Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-08-28
Copyright. 1887

CoinmltCee be appointed TO consider
carefully the variou rules bearing on
the sport, especially in regard to the
question Of mass plays, against which
vigorous cutlery has been raised in
some quarters during the season.
These men felt that something
should be done to offset a growing
opposition to what were called the
brutal and unnecessary harsh features
OF the otherwise healthful sport. In
view of these opinion the University
Athletic Club of New York STEPPED in
to the breach This club, as its name
indicates, ic composed of graduates Of
the leading universities and colleges
OF the United States, especially of cas-
tern institutions of learning, and nat
urally the members take a great deal
OF interest in the doings and plans Of
their respective alma matters. The club
has in several instances, when inter-
collegiate football matches have been
played in New York, taken charge Of
all OF the arrangements. So when this
question and need arose the Univer-
siyt Athletic Club gladly stepped for
ward, believing that the only way to
assure the future success of the game
was to revise the rules, with aview
to eliminating the mass play.
A committee was appointed made
pj of men who were authorities on the
finest points of football. Their names
are Walter Camp, of Yale; r. D..
Wrenn, of Harvard; Alexander Moi?
fatt, of Princeton; John T. Be-, Of
Pennsylvania, and Paul Dashiel Of
Lehigh. Every one felt that the mat
ter could not have been placed in bet
ter hands. The committee met on
several occasions during last winter
in secret session, and while runners
were afioat as to their actions moth
Ing really definite has been learned
as to the result of their deliberations
until recently.
Outside OF one radical change, which
refers to the matter of scoring, the
committee has only ade notifications
In the rules of purely explanatory
nature, chiefly consisting of lootnoteS,
marginal and cross references. 1ney
argued in this connection that the
rules themselves We're right IN the
main, but cftertimes were miscon-
strued, and that they were broken
in the spirit if not in the letter OF the
law. 1t was thought that by maxim 3
marginal references outlining fully the
exact nature of the rules misundeT-
stood, the officials could better hold
the players to the prescribed regul2-
lions.
The question of mass plays was
very thoroughly gone into by the COM
mittee, and after careful considera-
tion, during which many arguments
Tor and against the present reading
We're brought forward. 1t was not
changed, and what in the minds of
many people was the main object Of
the meetings, was not accomplis ed
In speaking CT this matter later some
of the members of the committee have
endeavored to explain their action
thus: They decided to let the rule
relating to the huber Of men permit
ted scrimmage remain as befo. e,
because they considered that the in
jurieS supposed to result from mass
plays had not been very apparent in
the last two seasons, especially when
the play was made by experienced and
trained men, such as the intercollegi-
ate rules are designed for, and that
any disagrcable features they might
present were in c measure correcting
themselves.
They desired to chan : the wording
of the laws governing game as lit
tie as possible. aid teGEo}ught that a
scientific game Alike football might
safely be left TO develop itself in a
great measurej A large number of
rules necessarily hamper a captain,
and seriously interfere with the sue
cessful development of team, and
the committee decided that it would
be more discreet to leave the option
of~using or discarding mass plays to
The captains of competing elevens.
Afact which doubtless had great
weight with the committee in their
action is that the most successful
teams last year were those which
made least use of the Objectionable
play. Yale, last years intercollegiate
champion, rarely, if ever, brought the
mass" into USE
The mass play has gradually evolv-
ed itself from interference and it
would be difficult matter to draw I'D
provision abolishing the former that
would not seriously interfere with the
latter. When framing the rules, the
committee had in mind such men as
are turned out by Harvard. Princeton.
Cornell, Yale and Pennsylvania. Not
one of thes institutions has. suffered
very much from mass plays in the way
of serious accidents during scrim-
images. There were hardly any mis-
haps on the Yale field lat fall. The
chief argument against the play is that
1t exhausts the men, and this fact was
illustrated in the games participated
in by Princeton and PENNSYLVANIA
which utilized it extensively. The COM
mittee came to the conclusion that the
mass plays, being unsatisfactory from
scientific point of view, would bring
about their own abolition that they
would fall by their own weight. asa it
were. In view CT this fact, therefore.
that mass plays are more and more
regulating themselves. tie cammitteo
though it unnecessary 20 incumber the
football rules with any legislation re-
garding them.
The one radical change made by the
committee was in the matter of scor-
ing. Hereafter only one point will be
allotted for goal made from a touch
down instead of two, as before. The
object of this change is to Increase
the value Of goal from the field py
means of the drop kick. This is a fea-
ture OF the game that hitherto has
been very much neglected. 1t is a
very pretty play and especially useful
m a light team bupLyino ooa;pet ,