The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-30
faint OF PROFESSIONALISM.
School Board Discusses High School
Foot Ball,

And the Charges Recently Made Against
the sport-yarious Views On the Sub
ject.
Inst weok's issue of Harper's Weekly,
i.-,a article on the tendency of foot bali
a.'--1s in school and college to increase
leai. proves by adding to their member
sl.a players who do not belong there,
;..Itsd tits paragraph:
IAN illustration of the effect of this
II ledo corruption upon young boys is
furnished this season By the Bangor
{Mainel AID Portland (Maine) schools.
IL a Iecent football game between the
two, the teams Of each had boys who
were not members of the school they
pretended to represent. It has been stat
ed repeatedly and without contradiction,
that several of the Bangor team either
attend school for the sole purpose of foot
ball, or play without any pretence of con-
nection with the school. Ii is also true
that not leas than four of the eleven
playing for Portland were not entitled
to represent that school in any capacity.
Portland's offence is even greater, for 1t
involves direct deception of the prinoi
pal Of the school by handing him asset
Of names of alleged players for approval,
and subsequently, changing several of
them. Indeed, the atmosphere enveIop-
noisome to degree, and proves beyond
question how needfug is good example,
and how necessary the tireless vigilance
of sehoolmasters and all concerned in
the healthtul education of youth. -
Saturday q reporter of the TIMES
brought the matter to the attention of
the members Of the school board. He
found that majority OF the board are
of the opinion that foot ball has come to
stay, and that the game will bs played
by the students as long as there is any
interest i'll the sport. Furthermore they
say that they have no control over the
students between school hours, so that if
IL number of the students want to asso-
uiate themselves together as an athletic
team they have no authority to stop
them.
Neither do they have any authority to
refuse the admission to the team of any
one who is not a member Of the school.
There is, however, a law made by the
school board to the effect that student
playing on any foot ball team must not
allow himself to get behind in his stud
les. Each student must attain certain
percentage in his studies or he is not
allowed to continue with his GLASSES. The
effect of this has been that the members
have kept up in their studies.
mir. George II. Allen, chairman of the
school board, was seen. He said: SIT
has been charged that there are members
of the foot pall team, not members of the
school, as 1 Lave seen in the letter IN
Harper's Weekly. If there are such MEM
hers / am MT aware as to who they are.
The game has not been recognized by
tne committee, aud no mem Der to my
knowledge has res eived any certificate to
prove that they were mem BERG of the
school, The game properly conducted is
. 3 beneficial exercise for the students.
Daring the past two years the playing of
The game by the students has been sane
toned by the school board, but this year
they nave received no recognition, there
fore, when the mem bsrs of the team re-
quested the use OF Assem- bly, hall for a
reception, We could not consistently
grant them the use of the same, as we
had not recognized any such organizn-
tiop.'
Mr.. ". 81. Brownson sal d: ST under
stand that the faots about football in the
Portland High School this year are sub
staatially es stated by the writer in Har-
per's Weekly, and have no doubt that
his severe criticism is justified. l do not
think the school committee will again
sanction football Ill the High School, I'M
less they have ii satisfactory guarantee
that the team Is to be properly managed,
under some response BILE supervision.
Gir. Talbot said: ~ favor the playing
Of the game under limitations. 1t Is in
furious as a general thing as it tends to
BAKE the attention of the players from
their studies. So far rs athletics tend to
tcne up the physical and mental make
up Of the boys, foot ball is good thing.
As far as the allegation that there are
members OF the eleven not students of
the school, this is the first intimation
that I have had.
Dr.. Vose said: "Foot ball is a good
game properly conducted. The player has
Ia fine opportunity co develop traits of
courage, and self-reliance, and to increase
his physical strength. l have only heard
it rumorud within few days that there
were one OF. two members of the eleven
not members of the school. This mat
ter did not come to my notice until too
lata OF should have, as one Of the COM
1uitteas entered protest against such
any one or ones playing, if not a IN EN- Der
Mr.. ". NJ. Bradley was seen, and he
said that If there had been mem bers
playing on the 2. II. S. eleven not men,
bers Of the school, he SAW no way TO pre-
vent such thing being done. There are,
however, enough mem bers in the school
TO form team from their own nem--
bers.
Mr.. a. 3. Hall of the committee was
asked in regard to the matter and he said
he believed the game 30 he all right if
played in a spGrtsm snlike way. He did
not know that there were players ON the
eleven who W ere not bona fide students
of the z. II. S.
Mr. MCGOWAN said: "I obi not aware
that there are any. young man playing
On the Portland High School foot ball
team who are not bona-hde mem bers OF
that school, Neither am prepared to
believe that any deception has been
pFaotiasd on the principal. The pes
simisUio tone of the article in Harper's
h1-inns with Ii ita OWN cnI,d q "a Tho