The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-03-20
Football as Viewed by Novice.

Modern football is in one respect like
baseball, in that it affords abundant facil-
tiles to kick on the UMPIRE but otherwise
1t 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
mule between the eyes or in the pit of
the stomach. Other requirements are
luxuriant growth of hair, any color, and
muscular tissue sufficient to meet a 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 seems to be a subject of
continual contention.
Two corpulcnt youths, called the center
rushes, take the ball between them, each
being in stouplng posture, heads togeth
or and legs very wide apart. The teams
bunch up in the rear of their respective
PUSHES, one of whom, at a given signal
from his captain, snaps the ball back be-
tween his legs A secret code of signals,
called off by the captain, conveys the in
formation not only when the bali is to be
snapped, but also which player is to take
, md 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 $3.50 feet
apart. The referee sounds his whistle, the
captain whose team has the ball calls off
his jargun of numbers, and riot is forth
with inauguratcd.
The unfortunate yor n who has been
selected to carry the ball makes break at
the line of the enemy and is at once
pounced upon by the other 81 men and
the referee, all of whom fall down on him
and kill or cripple him if possible Then
the referee, who is provided with a 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 Ell.
titles a player to withdraw in favor of q
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 hand
is against him. The life of football
referee is not happy one. 1t is consider
ed great joke to accidentally fall on him
and shove "a No. 9 hob nailed shoe down
his throat.
There are great many fine points about
football. One of them is to pick out fol
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 mans stomach when he Is
running at full speed has been found TO
be very effective. But 1t is useless to emu
merate further. The foregoing hint is
sufficient. A touch down is made when
one side succeeds in carrying the ball be-
hind its goal This counts four points. Aft
or the touch down the ball Is carried out a
certain distance into the field and the roy
al arch kicker of the team attempts to
send it over the goal bar. If he succeeds,
two additional points are seoured.-Paris
(Ills.) Beacon.