Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-09
FOOT BALL IN FRANCE.
The French View of It-Never Brutal
Except When Played by Brutes.

Ine Ffench view OF lt-NeveF Brutal
Except When Played by Brutes.
From the Figaro.
The game Of foot ball, according to the
Rugby rules, is now officially enthroned in
France 1t is the great winter game OF
our athletic clubs aid of our colleges. AL
though Its adopts are already quite nu-
merous many people don't even know what
the game really is and few know anything
of it's origin or its rules. Those whose idea
of the game Is formed from the legends
that have been scattered around 1t fancy
that 1t Is brutal scramble, which is asso-
ciated with serious and even fatal acci-
dents.
Certainly it is not game for dudes. The
shock is rude, and the rushes and collis-
lens too frequent to present chance to
measure their force. But, after all, there
is no evidence to show that the accidents
are more serious or more numerous In foot
ball than in any other open-air sports,
such as riding, bicycling, fencing and boat
ing.
AS in all games in which emulation and
the desire to win form the principal fea
lures of the struggle, the chances of acct
dent exist in foot ball. but, judging Of 1t
by the amount Of success which it has re-
ceived in France. we can simply say that
1t Is exciting, and by no means SO terrible
as some people would have us believe it
to be.
Certainly it used to be dangerous. but
that was in the days when the rules which
governed 1t were not SO firmly established
they are today. In the time Of Edward
III Of England. for example, in 1914, 1t was
unlawful to play 1t in the streets OF Lon
don on account of the frequent accidents
which it caused. It was also dangerous in
Brittany, where 1t was played under tho
name of soule. In fact, it was then more
of a fight than a game It was dramatic
and hot affair, in which there were boxing.
strangling and breaking CT heads. 1t was
a game in which man could kill his enc
my without neglecting Easter duty. pro-
vided he could do SO apparently by chance.
Fortunately, soule Is no longer played In
our rural localities: and the foot ball which
is now played in France is nothing more
than tho national English game, toned
down by the rules Of English schools, and
introduced into France by Messrs. G. de
Saint Clair and Saint-Chaffray, the authors
Of very interesting pamphlet on the sub
ject, dealing with the progress OF the game
in France. This progress appears all the
more remarkable when. we consider the
number Of the enemies OF the thing, includ-
ing those who don't understand 1t, those who
could not possibly play It, and the chauv-
ms, for whom 1T is an insult to attempt to
introduce an English game into this coun-
try.
Moreover, foot ball arrived here on the
heels of the heartrending statistics OF its
kllleu anu WOuIlucus ldhSu lIOA al Ling
lish sheet, and In all appearance quite
authentic But in these figures two indis-
pensable elements were wanting the total
number Of the players and the precise To-
calities where the accidents occurred. In
round numbers the army of footballers
count 100000 men. and this, of course re-
duces the proportion Of accidents enumer-
ated in the famous list. And, moreover,
these accidents have occurred in the min
ing districts of the north, whose rough and
brutal population ignore the distinction
and courtesy so necessary.
When played by well-bred young men
foot ball is not dangerous, and the proof
of this assertion is to be found In the five
years of its existence on the programs Of
our athletic clubs and college games. Dur
ing that five years not one serious accident
has happened at a foot ball contest in this
country.
The figures referred to above were we'll
calculated to brighten school teachers and
parents; but now the fathers of our boys.
hostile to the game at first encourage
them to play, and the professors favor 1t
because its chief characteristics are disci-
pline and self-denial.