New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-03
FOOTBALL.

| those who are responsible for the cXisicnc" oi
| the game in the form which IL has now ae-
| oujrcd and for its future, IL IL Is 10 nave oh''
have no excuse for postpcning consideration Oh
| q subject which demands their anxious aticn-
lion. The persons upon whom it presses most
closely are those whose authority TO deal with
i, is immediate and complete, but the support
crs Of the colleges share the responsibility with
the men who govern them. There Is great
deal Of talk about modern football which is al
most as viocnr as the game itself, ana WHICH
is certainly not the most valuable part OF 'ii'
current discussion. Many Of 'hc ara'hemas
which the game has lately provoked are que 10
INSTRUMENTATION. Thus, for example the vir'u-
ous indignation which was aroused by the an
nounccmcnt that Ilnkcy deliberately sin"''
Knipe on the nose in the lalcPennsylNahla
game is now seen 10 have been wasted III the
light Of Knipes declaration that liink"y did
nothing of the sort Careless and excited spec
tators have reported numerous incidents oi 'h'S
sort which never occurred. thus furnishing
texts for sermons which may have done qui''
rs much harm rs good. and which have certain
~ been grossly unjust 10 individuals.
Rut though the game and its opponents hay"
compctcnr critics are Enthusiastically reaching
the conclusion that both the rules and the prac-
flee Of il need to be- modified. The main charges
brought against il are that ii II dangerous. that
/, * decrading and that ii absorbs too much
Of The time and too much cngross''S me 'h"ueh's
Of students There is Il good deal 10 ID" sald
in SUPPORT Of the first % these accusations
though the injuries inflicted aud the risks IN
Cured have been exaggerated and, winch IN
| more important, actual occurrences of Il h'P'"r'
| able character have produced In many minds II
| Historical convention of the, essential nature OF
the game Danger Is an inevitable concom'ah'
Of all athletic exercises from mountaineering 10
crouuct During tho last two or three m"h'hS
many matches and innumcrable practice games
have been played at colleges and schools ana by
athletic clubs all over the country, and II Is our
belief that a fair comparison of facts woHld
show that the pcrils Of football are not alone
sufficient to condemn IT, so long as the valuable
| consequences Of other sports are grhrraly az
ccptcd as far outwcghng the risks TO life AMI
limb which they involve. II this II true ne
sensible thing 10 do Is not 10 abolish the game
ON account Of It's Injurious possibilities. but 10
diminish them 80 far as possible Regulations
10 that end ought to be- as welcome rs the
safety bicycles aud patent strrups which have
| lcsscncd the pcrils Of wheeling ana riding Ana
there is good reason to suppose not only mat
means to accomplish that object csln be devised.
but that they are about TO be- applied. Ihvch'
| tions like the flying wedge are already dis
| co,ntenanccd by some ~ the most expert anu
influential players and coaches.
That football is morally degrading in any
broad sense we do not believe II doubtless
gives the occasional black guard his opportunity,
but he would bc pretty sure to find his oppor-
| unity somewhere The game is part Of the
extraordinary development which within the
recollection Of those who are still young has
transformed college life and through the col
| Icgcs produced results Of incalculablc value 10
society III large. We do not believe that any
| man fit TO form an opinion doubts that the
| moral tone and physical condition OF academic
communities have vastly improved during the
last twenty years, nor that the athletic infl'i-
| encc has been chief cause Of this improve
ment. The single fact that hazing scarcely sur
wives anywhere il extremely significant, ana
with hazing has gone by far the largest part
of the mmoralitics and vulgartics which were
once prevalent and conspicuous. But ms with
the dangers Of football with the vices which
| fastcp themselves upon it. 1t seems 10 lis fool
ish to assume that they are inseparablc and
hound 70 multiply. until n rational effort has
been made to get rid Of them.
| And this leads to Il consideration Of the third
| charge that football absorbs too much of the
| time and thoughts Of students In colleges and
schools This, we think. Is the most serious in
| dictmcnt that can be brought against the game.
| For reasons as to which all witnesses would
not agree, this comparatively new form OF
physical competition does unqucstionably arouse
far more intense and universal interest than
any other in which the colleges are rivals, and
| under conditions favorable to attendance at
| tracts two or three times as many spectators ms
any other Nor Is there any evidence to show
that II Is a fad which is likely 10 be of brief
duration. But that the interest Of the students
IL dependent TO a considerable degree upon the
immense publicity Of the game We have no
! doubt mt all. To the great matches In this city.
| with all the enthusiastic controversy which pre-
codes. accompanies and follows them, may rca-
sonabIy be attributed In large measure the fact
that during two months Of the fall term foot
ball completely saturates the college atmos-
pbcre. And this Is the point 10 which college
faculties can most proftably give their attcn-
lion. II they would prohibit the playing Of
football matches in this city they would by that
one step go far toward bringing the sport with
I'm safe limits. Indeed we think that college
towns are the proper places for collegiate con-
tests Boat racing. II is true, imposes conditions
which make II exceptional but fortunately New
York does not supply them. II, furthermore
football were subjected to this restriction 1t
would not only come down to more rational