The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-27
NOT BRUTAL SPORT.
sstonewall' Church Defends the
Game Of Football.
.rey FEW SERIOUS ACCIDENTS.
n 0sssss DR.. Chspmsn's Own Autheri-
uss Against Him-Preparssisns for
STAFFORD Universfty Game.


SEATTLE. Dec y, isas
rarHE Enron: In your issue OF De-
.-.hey Is read q letter condemning foot.
- signed by J. y. Chapman, VI. D.,
vAskh Is very amusing 10 say the least. in
, ssruch a. the doctor Acknowledges IN the
srsf three lines that be knows nothing
skuss the game. Allow me 10 quote from
ksn. Il have witnessed Just one football
e.ms In my life, and that bat recently"
Il sfootbail" / presume that he means
v.ssrcolsegiste football, or the American
s.ue Assuming this to be correct. will.
Hvyu viii ALLOW me the necessary space in
1 var papeY. endeavor To answer the doc
~, letter and say few words in defense
ofthis king of all games. Football is un-
doubtsdly the most scientific game that is
.lsged In athletics-even its enemies ac-
knowledge that-if anything IL Is ultra
srsfaslGc Sox. how can any one learn
enough about such sport By wit
ness;ng one contest 10 be able 20
vgise an article condemning it7 He has
sp<rfecf night to give his impressions. but
when Il comes to putting before the public
estements as facts concerning something
about which be knows nothing. IL is an
entirely different matter. IL seems TO me
little too much like lynching q man on
ysYy slim circumstantiai evidence, and
that evidence hearsay. The doctor might
sns. ~ we'll try TO write a treatise on
chess or billiards after seeing q single
fsme OF either. During the past few years
II hiss become fashionable TO pitch into
football, probably because the public thirst
fof something sensational In the press,
end the reporters have picked upon foot
ball a. means 10 satisfy them. The doc
tor has evidently been devouring such
matter. gone 10 q game already pseiu-
decd against il, in his ignorance saw
nothing except the rough and dangerous
sIement and has come forth in conse-
euenee with the TRADE In question. In
one or two points the doctor IS correct.
The game is undoubtedly dangerous in q
certain degree. but not as much so as
lacrosse, polo on ponies, or cross-couutry
riding wbiie the benefits that one derives
from the mental and physical training
compensate the player thousand times
for any bruises he may receive. The doc
tor says: "The scientific parts of the
game we're entirely obseured by the ex-
esssivs amount of brutality"
scientific parts" coming from one
Who would probably ''punt"
touchdown, and who has only
seen one game in his life is very,
very funny: moreover. he IL absolutely ut
farlt when he says thu game Is brutal.
There are brutal men among football
players. rs fancy there are also in the
med cal profession. but the game itself is
not brutal. Singing. foul tackiine. hack
Ing and all other foul playing of every
L. tssr to- q ~.
the game would be entirely free from such
Il stures If the rules were enforced. as they
are In the big college games In the East
1.-THE doctor saw any real brutality in the
one lone game that he had the pleasure OF
Witnessing it must have been due to the
fact that the referee and umpire were ler-
kns gentlemen. DIR. Chapman may be
neither ''dyspeptic' or a ''soured indi-
v.duai." but he is certainly one of two
things; either q man who Is afraid to risk
his precious person on the gridiron field
for fear he may bark his shins. and rrudg-
ing bis athletic brethren the favor tha.
they receive in all walks in life has in q
dog-in- the-manger fashion pitched into
Them for their pluck, or one who, seeing
that the ignorant few have made 1t fash
ionahlc to give football q black eye, and
being himself n chronic kicker. has be-
come fashionable.
Thousands upon thousands of young
men have played football in the United
States during the past fall. and all told in
the neighborhood of half 4 dozen deaths
have resulted indirectly from football and
only two directly. The hardest games are
the championship games. played by Har.
ward. Yale, Princeton and the other great
universities. and yet never since the game
vas first introduced in this country has a
single individual OF these institutions been
Killed or injured for life. simply because
the men play in proper condition on
smooth, level fields, and obey the rules
] am eonversant with the facts in the
cases Of two young men who met death In
directly through football this year. One
OF them. young man named O'Brien. of
Jersey City, vas running with the ball,
iripped and fell. striking his stomach
against projecting rock. receiving in
iariss from which he eventually died.
The only comment necessary is that no
oae Else should play football on n field in
which there were projecting rocks. In
The second instance the deceased was not
even football player: was simply
running TO catch \ train in order
70 see football match, fell aud broke
bis neck, Mr.. Editor. can either one of
these eases Ne Justly laid 10 the door of the
game The deaths aud serious accidents
invariably occur In games PLAYED between
men Who either are not in condition or do
BET i0llos the rules. In one portion of
tue doctors letter he evidently refers 10
capt Waters. OF Harvard. who In tele-
Tsphie dispatch vas reported injured for
ne. ~ the result of his accident in the
fAie-Hasvard game. Again the doctor
saoss his ignorance Of his subject, accent
me ss facts Idle ruuors, Mr.. Waters has
neshsGe bat water ON the knee and fully
hsends TO play in the Cambridge eleven
aexs TAI. provided he returns 10 college.
the doctor cannot he honest in his rur-
ese when he quotes as he does from Hs--
PES Htekls aud the New Work Herald.
A1y enc reading his letter who had not
s'Fssdy read the two papers mentioned
caring the fail would undoubtedly be led
% Believe shat the doctors quotations
seaeed tie opinion OF the Two papers. when
sas facts are that each one Of these publ
cations has published columns upon col
sans on 1hs subject in question. exioliinr
seosasl iFocn beginning 90 end and doing
a. taaf they can 20 further the Snort
he editor of She New York Eae'sia, Poss
Aasaa notor'oas.y ignorant ga tae sat-
70 o. s'A.e.lcs AZ general and football in
tasAcG'av sho has msir capita oGt Of
as nfsies against the game BY furnish
80 SAitsg sch a. tie doctor seem.
goat over- LIKEWISE the Quota.
80 'Fo'a Col. Erast. nj West Point, Il