The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-02
Universities OF
Two Lands
FOR JOINT GAMES.
Harvard and Yale Now at
Work on a New Scheme.

a dual collegiate athletic meet with
Harvard and Yale, the two great uni
versities of this country, competing
against Oxford and Cambridge, the
strongest universities of England!
That is the latest scheme. The ath-
letic authorities at Harvard and Yale
have been working with that end in
view for several weeks. They have
been working very quietly. and the
first announcement of the fact is made
in The Spy this morning.
The information comes from one in
closest touch with the athletic interests
of the two universities. Frank H. Bige-
low, who was last years captain of the
Harvard track team and is at present
member of the advisory board there,
when seen at his home on Elm street
by Spy man, declined to either deny
or affirm the report.
Regarding the matter, all he would
say was that he would love dearly to
witness a set of rvard and Yale
he continued, 81 tell you plainly, 1
don't think such a thing possible. There
is too much detail to be arranged in SO
short a time, and other complications
which the public could not understand"
But the games are more than a posi-
bility, Mr.. Bigelow to the contrary,
notwithstanding
The public has had an inkling, vague
though it was, that something was
going on between Yale and Harvard,
but the idea of holding dual games with
Oxford and Cambridge has not hereto
fore been mentioned. All sorts of stories
have been in circulation regarding the
present attitude of the two American
universities toward the intercollegiate
association, of which both are at the
present time members in good standing.
1t has been stated that Harvard had
already sent her resignation to the
president of the association, and that
Yale would soon follow suit. Another
story has been that Yale and Harvard
would be represented by only small
teams, and drop out a year or two
hence. But these stories have been sim
Iply bluffs to throw the public off the
scent, as it were. According to the
understanding between Yale and Har-
ward both universities viii retain their
membership, but will send no men to
compete in the games. AS long as they
pay their dues and send delegates to
the annual meetings the colleges can
not be forced out.
The determination of Harvard and
Yale to be unrepresented at the inter
collegiate games is due to the fact that
they are not satisfied with the games
and conditions of competition as now
held. Shortly after last years meet it
was an open secret that Yale and Har-
ward were thoroughly dissatisfied with
some of the unsavory methods pursued
by some of the other cole ges. In other
words, they object to much of the leg
islation that has been enacted at the
instance of the University of Pennsyl-
vania, aided by some of the smaller
college who vote at the bidding of the
Quaker contingent.
Harvard, at the coming annual meet
ing, this year, will recommend some
changes in the rules. She does not OBJ
ject to having college athletes who also
wear the insignia OF some athletic or
ganizatlon participate, as has been
stated in some papers
The rule that the Cambridge men,
seconded by the Yale delegates, will
attempt to get throughput they admit
that their chances of success are small
is still more sweeping in it's nature.
In substance, it is that no man enter
ing one college from another shall be
allowed to participate in intercolle-
giate games no matter how short his
stay at the first college or how long he
has been matriculated at the second.
This is a direct drive at Pennsylvania,
and some of the other colleges whose
athletes have competed at other col
leges in earlier days. Incidentally, it
would bar out some good men Potter
Of Williams, for instance, having once
entered Bowdoin could not compete for
his college at New York. In the event
OF Harvard falling to secure the pas
sage Of such a rule they will simply let
the Intercollegiate go by default, but
pay their annual dues, as formerly.
It has been stated that James T.
Roche, Jr., of this city, the present cap
tain of the Harvard team, who is now
in the west. was there for the purpose
of securing for Harvard and Yale an
alliance with the western universities
ExCapt Bigelow, when asked regard
ing the Yale-Harvard alliance, admit
ted that an agreement had been talked
of last year between himself and ex-
Capt. Perkins of Yale. but that it had
been dropped on account of the war
He also said that he was much in fa-
vor of Harvard sending no team to the
Intercollegiate games next June. but
that among the old graduates the move
ment was unpopular because those
graduates remember the New York
games merely as a good, gentlemanly
GoIteSl among true cOIlege amateurs.
"They don't know it," he said, "as we
do now who are Obliged to compete
against the New York Athletic Clubs
best. with some additions from Stones
Chicago stables
Mind YOU We do not make any spe-
cific charges in the matter, for the very
good reason that we cannot, but all the
colleges who deal in these acquired ath-
letes must remember that such men
write the same letter with the same
words. how much at the end to all the
colleges and they go to the college
where they get their moneys worth.
could have shown you at one time ten
letters from so-called amateur college
athletes looking for money in return
Tor athletic prowess. Some OF these
men are now attending other colleges.
which is, in itself, all the evidence some
OF us desire against such colleges.
The statement I saw that Jim Roche
had gone west to make western alli-
ances, makes me laugh. We all know
where these funny athletes come from.
They are from the west and all the
western universities bear more or less
unsavory athletic regulations It is
against the unsavory athlete that Har-
ward has always made her fight. and do
you suppose we are going to ally our
selves with those universities now? No,
we will never do it,"