The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-08-19
DANGER IN FOOTBALL.
Friends of the Game Stand Up in
It's Defense.
Sport without Danger to BE round
- Only in Such Games as Croquet
or Squat Tag-Compara-
tive Cases.


tive Cases.
The annual protest against the rough
ness and brutality of football as played
in American colleges and schools was so
vigorous at the close of this years
season that the friends of the game are
coming forward with facts to show that
it is no more dangerous than any other
vigorous exercise or game, and they
cite bicycle accidents, shooting acct
dents and drowning while sailing or
Skating to show that the record OF loot
ball is not open to serious criticism as
IN exceptionally rough game. In 4 late
ISSUE OF Harper's Weekly Caspar Whit
icy mentions his ten years exclusive
t;IIy of amateur sport and its depelop
inrnt. and his extensive acquaintance
Mtn football players, adding:
IN ali this time | have never had q
friend nor even an acquaintance who
was killed or permanently injured by
.ootEall. On the other hand, have an
acquaintance who lost his eye, and one
damaged for life playing polo; four
friends have been drowned by the up
st citing of Il saiIbOat, two drowned by the
overturning Of racing shell, three
drowned while swimming, two while
skating, two killed in hunting, one by an
al Infatuated giizzly bear, the other by
a defective rifle; one killed Gy the care
less handling of a shotgun, and one
Killed by one Of those didn 't-knoW-it-
NaS-loaded fools who was lingering a
revolver. Several friends and as many
acquaintances have been killed and sew
cral badly crippled while riding or
driving horses"
Mr.. Whitney says that in 20 years be
has been able to trace only six deaths d-
rectiy to foot ball, two of which &C.
CURED this year. One of these deaths
was that of Bert Serf, of the Doane col
lcge football team in Kansas He died
from injuries received while playing the
University of Kansas team at Law encc.
in that state, on November Ii i;i:;t \
New York representative of the rev
journalism declares that SC"f was killed
in a mass play, and was l,.cled t. III
conscious after n scrimnagc. Chan
cellor Snow. of the University of Kan
sas, has written letter giving the facts
about the death of young Serf, who was
only IS years old. Chancellor Snow
says:
Speak of the Kansas eleven, the
iightest man in the team, weighing
about $50 pounds, had the ball and was
making an end run for a touch down.
He had clear field for the goal, when
Serf, who was playing full back, ran TO
tackle him, and as the result Of a too
high tackle was thrown, striking the
ground with his head. just as Speak
carried the ball over the line for a
touch down. The real cause of Serf's
death was his being out of condition.
He had been injured in a previous
game, at which time he had been car
ried Off the field unconscious on account
of an injury to his head. He was laid
out during the first half of the game
with Kansas, and the referee and others,
members of the Kansas team, protested
against his being allowed to continue
in the game. He should not have been
allowed to play at ALL
Chancellor Snow then makes an i'm
portant suggestion. He suggests that
an Traditional official. to rank with the
referee and umpire, medical adviser,
be appointed, with full power to remove
from the game any man of either eleven
who is clearly not in condition to con-
tinue the game
The chancellor also notes that the
three men of the Kansas team who were
reported dangerously injured" were
not more than slightly injured. He
adds:
81 have nc doubt that an investigation
of the entire list of those reported dam
gerously and seriously injured would
show general eXaggeration of the ac
,ual condition of the players men
| toned"
Mr.. Whitney supplements this by the
| declaration that in all the games that
| Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Pennsyl
vania have played there has never been
It death. These games have been the
| hardest played in the entire country.
| lie also declares that there IS no record
of q permanent injury in. any OF thcse
games. and that the most serious ace
dent in any of them was that of a
| broken breast bone. The man who met
with the accident is strong and well to-
day. Mr. Whitney says that if v,o wish
to have sport without danger we must
confine ourselves to croQuet or squat
tag, or pleasure of that grade-N. Y.
| Sun.