New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-09
FOOTBALL CRITICISMS.
THE END or THE SEASON.

hands come ont with long dscussi' ms cn The SUD-
ject Football this year is only one of the many
and the persons who now declaring the
game an evil, who are recommending that It he
abolished are those who short time ago warted
all college societies abolished VINO are always re-
forming the politics Of the country, who. In fact.
must reform something-and II nothing better. then
footbaor they to have any reason for lv-
ing. II is not at all necessary that they should
have seen the game. That has little or nothing
10 do with their particular views the case They
discover some one who writes recommending reior,
nation Of the rules in the game. and Il Is the word
reform and not the sport that attracts them.
indeed, thes, persons do not even need to know
some reform is necessary. since there Is scarcely
ANYTHING in America today that could not be re,
formed TO advantage. Whether. however much
good can come from their suggestions Is quite un-
any Specific susesons ang aso because # they do
give any recommendation they only illustrate how
the public has too firm footing in common-sense
to pay much attention to such complaints ana we
without further comment.
The close OF the season illustrates several i'm
portant points in football that we may well spend
n moment considering. In the first place. 1t seems
clear enough now that Harvard could not possibly
have played Princeton. As II was she went into
the Yale game with several crippled men and with
the captain unable to play. and then in the Penn
sylvana game she was unable to put out her reg
ular game In the second half. Furthermore. Yale
did not play the same game she had already shown
against Harvard There Is question. then. that
II is impossible for these big elevens TO meet more
than once twice during the season. There have
been several suggestions made with view to
remedyng this difficulty. but all are more or less
uncertain. The plan that Harvard and Yale should
play each other ten days before Thanksgiving. and
that Princeton a.d Pennsylvania should play on
the day. the winners playing off on the Sat
urday after Thanksgiving Day. is hardly feasible
In the first place Harvard and Yale are natural
rivals. and they more win from the
other than they do to win from any else. TO
play their game off early m the season would
leave one OF the two with antl-climax on its
hands such as happened this year, while. on the
other hand. their game would come 50 early In the
season that neither would be able 10 train Itself
into the best condition for the game. on Novem-
her 49, this year. neither Harvard nor Yale was In
any sort OF condition to play the big game liaii
the work OF the season Was put into the succeed.
ing two weeks. II must also he remembered that
championship In football does not amount TO any
thing Any one OF the colleges dslikes being de.
feated. but each has special desire at heart
which il FAR more important TO II than the cham
such a thing were possible. Harvard. having the
choice OF championship with defeat by yale or 4
victory over Vale and the loss % the championships
would much prefer the latter. \ victory over J are
l. the important thing. The case 10 TO certain
extent vice versa as regards Yale. PennsyNanh
on the other hand. would rather beat Princeton
Than achieve any other victory All that IS belns
rhmrnponship OF the four and therefore OF Amer
lea Is merry much talk, which carries lltil'
system Therefore; that puts champion,ship pure
and smpl" ahead Of these special d@.ir%, of IN.
take Each college should arrange is own gam's
and try 10 make them ~ In with nh" arrangements
81 Others vale did not want three games this
wear Hence H.. declined Pennsylvania challenge
UarynrI dlI not want more than two Hence 10
game win Princeton. Each has played It's game.
been defeated or won. ana M season I h',S my
rhosi which stIi walks the earth known as the
intercollegiate Football Association. at which both
when n issues some manifesto
VIVA, good or indeed. what satisfaction can any
one ind IN saying that Harvard Is better Than
princeton that Pennsylvania Is better than Yale.
and all the Others IT cannot be proved. Teams
play differently Days and weather alter cir'um-
stances. and the personal feeling % one college
fnr anothcr-or. rather. against hnothcT-all these
things have their influence. and change victory
into defeat time and time again II can only be
said that here IL victory. here a defeat and
! the games played IN sGch and such manner
! and the sooner W. g,t ont 81 that championship
li,n the sooner We shall Guietcr games, more
orlcrlv and gentlcmanly behay lor before the nnal
games and more real sport In the whole thing
This year has the most sAiliully coached
elevens that have ever played football IN America.
eliminate the Springfield game. th"r" would DE
much In mind and body to the college communities
Thls game. as ! have airehdy said was an eyi
owing to the influence OF one man. he game
had nothing 10 30 With IT, ana ne game itsei
IL neither injured nor helped ny mat match AZ
Springfield The popular prelude" against me
sport such as It has been vas s'rens'h sen;s
however that the game does not call FOR any
such exhibitions and consequently reEFc+ any
behavior is liable to prejudice people against the
same. and because he hates TO see I'm" sport
number OF individuals.
The Princcion-yae game was disappointment
10 everybody In these days Of = to .
AMI v.la NJ
fault somewhere. Furthermore. after the three
games which had shown such modern football. this
game was tame. since nothing was Played but the
Old method. with the exception ~ rrnceton's long
pass from centre - quarterback. And this WIS
no; play to he used rainy day 500 that II
would have been better n Princeton had not played
IL at al ~ course the wet day had much 10 30
with the commonpaconcss 81 the game, and acted
| as Il wet blanket In more senses than one. the
| rain made the Held slippery. II compelled both
teams coniine Themselves To conservative plays.
ana II dampened the spirits ~ the men, with the
result that any might have foresecn. Princeton
WAS lameniahly weak behind the line. Morse being
a terrible loss such time. Yale was strong
behind the line and on rainy day tho greatest
strain comes on the backs. II Is harder TO run.
harder 10 dodge. difficult 10 catch and re-
auircs a more experienced player to keep his head.
| The eleven with strong backs is At great advan-
tage when 1t rains heavily. as 1t ga on the tcnth
| Poe ana Rosengartca flmbed badly, Bu,terworth'
Thornc and Hnkey made scarcely tumble Coch-
r1n and Barnard kicked even worse than usual
| and Butterworth az sure as ever. ward was
| uncertain In passing by the way ne passed
ahead frequently though the referee failed to see
| it-whe Adce was ready at any ana all times Win
! sho woud moi have had on "A clear day. But never
| the,css Princeton was equal ,o the New Haven
| men this wear because the one important element
| Of modern football lacking among the Prince
ton men-that ~ to say. Interference II Is unques-
tionaby the fact that interference this year marks
Tho relative strength Of the four elevens. Pennsyl-
| vania had a magnificent system or offensive inter
ference She Is distinctly at the head iaryards
| srrong interference was hardly weaker tnan rem,
| sylvanIn's and with freshmen the former woul