St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-11-09
uNaAlNLY ARMoR.
That Which Is Worn by the Players OF
Football.

Football.
AS baseball goes out football comes
In. It is an interesting game, and an
nua1ly attracts increasing crowds OF
spectators, hut it can never be SO pop
ular as baseball for several reasons.
The football season is very short,
two months as the best, as before DC
tober the weather Is too warm for such
violent exertion, and after the close OF
November, although not too cold for
playing, the weather is too frigid to
permit any but the most ardent enthu-
siast to sit for two or three hours
watching the sport.
For another reason, football is the
most violent exercise known under the
name Of sport, and it would be abso-
luteIy impossible fora a team to play day
after day like professional club plays
baseball. Then again, it is dangerous
sport. It is all very we'll to say that It
makes boy manly, or to taunt pru-
dent boys with being cowardly, be-
cause they shrink from the rough-and-
| tumble encounter, but no amount OF
| public praise can make amends Tor 2
| cracked head, dislocated collar-bone,
broken leg or even q fractured rib. 80
| it is no wonder that the vast majority
of boys and young men-eyen col
1egians content themselves with
/ looking on and cheering their side to
| victory.
/ That football is rough and dan
gerous pastime is recognized by the
! numerous devices which have from
time to time been brought into use to
soften If not prevent the injuries which
the football player has come to regard
as a matter of course.
| Nowadays the player IL almost en-
cased in armor First came the rubber
mouthpiece, which gives the player
q something to bite and clench his teeth
upon to save his tongue and the break
ing of his teeth by the shock of being
suddenly downed
Next nose mask was worn-a stout
! rubber cover for the nasal appendage
held in place by a strap around the
. forehead Then came the padded
: guards for the ears, which seemed Il
, suffer a good deal in the rushes. Final
; ly the mouthpiece. nose guard and ca
guards were combined into a plec'
. called head harness
Quilted canvas knickerbockers pro
, tect the thighs and quilted canva
| Jacket encases the body, while the shin
: are protected by a combination OF can
: vas and whalebone.
For the protection of the abdome1
an ingenious arrangement OF wire, co,
8 ton and chamois skin fills a long-fel
8 want. OF minor protectors there ma
: be mentioned elastic caps and support
s ers for shoulders, elbows, forearm'
4 kneecaps, ankles and wrists.
b A team equipped with these contri'
Iances is a laughter provoking sigh
e and suggests that game which neee
4, all these precautions seems to requi1
s considerable modification of its rule
: AS played now it is more dangeros
Le than prize fighting.
e-l Even with all these protectors ever
re game of football is productive OF
d score of injuries, the majority trif1int
" of course, but enough are serious
% give rise to the apprehension that an
q minute may produce fatality
N Surely there must be some way
= making football an interesting and q
citing game, and yet leave it eompar
lively harmless. Until this is done
can never be really popular, and vi
be confined to colleges where transfer
- flame is regarded as far superior to Il
danger Of broken neck. Golden Day