Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-05
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The Football Question.

y
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
have been reading with much interest
the several articles for and against the
modern "foot-balP' recently published III
the columns of your valuable paper, ana
would now like to say word or TWO
myself in regard to the same, as well
as 10 reply TO some of the unjust remarks
and criticisms In highly polished IAN
guage. OF the ministerial student, who Is
captain of the Richmond College foot-paii
team.
Willis agree with the captain that q
woman should keep on her side" and
not NEEDLE with other folks business,
vet / believe and unhesitatngly assert
that a woman or man OF 10Y v. =
girl has perfect right, ana IL H,uel
Obligation. TO denounce q wrong, wnere~
ever IL may be committed, or py wnoih-
soever committed. The question tnen
would arise. us football wrong, or
sinful game?" Yes. 1t is; when boys
and yosng men break noses and fingers
| and ribs. sprain ankles. knock eaeh olher
down senseless, or in anyWise uenle mo- M
| tai man, which is the Temple Oh tliS S
| Holy Ghost; and game Is sei ~ tbeea
never PLAYED where one or more OF tneSS
Gala antilles does not befall some one. VI
course. a thoughtful gentleman woulun
play SO roughly as that, but In hihe S .sioI
out of ten the majority Oh tne pa r,hiie
- i
striving go vigorously for victory, torSeI
| that they or their opponents are gentie
| men and act as though their cohslitu-
| lions were made of cast-iron. . .ova
| mora weight than mere appearances, pl,yS.
| iudic,aI shouts. and feminine WINES
| but when young men ana poys, 'iS ~, I'D
| OF a dear old mother anu 'nS 'JS Having
| comfort OF an aged father. are nayinS
their members broken, cracked, spraineas t.
| distorted-or, In short, butchereH-dis 80 80
| The case in nearly every proIessio nI,
game then I say It Is time some sa oT
s,deration was being given these iacts,
onS thew should be looked squarely In tne
face without either magnifying or mini
| flying glasses, too. .ho. have
I'm the thousands Of games mat , ha we
been played TINS year saws Vs" me Captain
| Why. IL only one had died from lnJurl ri,,
received, 1t would be with God, ana Tust ~
to be with man, enough 70 eAset l,,,aa,.t.
this potent agent OF Beeizeo oe o mrp friend
| has seen the passage OF Scripture whlc1,
begins thus. "Defle not the temple "
| God. which temple we are, &c, thaI III, ns
must have forgotten IL Is on on ig I1ior traY
dc which sends thousands of mems souis
| 10 hell each year, and uphold soInetni,,.s
| else that defiles the temples OF Gou
and senls souls to hellI why snouia q M
man preach Come out from among an, an,
be We separate, saith the Lord; ana touci
Dot the mnclean thing. and will receive
,,o,, and will be to you Father, and "
shall be my sons and daugnters, saul
the Lord Almighty" and practlce ~
the same? 1t would be just as consisten
for me to denounce the accursed llquo
husiness on Sunday and six days In tn
week take my regular drink Win III!
regular meals. A.. A. oh
servotion of our friend the captain OF tn
Jasper Football Team, does NOT cove
| ali the accidents that have happened OIL
the college grounds aurins , me d pas YEAR M
OF his attendance upon its sessions, Iol
ON Thursday Crhanksgiving-Day) iore
noon a student of the college told tn
writer that he knows Oh sessra IN o' IN.
grounds within the last year or tWo-iIp
broken. ankles sprained, fingers dlsJoint
ed. heads bruised, &c.
Yes. football players are sane me-
and able men, quite old enough TO deter
mine what Is good for them, and the!
should not be interfered with by Ole
| women. nor young women as our irlen'
adds. They may be called sane men lan'
| perhaps most OF them are), but IL som'
| of them don't act like insane men some
| times, there are no cats In Halifax.
| They like the drunkard and the dc
bauchee In this respect, are quite OF
| enough TO determine what is good To-
Them" but, sad to say, too frequently IN
facts-results OF many or the pruta
games-show that they do not choos'
what is .'''good for them" and they , ar,
Who. then. could glory in, or be prou'
OF. a participation in such n game
| Away with such an ideal
Dear Captain" should not ptesumie
that "a Richmond Grip ever attempts
to carry her religion 10 the card table:
| IN the theatre. and in the ballroom.
| While she IS not at all related 10 me,
yet ! know she Is not visitor 10 these
| ungodly places, and ! would respectfully
| inform Mr.. Captain Of the football team
as well as the general public OF this fact.
She is a Christian young lady, ana sue
| stands for God, for home, and for cur
native land; and that Is far more tnan
the "foot-balP' players are doing.
The writer Is not Informed OF the STA
tis,ics showing that college athletlcs
cope with any class Of students IN
| scholarship" But 1t is a weil-known
fact that there are many other games
not so brutal, in which a young man can
participate, and not risk his entire ire
be Just as well developed, too, by a par
| ticipation In them. The physical director
| of the Young Mems Christian Assocla-
lion, doubtless, will tell person of THESE
more innocent games or exercises II
called upon or applied to. He is the man
In closing, l will say that Christian
young man or boy ought TO consider
carefully and seriously both sides OF any
and every question before acting. he
ought to refrain from engaging In some
things, not because II doesn't inJure him.
bur because II Injuries his neignpor
"Wherefore II meat maketh my protnei
10 offend, / will eat no flesh while the
world standeth, If meat maketh my pro-
ther TO offend" Take heed that THIS
liberty of yours be not q stumphng-piocs
To 'NeAA ~ "a RICHMOND BOY"
November &C. 1897