The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-06-09
SHOULD BE FOR HONOR ALONE
Bishop Burgess Speaks of College Attn
 Ietics to Columb bia students.

New York. June S.-Bshop Burgess of the Episcopal diocese of Long Island, preached the baccalaureate sermon to- day to those students of Columbia uni yersity and Barnard college who will graduate Wednesday. His text was two verses of Paul's epistle to the Corin- thians, which speak of running the race for the prize and the obtaining of an ineorruptible crown. He used college athletics as an illustration and said that while the names of winners of athletic prizes were preserved in bronze those who won the Greek prize at universities were often writ in water Continuing, the bishop said:
 It has been said that physical de- velopment of the highest type and men, tai development of the highest type are incompatible with one another. The time has passed when we can pass by the body and we realize that the man strong in health will be better able to fight the battles of life and the demons of fancy that haunt men. If the body is trained to respond to the stimulus of the cold bath, there is little chance for the demon of intemperance to get it's hold.
 In the first place, let me say the mer- cenary conditions should be eliminated from athletics. This has been steadily growing for the past twenty years. Do not misunderstood me- I do not mean that the contests are mercenary, but the organization is. Those gathering to see 1t should be the guests of the students or university, and in this way the most objectionable feature of college athletics would be removed. The prized competed for should be like those of old-honor Away with gate money. Away with seat money Let the young men con- pete, not for money but for honor. Do away with another objectionable feat ure, namely the cruelty. We want our young men full Of pluck and cour- age, but we do not want them in dan ger to make a holiday for our friends. A sport that is dangerous will demoral- ize the spectators. Because I see you go into a football game full of pluck and courage will not make me brave Because I see Sampson lift thousand pounds will not make me strong Young men will gather in numbers with cigar cites and cheers to see others do their athletics for them.
 Do away with this thoughtless cruel ty and this intense rivalry. I do not think so i'll of colleges as to believe that to eliminate all mercenary consid- eratons from the athletics would be in any manner harmful.
 Turing the the intellectual side of col 1ege life Bishop Burgess said:
 "There is great deal to be thought of in connection with this subject. The modern system is killing our schools. Men now 20 to universities to study electricity hydraulics. pneumatics The old education of our fathers days is lost sight of. In those days it was not until after the university was left be ] hind that the career was thought of Now it is decided upon before the uni versity and the university is but step toward that end, and all else but that | tending in that direction is lost sight of l
 T am not saying this to discourage the modern specialist But it is possi- l ble to carry specialties too far. The | analyzer of the insects wings knows | nothing of the beauties of nature, There | is too little of the study of humanity. The anatomist can tell you of the bones ] but does he know aught of the broth- 1 erhood of mankind? The Bible is the | text book of mankind. There is in no l history no force like the force of the | character of Jesus Christ. It is there | that religion comes in study of human- ity, to claim it's own. Read your Bible. Homer. Shakespeare that you may know of the nature of mankind"