New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-25
ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
BROOKE'S PLAYING BY PENNSYLVANIA
AN INJURY TO CLEAN SPORT
THORNES REMARKABLE
RUN SATURDAY


Two important facts characterized the two
great games on Saturday. 10th of which require
notice and one Of which at least requires the
careful attention of those who interested in
watching the progress of the game The first
point was that in neither the Yale Princeton
the Pennsylvania Harvard game was there the
least suspicion Of unnecessary roughness. or
anything that smacked Of the vicious play which
has been seen In other years. Whether any such
PLAYING would have been manifest in Harvard
Yale game had such game been played 1t is Of
course impossible to say. but it is probable that if
Yale and Harvard had met this year in football
the game would have been quite marked for
lack Of roughness these two games We're. The
combination of the force OF public opinion and the
actions Of different college faculties has been
sufficient 10 stop such methods entirely for one
year least and, ii Is hoped for all time.
In neither OF Saturdays two games. nor In the
recent Princeton-Harvard game. was single
even much reprlmanded by the umpire,
and the full of his duties in this particular
line the necessity ne felt Of keeping coachers
off the field occasionally. In 50 far as the par
ticuar subject goes. the history of the games or
Importance this year is that ugly play. roughness
OF any deliberate sort attempts to lay up men
and all vicious spirit have been entirely wanting,
and II the break between Harvard and Yale has
accomplished this. then the separation or the TWO
great universities for time is a capital thing
The action Of PENNSYLVANIA in playing Brooke.
the fullback. at Cambridge on Saturday is in
striking contrast to the general high spirit
Of amateur collegiate sport which has character
ICED the action of the other colleges And this
IS the second of the two points which require
mention this week The is such an i'm
portant and bears SO strongly on the clean
illness Of college sport that the facts should be
stated carefully before any criticism is made. for
Brooke's playing on the Pennsylvania team has
taken all real interest out of the Harvard-Penn-
sylvania match and placed it in the list Of other
professional games. These the facts In 1893
Harvard and PENNSYLVANIA entered into two
year agreement to play football. The two col
leges agreed upon certain playing rules and upon
certain rules Of eligibility Among the latter
was a rule which says that no who has
played on the eleven Of a college which issues
a degree Of A b. for four years shall be eligible
to play again. This rule was followed in 1893.
in 1884 the game was played in Philadelphia, ana
the Pennsylvania men in their second year &C
knowledged frankly that Osgood was not eligible
20 play under the agreement. he was then
PLAYING in his fifth year They. however, asked
Harvard If. favor, they would not allow the
rule to be waived in Osgoods case, so that he
might play, as their team would be crippled
without him. After consideration the Harvard
management and the Harvard Athletic Com
mittee consented TO allow Osgood 10 play
matter of courtesy to Pennsylvania, and he
played This great mistake Harvards
part. Harvard had taken and has since taken a
strong position on the Undergraduate. amateur,
clean spOrtsmanlike football player, and in al
lowing Osgood to play from false sense Of
courtesy she annulled in a measure what she
had already done for clean sport She let Penn
sylVania that the rule not castirOn,
and she let the world know that her rules were
not to be absolutely followed in letter or in
spirit.
Captain Brewer this year. when he challenged
Pennsylvania for thlru game. gave the neces-
sary notice and followed the eligibility rules
laid down in the two-year agreement Of lS94-5.
One Of the provisions of these rules was that each
captain 10 send a list Of names Of players two
weeks before the game. in order that the other
team might contest and have time to examine
into any doubtful mans Brewer, in writing
Williams mentioned this and said he took 1t for
granted unless he heard to the contrary, that the
rules Of eligibility in force for two years would
prevail and in due time he sent a list Of his men.
No answer came from Williams. Of Pennsylvania,
and no list OF the Philadelphia players was ever
sent. But in the mean time an agreement was
sent 10 the Harvard Athletic Committee for the
season Of 1s9S-that is. for next year-n which
the four-year rule Of eligibility retained with
all the other rules which had prevailed in 1893 and
1894 No mention made Of this season. In
due course OF time the Harvard management dis
had played two years on the Swarthmore College
team and two years at Pennsylvania. This
season Of 1895 was therefore his fifth season. and,
believing as Brewer did. that the four-year rule
would prevail this year, since il had FOR the two
years previous and would for one year to come,
ne did not hesitate to have a letter written ID
PENNSYLVANIA cOntesting Brooke. feeling sure
that written acknowledgment OF his note 10
Williams was not necessary. The reply was
surprise. Pennsylvania did not deny any Of the
facts. Brooke. they SAID, was playing his hfth
year. but they said that this year there was no
written agreement about the fOur-year rule, ana
that they would rather give up the game with
Harvard than give up Brooke They were then
asked as favor by Harvard to give up Brooke
in acknowledgment of Harvard's favor Of year
ago In allowing Osgood to play. Harvards reasons
for asking this being twofold. In the first place
Harvard had stood firmly for clean sport, had re-
fused 10 play Yale because Of her policy in sup
porting a man and q method. both OF which
Acknowledged professionalism in every feature
and had disqualified Brewer. the Captain, at the
last moment because n did not keep up IN his
Guides In the second place. Harvard did not
wish TO refuse 10 play the game on such ground
and asked Pennsylvania 10 dsqualify Brooke
without making the notoriety OF protest This
pennsylvania refused 10 dc. giving no grounds
the fOur-year rule.
The whole proceeding is unsportsmanlike. and
g. a good example Of sharp practice, and II has
NOT only injured Pennsylvania, whose position Is
none the softest at the moment; ii has not only
injured Harvard. who has deliberately broken
one OF her own rules; but II has given an ex-
ample of the highest discOurtesy Of gentleman 10
gentleman in one college refusing 10 folow such
an evident rule and offending another college
which has stuck by II for several years in the
midst and in spite Of hostile criticisms from the
other two important football colleges Of America.
Such incidents az these are the stumbling-oocks
along the way to good. healthy amateur sport
among our colleges. These things make the
clearing Of the football atmosphere SO dfhcuit'