Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-26

Those who followed football last season
do not hesitate to admit that 1898 was an
off year. but they are in hopes that suff1-
cient new material will be developed this
fall to make the season of 1899 a more
successful one. Last year only one of the
bg college elevens showed true champion
ship form. Yale's team was the poorest
turned out at that institution in many
years: Harvard showed some slight i'm
provement; Pennsylvania had retrograd-
ed noticeably and Princeton, Cornell,
Carlisle. Brown and West Point had all
they could do to keep up anything like a
.semblance to their old form.
Experts differ as to the cause of this
deterioration. Some insist that the de-
Tense is rapidly becoming stronger than
the attack, and it must be admitted that
kicking is becoming more and more prom
inent every season. Others that a limit
should be placed on the weight in the
center of the line and they point, as an
Illustration, to the exhaustion of the
Princeton trio of big men near the end OF
their game with Yale.
One expert expresses the opinion that
the management of the teams show poor
judgment by not striving for better kick
ers. and that equally poor judgment is
shown by the captains IN not attempting
to make goals instead of tochdowns, and
so the theories.
Whether one or all Of the experts are
correct or not experiment only can tell,
but one thing is certain. something is rad
ically wrong and unless a change is made
the popular interest in the game will
show decrease instead Of an increase at
the end of next season.
One of the most important events In
football history Of the present year is
the revival in interest in the game that is
being shown at Columbia. For more thar
three years no attempt has been made to
arrange for Intercollegiate game in New
York city. but now that the Columbia
men have come together and have leased
Manhattan field there is reason to hope
that some good contests may be seen
there this season. AT present more than
s., 900 has been subscribed to meet the
preliminary expenses OF the club. and
about 40 men have signified their inten-
tons of striving for a position on the
big eleven. William E. Mitchell is mana
ger and Simons Captain.
A glance at the Il bia schedule for
the fall work shows that the new club is
starting in on the same lines that so sue
cessfufy brought Pennsylvania, Cornell
and other universities to the front in the
past years. Naturally the first years
will not be the strongest thing that
ever happened, and it is a well known fact
that nothing will discourage players |
more than an unbroken series of defeats. I
1nalS uCn d CUIIuIIlOH VIII cAlSt a. ~ i
is doubtful, for while arrange
menrs have been made for games with
many strong teams, two orly. West Point
and Carlisle, may be regarded as ap-
preaching first class AS a result the new
team, in spite Of all its inexperience. may
hope for enough victories to break the
spell and make the men aspire to better
things in the future.
The strongest date on the schedule is
the game with Carlisle on Thanksgiving |
day. and it is believed that by that time !
the Columbia men will! be in a fit condi- |
ton to hold their own with the Indians. |
for their are few clubs that have started |
with more promising material. Welles, |
the university strong man, is built like
a typical football player. and needs only
q little coaching to make him familiar
with the duties Of tackle. Cauther, an old
Amherst man. VIII do good work as
guard. O'Rourke, the eX-Trlnity student
who made such a good reputation as an
aggressive player in his preparatory
school days. will make fine kicking half
or full back and a strong line bucker
and Captain Simons, Stronger, Wolf.
Coeer. Henderson, Smith. Norman and
half a dozen others have played good
football in former days. With suck ma
terial and the good financial supper that
IS already assured there IS no reason why
Columbia should not advance to the very
front rank within a year or two. Such
al achievement would be the greatest
possibl: inspiration to the game in every
part Of the country.
Those who have kept a close watch
over the various teams during the past