The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-12-03
FROM SUNDAYS DAILY.
THIN DANGERS OF FOOTBALL.

sor The able editor taxes ISSUE WIN
the distinguished professor on the ques,
tion of football and it's dangers, as can
be noted by reading his letter, whieh is
as follows: ..
Waxahachie, Tex, Nov. %, 1896.
To DR.. Geo. II. Winston, President OF
the University of Texas: .., ..
For some years we have been inter
ested in your work as an educator: AZ
the head of the University OF North
Carolina YOU were doing much, when
called to Texas, toward bringing back
that famous institution of learning 10
the high place that it held up to the war,
as shown by its long line OF llluslrious
alumni. Coming among us, assoclute9
with more than one of the nonOreu
families of the "Old Eorth State" carry
ing as you do thorough equipment At
tanned in the old world as well as the
new, it is natural that all Texas should
take pride in the prospects OF improve
ment for our state university under your
leadership; and, in this spirit, the Hdi-
tor of the Mirror has watched with inter-
est your opening career i'll the state,
reading whatever our papers nave hau
to say of you. ..l4... ...
An Austin special to the Dallas News
of October reports "a brief abstract
of your opening address, in which you
say that you speak ''as the mOuth-piece
of the faculty, representing their ideas
and the policy of the university" The
address, as published, contains much that
is interesting in practical education, but
there is one subject you discuss that
seems from your statement of the case
to have two sides. You say:
Football is rough game, but it de-
velops manhood. 1t sometimes breaks
limbs, but broken limb is not a great
evil. The willingness to break limbs.
when need be, marks man. The Eng
lshman will give up his life in defense
of more things than any other man on
the globe. The result is that he enjoys
higher civilization. A true man estecms
many things more highly than life or
limb Let us emulate this spirit, even
in our games. We would not win a
game by foul means but we will go in
with the spirit to win, if need be, at the
sacrifice of limb We should have at
least ten football teams in the univer-
sity. Every afternoon should see over
100 men engaged in this manly sport"
Now to say that you are passionately
fond of the game whether you yourself
ment of the case, is putting it exceed
ingly mild; and, after allowing for
hyperbole, whether you had intended for
it or not. it must occur to the thinking
public that your statement IS an extreme
one and absolutely untenable.
To begin with. it is unfortunate for
your case, DR.. Winston, that you should
have cited the Englishman in proof. A
growing tendency to disregard human life
and magnify the honors of those who
offer themselves in n cause, however
false, is one of the evils of our time, and
in which England, with all her Wanted
and boosted pride of a superior Christian
civilization, seems TO take a prominent
place, if not the lead.
1t is yet fresh in the minds of some
people how one English warship was ram
med by another by miscalculation while
they were maneuyering in the Mediter-
ranean Sea, by which more than 400
English subjects lost their lives. Just
what caused the foohardy conduct of the
officer and which led him to refuse warn-
ing or aid, even when the disater was on,
will perhaps never be known; but the Use
lessness of calamity by which more men
lost their lives on a sinking. ship than the
Victory lost i'll killed and wounded at the
battle of Trafalgar this, we say, should
have met with condemnation at home and
abroad, and would have, but for the fact
as you state it, that "the Englishman will
give up his life in defense of more things
than any other man on the globe" One
authority said of it: "Brittania. while
Borrowing for her sons who went out but
return no more forever, sheds no I'M
worthy tears and makes no fretful moan.
She only asks that they bore themselves
worthily- at the supreme moment and,
when satisfied on that point, replaces
with pride the sinking ship and sends
forth without a phrase, save of gratitude
and exultation. another crew not less
brave and disciplined, etc. y - The
sinking of the Victoria is already coming
to be regarded with a feeling of pride
rather than chagrn, of gratitude and ex-
uitation than melancholy. 1t was mis-
fortune no doubt, but it was one of those
disasters which ennoble more than they
inJure," and on and on to your hearts
content. The Mirror would not be un-
fair i'll comparison or argument, DR..
Winston, and is only showing you, on
your own ground, where your citation
logically carries you. Nor can we agree
with you that these things result in
more liberty, more privileges and higher
CIVILIZATION to the individual They
rather lead him to the reverse, summon
ing him, maybe, Mt any time to have his
head cut off like a chickens, as many lost
theirs from the revolving wheels of the
Victoria, and without ever knowing for
what and of course he must not ask.
Nothing here must be construed as dis
crediting the value of rational discipline,
and the incubation of lessons of patriotic
duty when directed along reasonable lines
and it is only when the individual is ASK
ed and expected to come up and lay his
head on the chopping block and ask no
questions, that we protest
But to the original question. What
are some of the objections to football as
college sport? Mr. Edward w. Box
said last year in the Ladies' Home
journal: Il have, during the past six
months, been a. some pains to carefully
inquire into the class standings of the
men who comprise college football teams,
and the results were interesting. In two
cases | found that the majority of the
football players stood among the lowest
in their classes, while in the other two
instances this same fact was true of one
half of the members of the teams. l
know these facts are not in accordance
with those advanced by authorities of the
game, but they are facts, nevertheless,
based upon figures which were secured
by me from the most authoritative
sources within the colleges"
After this comes the everlasting brll-
tally and danger, which you admit and
discuss with such nOnchalance in the