New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-21
kur BRITISH CHALLENGE
.~r IN ENGLAND THAT YALE AND
HARVARD WILL ACCEPT.
v or OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE TOWARD
..,rv,c.N ATHrETIcs-FoRMER OBJ
sTAcLBs REMOVED.

.xrRIcAN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OBJ
sTAcLBs REMOVED.
May 9O-The American Line steamer
-. which sails Tor New-fork TO-DAY from
| Pafs' ..n,on. takes a challenge from oxford and
ca',sss universities to the universities of Yale
csm.-,ard for an athletic contest to take place
bno ''- .ound OF the Queens Club. London, in the
l p ' IN July. The programme consists OF the
\ tah e-hundred-yard dash. l2o-yard hur-
yo"~s ouarter-me run. half-me run. one
cF -, three mile rum hammer-throwing. high
p-.o and Ions jump.
5pnp aas che regular oxford and Cambridge pro-
i" With half-mile run substituted for put
Fra"sS vssh. to the new rules Of which contest
hns ~,,,, university men are not yet accustomed.
tns .s.uenge rfgidy insists that every American
sn e VI must like themselves. be absolutely a
PEE, and absolutely an amateur athlete.
s.n"s. The communications already exchanged be-
i che representatives Of oxford and Cambridge
nsrsons in America there Is little doubt that
.hsI,enge will be accepted. The meeting will
great attraction at the close OF the London
Is.son more especially IL the presence OF the
80 ~ Wales the United States Ambassador,
- u choate and Lord Rosebery is secured, as
y s,ready stated to be the case. The university
,o,a who have the matter chiefly at heart, In
ss,,s members OF both teams. are most anxious
-. ,hs match They feel that the proposal sent to
~ ,-r,,ed States is very sportsmanlike oner'
Wv ,hov are confident 1t will be welcome The
rn.,,shmen point out that SO far as the Americans
- Concerned they know their own strength and
,,s strength Of their rivals. as revealed by the OK
s,a ond Cambridge sports in March. but that they,
.s chaIlengers are ignorant OF what their oppo-
- NAV have succeeded in accomplishing In
.r,orcolegiate sports This. they say. bodies moth
a., br, good and a most genuine match, with the
os, genuine desire that the best side may win.
~ ,ssunr Of both the English universities was ex-
yed in An interview with representative OF
me Associated Press by one to whom, more than
,,hers Is due the present challenge He said;
"J,therto many attempts have been made to
,r,,g about an international match between the
.rsrican universities and oxford and Cambridge,
49,, ,hs latter have steadily declined, for the very
no,sn, reason that oxford and Cambridge have
,ovs fe that the state Of affairs In athletics In
che United States was extremely unacademic' not
N say unhealthy, and In vicious state, corre-
snonding more exactly with the conditions OF pro-
fessjonal football In England The English uni
ysrslties being the leaders in English athleticsm.
did not care 10 be responsible for rentroqucing the
yeerettabe state Of affairs which prevailed when
,be Ney-York Athletic Club encountered and de-
,sa,ed the London Athletic Club, occasion when
Maid afhletlcism in both ranks was all too thinly
yelled 10 the infinite discredit OF both parties 10 the
unhoy contract That our criticism was true was
proyed by the course Of events subsequent to that
meeting Several of the so-called amateur athletes
on both sides have since been disqualified as pro-
fessionals This Is as 1t should be. But surely II
was never right. in the opinion OF right minded
men. that these same professionals should have
bsen known for a long time before TO have been
ANYTHING but amateurs, and should have been con-
veniently whitewashed by the process OF unscleh-
tfAc opportunism TO parade as selected amateurs.
Further difficulties arose from the ambiguous
status Of American students who were known 10 De
neither really students nor really amateurs, put
who were merely valuable articles imported TOT the
occasions required into certain American UNI, UNI
yersjties and were there maintained IN puDnco
snmptu But good heads and hearts have been
hard at work and in the most important quarters
an aneiora ton has set in. Consequently the Eng
ilsh universities. oxford and Cambridge. have felt
that they may now safely challenge the picked uni
versities Of America. and In accordance with that
feeling which is based authoritative assurances
from across the Atlantic, the challenge has been
sent For oxford and Cambridge, the leading uni,
,@rsitjes of Great Britain. to challenge Harvard
and Yale the leading universities Of America is
one thing and a very desirable thing but for OK
ord and Cambridge to accept challenge from the
multiple universities OF the intercollegiate Associa-
ton Of America is a very different thing ana one
which the Oxonians and Cantabs. for various rea-
sons are ofiffe Justified I'm defining - '..'-