may produce upon thes,
collegians who never take part in them
and that the favorite athletics of tn,
day, calling not only for strength ant
swiftness, but also for ''steadiness o
nerve, quickness of apprehension, cool
mes, resourcefulness, self-knowledge
self-reliance, the ability to work witt
others, power of combination, readiness
to subordinate individual impulses, sci
fish desires and even personal credi
to a common cause"-directly contrib
ute to the best manhood. The las
consideration advanced by Mr.. Wake
is that in the competitive contests o.
our colleges 'something akin to pa
triotism and public spirit is developed
with results on the whole of good.
Smetimes, he confessed, the college
spirit is carried too far, to the exten
of Every offensive partisanship ant
unsportsmanlike conduct" 'Yet, boil
as counteracting the selfish individual
istic tendencies of the age and as al
antidote to the nil admiral affecta
tions Of our older colleges, it is a goot
thing that the body of students should
now and then be stirred to the very
depths of their souls; that they shOulG
have something outside themselves tt
care for; that they should learn to love
passionately, even if a little luminosity
toward rivals must mingle with theil
patriotic fervor; that they should al
times palpitate with hope and fear and
anxiety in the view of objects which
can bring to them personally neither
gain nor loss"
Some Of the faults that result from
partisan spirit he noted, and then said:
Granting that something and that not
a little of scholarship must be sacri-
feed if athletics are to be continued
on anything approaching their present
scale, may we yet believe that it is
practicable to insist upon the require
ment Of at least respectable standing
in the case Of all who participate in
intercollegiate contests? I believe that
this can be done without interfering
with the general movement, provided
college faculties are true to themselves,
fair, frank, and final in dealing with
tho student hodiaS and thoroY1ohIv