The Portland daily press., 1897-12-31
PEDAGOGICAL RUSH Line.
Mass Plays Employed Against
Game Of Foot Ball.
SCORE SEVERAL
TOUCH DOWNS AT AUGUSTA.
The Game Very Badly Used Up-En-
courages Card Playing and Smoking
If Not Worse-Discussion Feature
of Yesterdays Session State Teachers
Meeting.

| If Not Wosse-Discussion Feature
Meeting.
| ESPECIAL TO THE pREss1
| Augusta, December 30.-The Maine
teachers tackled a live issue today.
Tackled is the right term, for they were
talking about the modern game of foot
ball. 1t was in the section OF the Peda-
gogical society devoted to- the high
schools and the a 'ject under discus
sion was Athletics i'll Secondary Schools.
Principal S. K. Marsh Of the Wateryille
High school, and Principal A E. Chase
OF the Portland school, were down on
the programme to start the debate, and
1t developed that each had received hint
that he was expected to say something
about foot ball. Principal Marsh was
the first speaker, and set the ball rolling
by reading from religious paper a
condemnation of the game Of foot ball.
Continuing, he said that the student in a
Maine college won column of news
paper notice and was carried around town
ON the shoulders of his fellow students,
was one who did not do three weeks
work in term, although it took him
| longer than three weeks to do it. Prin-
| clpal Marsh then told how last year he
had tried to fill up the foot ball team of
his school. The best players, he said,
| came to school after being forbidden to
| play because legs and collar bones had
been broken. One parent said that he
did not want his boy to play foot ball be.
cause the associations were bad and his
boy was member of the church, because
the player was likely to get his bones
broken and because he was likely to be
led to neglect his studies. Principal
Marsh said that he supposed all school
principals were confronted with this
question and found it necessary to argue
with parents that the games of football
and base ball were not necessarily brutal.
Principal Marsh then spoke of plan to
make football in Maine what it should
be. This plan would place tho teams
in school and college leagues. governed
| by suitable rules, which would prevent
roughness and other harmful features.
The players should be required to. join
| the school at the opening of the term to
do the work required Of other pupils.
Mr.. Marsh said he was in favor of foot
ball minus its pugnacity, and to illus
trate what he meant by pugnacity he told
of a conversation he once overheard in
which members of college football
team were planning to do up q mem ber
OF the opposing team in an approaching
game. One member was to play opposite
the man selected for punishment, and
two more were to come to his assistance
at the right moment The principal actor
said with the use OF many adjectives
that he should not mind if he killed the
fellow. After this his companions hushed
him up, and :Mr Marsh did not hear
any more of the discussion. 1t was this
kind of brutality that Mr.. Marsh would
guard against. He told as illustrating
how athletics might be put upon proper
basis the experience in private school
where every facility for sport was provided,
but, where participation in them by the
students was made dependent upon n
certain rank in scholarship, plan which
had worked well both for the schools and
the patients.
Then Mr.. Chase took hand in the dis
cussion and his views were expressed in
a highly entertaining manner. Mr.
Chase said in substance: "Im not a
footballist and never saw sparring
exhibition, but have read the criticisms
of famous fight which took place in
America not long ago. l have been told
that it requires excellent training to
stand up and be pounded, and have
been told too, that there Is danger of
entertaining, which understand is like
ly to lead to defeat. 1t is said that such
training makes man morally and ply
sically strong, but unfortunately the
opposite often proves TO be true. Ger
tainly no American of distinction has
yet found it necessary to get his training
in the prize ring. The training given
| the foot ball player resembles that of the
pulgIist. never saw foot ball game,
but have seen lads come into school
with scratched faces and fingers broken
and clothes torn. Perhaps when / say
that am not competent to discuss foot.
ball you will agree with me. believe
there is a boy who has net been to my
school ten days since the first of Novem-
Der when he was hurt in q foot ball game
SO that it is feared that he will have
water on the knee. He is going to Bow
doin, and if he reeovers will make an ex-
cellent player for the football team. He
is brave and strong-beeause he played
football. do not believe the Yankees
were ever courageous and skillful until
after they had played football. Uangh-
ter. 1t is true that football as played to-
day leads to broken bones, but it is q
game which teaches a boy to restrain
himself when one of his opponents strikes
him. He is taught to say thank you be.
cause the rules forbid roughness and
then go and wait for his assailant on a
back street and pound him if he can.
| Q-aughter.) That is football as played
in Maine today and there is no use deny.
| ing 1T. You all know it. When away