The herald., 1897-12-05
CABINET MEETING
ABOUT FOOTBALL
Game Was Condemned as
Too Brutal Even For
Young Soldiers.
WORSE THAN WAR.
Ex.President Cleveland's UnfavOrs
able Verdict on PrincetOn's
Favorite Game.

Apropos Of recent attempts at legis-
lation on the subject it is an interest,"
Ing fact. not generally known. that the
question Of safety in the modern game
OF football was once under con-
sideration in a Cabinet meeting. and
the President of the United States de-
cided adversely to the game. 1t is Of
the greater interest at this time be-
cause President Cleveland, who then
gave his voice for the suppression Of
football, Is now the idol of the college
boys In the town of Princeton.
The matter came up officially
through the report of the Superintend-
ent Of the Military Academy at West
Point on the bad effects Of football
playing. The teams at West Point and
Annapolis had been permitted to play
one or two match games. In 1898 they
were booked for a contest which prom
ised to be the greatest in their history;
the whole army and navy got excited
about 1t. Even the retired officers of
both branches Of the service took sides,
and as for the students. they could
think and talk of nothing else. Studies
were neglected, and in the practice
games there was a reckless disregard
Of the safety Of life and limb. The
teams met. Who won is a matter of
no consequence. What was Of serious
consequence was the fact that the SUI
perintendent had been keeping a record
OF the injuries suffered by the football
players, and of the disabilities from all
other causes among the students Of the
Academy.
Surgeon Harvey made the report and
1t showed that 81 men playing football
received 81 injuries; while 1913 men ex-
ercising in the riding hall received 26
injuries in the same period,-three
months. The 101 men exercising in the
gymnasium in the same period received
ten injuries. The time lost by students
on account of injuries was divided in
this way: Through football, 1O6 days:
through riding. Il days; through GYM
nasium work, 5S days.
The football injuries included slight
and 80 severe sprains: II contusions
and lacerations; and one fracture of the
bones Of the leg. All this was in the
face OF the fact that the exercise in
the gymnasium is taken six days in the
week. and in the riding hall three days
in the week; while the football practice
occurred only once a week.
The Superintendent called the atten-
ton OF the Board of Visitors to this
showing, and testified that the distrac-
ton from studies caused by the inter-
est in the game was a greater injury
than the contusions and sprains he had
recorded, because it affected the entire
school. The Board Of Visitors made a
report condemning the match games.
The General of the Army (Gen. Sco-
field now retired) made report on
the subject, which was laid before the
President. 1t embodied the suggestions
which are now receiving consideration
where the proposition to restrict the
game is under discussion. He said that
the game requires some essential
notifications. The required mOdifica-
ton will be difficult to enforce" he con-
tinued, 'for the reason that the OBJ
jectionable features are those which
contribute most to success in a contest
ed game They are those features which
are most dangerous to life and limb,
and may be said to most resemble mili-
tery operations. They are more or less
Objectionable on that account. While 1t
Is undoubtedly true that experience IN
actual war is the best possible military
training modern civilization does not
permit the making of war simply for
the purpose of training an army. For
like reasons the practice in peace OF
those operations which most resemble
war rpust be condemned, notwithstand-
ing the fact that they are manifestly
beneficial as military training"
AS a result of the recommendation Of
the General, considered at a Cabinet
meeting. an order was issued providing
that the Superintendent should make
regulations for the game, and that the
~s,,.4o~,, co dauov tea n, chOuld mot DlQV
games away from West Point A SINH
lar order was issued by the Secretary
of the Navy concerning the team at
Annapolis,-and that put an end to the
West Point-Annapolis matches. which
were the life Of the game in the United
Service.
Copvripht 1897. ii