New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-30
AS TO THE DANGERS or FOOTBALL.

AS TO THE DiNGERS or foOI pam.
In another column Is printed n letter from
"an agonized mother" who begs The Tribune
10 engage in n crusade against football Dur
ing n period of four days she writes. -four
eases Of football injuries have come to my
"knowlcdgc: one boy has died, the other three
are hopeless lnyalids for the remainder OF
their lives. Can we poor mothers SIT silently
nj homo. fearing as we do that we may he
"thc next to suffer. without crying cul bono. or
eat least making orr feeble prOtest|' The
tone and terms of this letter lead lis 10 sup
pose that the writer reflects personal expert
ence of grief or at least a personal apprehen-
sion. and we desire her and others who may
share her emotions to believe that we are not
unaffected 10y the considerations which She
presents But we must say frankly that such
appeals are not convincing. or indeed more
than temporarily impressive. as an Indictment
Of the game Of football.
Let us begin by saying that football Is not.
In our opinion. and in the opinion of its most
proficient opponents. a suitable game for young
bows. ut least without far more intelligent and
attentive supervision than such players COM
monty receive II every half grown boy could
play only with and against Others Of his own
though oven then perhaps excessive But that
IS impossible and it must be conceded that the
opponents OF lndiscrminate and uncontrolled
fOotba.Iplaying in boys schools have much
reason on their side In colleges. where added
years and systematic trimming are elements in
the case. il is widely different. Under such
conditions we do no, think the Indictment can
be made 10 hold for lack OF evidence to show
that deaths and injuries are unduly common
our correspondent will doubtless regard the
word "unduly" as a strange one 10 use in that
relation. But we use il for the reason that il
rather sharply indicates the considerations
which we wish IN express Every occupation
of life involves danger. and this is especially
true of the diversions and physical exercises
which not merely give pleasure. but promote
health and develop the bodily faculties. AN
agonized mother" fears she may he "the next
TO suffer- Does not every mother fear and
suffer when her boy goes swimming. or hunt
ing or riding. or does any one Of the number
less things that every healthy boy by law Of
nature wants 10 do and will do? Or II n
mother Is not "agonized' ten thousand times
IN thinking of her boys pursuits. Is il not be
cause she never knew or heard OF n time when
hoy could grow into a man by any other
process. and old familiar conditions OF dan
ger. accepted by her as matter Of course. do
not cause constant apprehension and distress:
There Is no crusade against swimming. or hunt
Ing. or riding on horse or n bicycle. though
the number Of deaths those pasiimes cause Is
in the aggregate very large More persons
have been mistaken for deer and fatally shot
in the Adrondacks this season than have been
killed playing football and yet we suppose that
football players are far more numerous than
Adirondack decrhunters.
We do not know OF any way n discriminate
so accurately rs to bo able to put in one in
dsputablc list physical exercises which are
morally indcfensiblc because cx'ra-hazar(lous
and in another those that are not extra
hazardous and for that aud other reasons aud
able. Opinions must inevitably differ. Our
own belief Is that football now commonly
played in colleges by wellgrown young men
under rules which have made the game safer
and more wholesome than It used to be- and
in n spirit Of generous rivalry is not 10 be
condemned but encouraged