New-York tribune., 1899-06-16
DUBIOUS ABOUT HARVARD.
GRADUATES CRITICIsE THE ROWING
POLICY AT CAMBRIDGE.
WILLIAM Blake INTIMATEs THAT THE CREW is
SELECTED THROUGH SOCIAL PRESTIGE
AND NOT MERIT

WILLIAM Blake INTrMATEs THAT THE CREW IS
SELECTED THROUGH SOCIAL PRESTIGE
AND NOT MERIT.
Certain prominent Harvard graduates are in arms
against the present athletic and rowing policy at
cambridge and interesting developments are ex-
csc,ed unless a change is made Immediately Those
graduates yesterday loud In their de-
nunciatior Of the rowing tactics at Cambridge
They intimate that II something is not done Har-
yard this year will suffer defeat at the hands
Of Yale as she has done before repeatedly. One
critic said They are getting down to a queer ar
rangement up at Cambridge. II candidate for
q place on n athletic team does not wear
his hair bangtail fashion part 1t in the middle
and live on Bunker Hill, there is place for him
an the crew at Cambridge"
william Blake. of this city. at his
Office, No. @S Broadway yesterday afternoon, and
ne did not mince matters particle. Mr.. Biaike
rowed In the Harvard varsity of &c. and he
was prominent among Harvard oarsmen for years.
His advice generally sought and respected.
Mr. Blake crticises in strong language the policy
~ Coach Starrow and Captain Higginson. and he
urges that more competent should be Sc
cured 10 coach the crew Immediately. He says
,hat the race with Yale at New-London is yet two
weeks of and that If done at once much good
might result Mr.. Blake alleges that the selection
~ the crew has been made in violation of uni
vsrsally accepted theories and that superior
,erlal has been rejected for that of inferior
Ue quotes the records of the trials In the inter-
class and nerclub races 10 prove his assertion, and
Ia saws that the crew has been selected stand
ards other than those best calculated 10 make a
winning eight. In discussing the situation yester-
dav Mr. Blakie said:
Il acknowledge that feel deeply In this matter
concerning the rowing policy at Harvard. Star
row and Hgginson TO be the arbitrary power
there and they apparently do pretty much as they
please | may be criticised for discussing this mat
To, ndo,,n
with Coach S,arrow for some time. with no results
and no prospects Of results. | do not know whether
they have athletic committee at Cambridge at
nTesent or not and whether they have not, Star
row and Higginson appear to do pretty much as
uHs2 "2ow INV son. Cameron Blake had shown HIM
self in his work and in practice qualified in every
way for a position on the crew, yet / understand
that he is not to be selected. He will row any man
IN Harvard College in any sort OF a boat, or any
distance. and he would have no fear or the result
me entire system up there appears to be at fault
some Of the men selected too light in the barrel
and they too thin in the legs Such men are
not stayers in boatrace, and they never will be-
pXFer for society doesn't count when the athletes
bAd over the oars. Now. do not mean 10 insinu-
sseognon ste MAJ r from Harvard coach but there
90 no know aWq what is MT It is @ Certainly not fair play
and that is what we want. They are honeycomo-
= think that the best thing that they can do at
Cambridge would be for them 10 ca meet
lei them select coach who has been member aI OF OF
a winning crew, and not man VINO mas Hsul
IN losing crews. Such man | have In mind.
mean a man like General w A Bancroft of Bos-
ton Let the General. who understands rowing
thoroughly go over the dozen candidates left. and
from the lot let him select the eight whch IS 10
meet Yale. l think that the General would make
Il his business TO down from Boston 10 New
London and do this work and do II heartily for MS
college. Bancroft was the stroke IN the winning
crews OF II, rs and 79. He is the Mayor OF Cam
bridge the manager of the railroad system In Bos-
ton and the leading citizen-solder of that city so
you see that he is a Of affairs, and that sug-
gesons from him would meet respectful atten-
lion"
E. c. storrow. the coach, was the stroke Of the
losing team of 81. The present discussion recalls
the advent at Harvard of Andy" O'Dea. of Wis
consin. ODea came on last year with the Wis
consin crew. which made such pretty struggle
at Saratoga against Cornell O'Dea is a profess
sional Australian oarsman. and when Lehman
left Harvard II thought that excellent sub
stitute had been secured in o. Dea. Then pracu-
cally nothing heard of ODea until recently
when the announcement was made that he had
resigned. and that he had said the Harvard crew
was good only for squirt. Harvard men who re-
member the race last year trust that the coming
struggle with Yale will be different. Then the
Crimson eight got off at the crack of the pistol.
falling IN behind. and getting further behind at
every mile post.