The herald., 1896-04-27
PERFECT LADIES AT PLAY
The Girls From the Cambridge and Yale
Gymnasiums Pull Hair

The Girls From the Cambridge and Yale
Gymnasiums Pull Hair
Fourteen young women, representing
some OF the best known families in Cam
bridge and in New Haven, had a hairpull.
ing contest while playing basket ball
game at DR.. Sargent's gymnasium, on
Church street, Cambridge, Mass, Thurs
day afternoon. The trouble arose over
disagreement as to the rules, and the
crowd OF spectators, who had gathered to
witness the sport, was shocked to see the
proficiency in slugging which was suddenly
developed. "Let go my hair" There
take that, you mean thing" "Biting and
scratching aren't allowed" "I'll fix you,"
were some OF the expressions that were
used. as anger flashed from the girls eyes.
The row occurred in the first half OF the
game. The second half was tame and
spiritless.
The New Haven team was made up of
girls from the physical training school OF
the Yale gymnasium. The Cambridge
similar school conducted by DR.. D. A. Sar-
gent. The Cambridge team won by score
of 2I to 2.
About two weeks ago DR.. Sargent's girls
sent a challenge to New Haven. which was
accepted Immediately. No arrangements
were made about rules, and when w. II.
Peck of the Yale basket ball team and Il.
B. Buckham, DR.. Anderson's assistant.
came up with the New Haven girls to see
DR.. Sargent they found that they could
not agree on rules. For about two hours
the three men discussed the two sets of
rules. Dr. Sargent supported modified
set of rules such as are used by the differ
ent teams of girls in bouts. He held that
the rules governing the game played by
men, commonly called the Y. M. G. A.
rules, we're not fit to govern a game be-
tween women. The Yale men. on the
other hand. supported the regular mems
rules. and would not back down. Finally
DR.. Sargent agreed that each side should
use its own rules in the game, but said that
he must make an announcement OF the
fact at the beginning of the game.
Just as the game was about to begin Dr.
Sargent made short speech, in which he
mentioned the disagreement in regard
to rules. He said that he did not think
the mems rules were fit for ladies, and
therefore his pupils would use the modified
rules.
The chief difference in the rules, DIR. Sar-
gent explained, was that the mems rules
allowed q person to knock the ball out of
players hands. The modified rules al
lowed fair throw and regarded the body
as safe from touch until the ball had been
thrown.
When the game began it was apparent
that it was to be hard contest. The girls
spirits we're up. 1t was as though Yale and
Harvard were represented
The play became rough almost immedi-
ately. It was apparent that Dr.. Sargent
had predicted correctly. The New Haven
girls scrambled for the bali, pushed and
tore in a hard way. The Cambridge girls
tried to be calm, but had to be rough to
protect themselves. There was a large
amount of ''holding," and many fouls were
claimed against both teams. The differ
ence in the style of play was clear. The
Cambridge girls played for the ball. The
New Haven girls directed their attempts at
the players.
AS result of fifteen minutes play the
Cambridge girls had five points to their
credit, while the New Haven girls had fail
ed to score. The pupils of DR.. Sargent had
beaten those of DR.. Anderson at their own
game,
At the end of the half both sides agreed
that it had been rough and unladylike, and
that to play another such half would be
unseemly. Finally it was decided to play
the second half according to DIR. Sargent's
modified rules.
The Anderson girls had never played un-
der these rules. SO this part of the game
was rather tame. The team play Of the
Sargent girls now counted and they could
put the ball wherever they pleased.
Score after score was made by them un-
| til their total was 21, while the Anderson
girls were able by the hardest kind of work
| to get only two points.
| The game as played in the second hall
was quiet, with no unpleasant feature and
fully justified the predictions made by DR.
Sargent. It was the kind of game usually
| played by the teams in the different fe
male colleges around Boston.
DR.. Sargent acted as referee and Messrs.
Peck and Buckman of New Haven as um
pires. Mr.. Peck criticised DR.. Sargent for
having objected to the New Haven girls
style of play. DR.. Sargent, on the other
hand, said;
"The difference between our game and
theirs was the same old difference between
Harvard and Yale, only this time we won.
though for a part of the game we were
forced to a certain extent to play their own
game. Had l, however. allowed my girls
to play the game entirely as played by the
Anderson girls it would have been a blow
to basket ball from which it would hardly
have recovered. only hope nothing that
happened this afternoon will hurt the game
for girls"