The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-02-01
AS VIEWED BY A NOVICE.


Modern football is in one respect like
baseball, in that it affords abundant facil-
tiles TO kick on the umpire, but otherwise
It isn't like anything else on earth. The
young men who participate in the game
are selected with great care, nobody being
eligible who cannot withstand the kick of
a mule between the eyes or in the pit of
the stomach. Other requirements are q
luxuriant growth of hair, any color and
muscular tissue sufficient to meet freight
train on the down grade and knock it off
the track The football is an oval, leather
inclosed chunk of atmosphere, the posses
sion of which seoms to be a subject Of
continual contention.
Two corpulent youths, called the center
rushes take the ball between them, each
being in STOPPING posture, heads toReth
er and legs very wide apart. The teams
bunch up in tho rear of their respective
rushos one Of whom, at given signal
from his captain snaps the ball back ba-
tween his legs. A secret code of signals,
called off by the captain conveys the in
formation not only when the ball is to be
snapped, but also which player is to take
it and attempt to get around or break
through the line of the opposition. The
trouble begins in the center of the field,
between the goals, which are $50 feet
apart. The referee sounds his whistle, the
captain whose team has the ball calls off
his jargon of numbers, and a riot is forth
with inaugurated.
The unfortunate youth who has been
selected to carry the ball makes a break al
the line of the enemy and is at once
pounced upon by the other 81 men and
the referee, all of whom fan down on him
| and kill or cripple him 4 possible. Then
the referee, who is provided with q cane
| for self defense, pokes around among the
wriggling arms and legs ascertains who
| has the ball and announces in fine tenor
voice so many yards lost or gained. The
/ fellow who is on the bottom of the pile is
| brought around with artificial respiration,
the teams line up, and the good work goes
| on. A broken leg or fractured skull en-
| titles player to withdraw in favor of a
substitute Occasionally dispute arises
over some technical point, whereupon the
| partisans of the respective sides flock
/ around the disputants and howl for rope
to lynch the referee. 1t is entirely imma-
terial which way he decides. There is al
ways throughout the game manifest dis
position to kill him, and every man's hand
is against him. The life of football
referee is not a happy one 1t is consider
ed great joke to accidentally fall on him
and shove No. 8 hob nailed shoe down
his throat.
There are a great many fine points about
football. One of them is to pick out fo1
slaughter the best player of the opposition.
The methods of doing this are varied and
unique. The point Of an elbow applied
to the pit of a mans stomach when he is
running at full speed has been found tc
be very effective. But it is useless to emu
merate further The foregoing hint is
sufficient A touch down is made wher
one side succeeds in carrying the ball be
hind its goal. This counts four points Aft
er the touch down the ball is carried out {
certain distance into the field, and the roy
al arch kicker of the team attempts tC
send it over the goal bar. If he succeeds
two additional points are secured. Paris
| (Illsl Beacon