Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-03-02
ORIGIN OF FOOTBALL.
GROWTH OF THE GAME DURING
FOUR HUNDRED YEARS.

1t Is Now the Most Popular Sport, with
the Possible Exception of Golf, in the
United States-The Game Was Never
Gentle-Footballers rs Soldiers.
In America today, the most popular
sport among the classes is, with the
possible exception of golf, football,
and its origin must always be a mat
ter OF speculation. A writer tells us
that the football game, (which is one
OF the most interesting and popular
OF sports" is one of the oldest games
extant, that it was originated in Italy
IN the sixteenth century, and was in
vogue until the year 1890, when its
popularity subsidized.
The real origin of football remains
mystery, upon which few historians
care to go on record.
Away back in time, we find that
"Nausicaa of the white arms" was en-
gagged with her maidens playing a
game OF ball when Odyssey first put
IN an appearance. Several centuries
afterward games were played in Eng
land with inflated balls, called the
bollis. They were of o character not
calculated to impress upon the mind
OF the spectator n complete idea of
mildness and gentleness. Later on
IN England Edward II may be found
discoursing upon 'hustling over great
balls" as Il very dangerous pastime,
and one noxious to the nation. In
1908, Manchester (England) has a
series of football games, and it is re-
corded that after each contest the
town WAS devoid Of glass in the win
dows. Along about this time it was
Sir W. Davenant, according to Max
Pemberton, who remarked that foot
ball was not a very conveniently
civil sport. Strut, when asked his
opinion on the so-called football of
the day, wrote: 'The exercise being
exceedingly violent, the players kick
each others shins without ceremony,
and some are overthrown at the haz-
ard of the limbs"
The Yale or Harvard man who has
lost an ear or a kneecajo will be apt to
roll that statement under his tongue
as rich morsel.
Walter Camp, in one of his most
valuable and interesting works on
football, makes mention of the fact
that 1t originated among the Greeks
and Romans in the twelfth century,
and that it's progress was ver- sefi-
.-lsly retarded by the triumpl, OF the
These deductions, while interesting,
are of course matters of small moment
so far as they relate to the real origin
of the game, and if its true origin
could be traced would still be matters
of small moment for the reason that
the game of football of the last de-
cade resembled the old-time primitive
sports under the same calling as blue
milk resembles cream. The chaps
who in times gone by kicked a blad-
der until it burst with report like
a pistol were wholly unlike the foot
ball players of the Yale, Harvard and
Princeton varsity teams of today.
There exists the same difference, with
less harm to shins, as between the
Empire State express and the OK cart
OF the ancient Romans.
Inc foOtDall games DelWeen Eng
land and Scotland amounted to riots
nearly always, and quite frequently
battles, yet today serious injuries on
the field are few and far between and
fatalities of rare occurrence.
With the advent of the Rugby game
the change to fair and sportsman
like sport began. 1t has gradually
been enhanced until the game is now
commonly regarded as the highest of
all athletic pastimes and one of the
most scientific of games. There is
some danger in its participation, to be
sure. The same is true of all sports,
with the possible exception of lawn
tennis and croquet, but the amount
of good that such a sport does to
nation is almost inestimable. More
football players distinguished them
selves in the late war with Spain than
the representatives of all other sports
combined.