New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-27
OHEORD'S REEESAL.

Representatives Of the Intercollegiate Afnlenc
Association and American college men in gen
eral arc naturally surprised at the refusal Of
the Oxford Athletic Club to enter either singly
or Jointly with Cambridge into an arrangement
for field and track contests between English
and American universities. Some indignation
also is mingled with the disappointment. but
we hope that for the present a. least it will not
find vigorous expression. for the Oxford point
Of view is not wholly nexcusable. The reason
for the refusal 10 accept the proposition sent
from this country is that there is a question
about the student and amateur status of ath-
letic representatives Of American colleges.
Broadly considered. that is an undenable fact.
IL is certain that the Intercollegiate Association
meant 10 give oxford and Cambridge an ample
guarantee against all possible objections on this
score so far as its representatives in the pro-
posed contests were concerned. and would have
done so; but some allowance must he made for
their failure to look AT the matter in our way.
In recent years there has been lively contro-
versy in this country over this precise question
Of student and amateur status. and many seri-
Gus charges have been made against individuals
and colleges on this account. They have been
made. moreover. not wholly or chiefly by ire
sponsible and malicious persons. but to great
extent by persons having superior means Of
information and no motive for misreprcsentng
the facts. Indeed, in more than one instance
such charges have led to a severance of inter
collegiate relations That there has been consid
cradle eXaggeraton is commonly admitted. as
well as the fact that an earnest effort to remove
all cause Of rcproach is accomplishing excellent
results. The oxford Athletic Club is undoubt
eddy in possession Of all this dsparaging testi-
mOny. while perhaps not so well Informed az 10
the curative process now at work. Before con
demning English athletes therefore, for their
unfavOrable opinion of our student and amateur
status we should give due weight 10 the consid-
Grafton that they have been supplied from this
country with much of the evidence upon which
they base a not unnatural if too harsh Judgment
II would have been gratifying in many ways
if the representatives Of oxford had Sgnfed
their complete confidence in the intercollegiate
Association by ignoring alleged conditions which
could not in any case have given them cause
for complaint Of unfairness in the particular
competitions proposed; but since the feeling
which their letter expresses does exist are
glad that they have declined the invitation. In
ternational contests are pleasurable and useful
only when there are perfect respect and con-
idence on both sides. They are source Of
irritation and arrangement when either side
harborS the faintest doub, Of the Others good
faith. Lord Dunraven. by his own confession.
brought hither suspicion that he might be
cheated, and wholly out of that suspicion he
created his clumsy fabric of baselesS accusa-
lions. II would have been much better if he
had stayed AT home. and we do not want any
other foreign sportsman TO run a similar risk
Of making himself offensive
The oxford spokesman alluded in his letter
to minor difficulties on which he did not think
II necessary 10 dwell inasmuch as he saw no
way of removing the main obstacle Blu, those
mirror dificulti,s are not Insignificant One Of
them arises from the fac that a Joint team
from Oxford and Cambridge would be drawn
from far smaller number Of possible candi-
dates than a team representing all the colleges
OF the American association. Another objection
Is the familiar one Of distance, climate and I'M
dergraduate engagements II is virtually i'm
possible that American college athletes should
be at their best in England or English college
athletes here The visitors are always ar
disadvantage and for this reason an interna-
uOnal contest never has been wholly satiSfac-
tory. This alone is not sufficient ground for
abandoning such competitions. but II miiiga:cs
the diSappointmcni when wcllmeant addresses
have been rejected