The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-30

sponsible for the present conditions will
admit Of anything to criticize except In
the opinions of those who view the situa-
ton from a perspective apparently tmpos-
sible to the rules committee in general
and to it's chairman in particular.
9 Something must be done to tighten
the hammering to which men in the line
from tackle to tackle are subjected.
would not do away with the battering ram
principle, but should make it less crush-
ing and more nearly within the Capable
ties of human bone and muscle to with
stand; for the limit Of human endurance
has been just about reached. We must
put a premium on skill and speed. as
against mere brute strength and weight,
and there are several ways Of doing 1T
most of them already discussed and IA
m1iiar to football men. It is to be hoped
The rules committee will view the situa-
ton frankly, for it has come to the point
where the need of the game is impera-
tive; OF more Importance indeed. then
even the committee itself.
Vituperatlon and Mud Singing.
Even more seriously disturbing to the
normal relation Of football and of sport
general to university life Is the attitude
of colleges one to the other, when aues-
tons arise concerning the eligibility Of 8
player. A band Of card -sharpers could
not view the acts of one another more
suspiciously than do some college athletic
authorities. 1t is the question OF an
athletes bona fdes raised through the
newspapers by an unknown and, as likely
as not parttzan and half Informed CORE
spondent, forthwith newspaper war OF
recr1rn1nation is let loose, into which fac
ulty, alumni and undergraduates fling
themselves hot haste, slanging and ruff
11lanly. No thought is taken Of the indi-
Vldual whose name Is made the target fol-
an manner OF 1nsinuations Of wrong-doing,
II not OF open accusation,
and then the threats of protest! the
bitterness of reproach with which the cal
low youth lnveigh against the offending
college and all its members! Talk about
hysteria! Why, the French are Teutonic
compared with our, faculties and alumni
during football season!
PLAY the game-the same spirit on the
grid1ron as in your house; the same for
your opponents in the rush line as for
your guest at dinner or over the billiard
table. I saw a Yale man throttle-liter-
ally throttle-Kernan, so that he dropped
the ball; the two. hands reached up in
plain view OF every one-and all saw them
but the umpire-and choked and choked
Such man would cheat at your card
table If he thought he could do so with
out detection. The dirty players in foot
ball are the thugs of society," and the dis
grace of the university. that tolerates their
presence on team. - s-,,,. -.
! II you find a. player for a team or q
college has cheated you. don't set up an
infantile wall through the press or, bury
your hands In vituperative mud Singing
drop them. If you cannot, depend on the
word of a university and the honor, OF
its athletic representatives, do as you
would do in private life-have nothing
further to do with them 49,. .-...... :.
| play like gentleman or do not play
at all.
| "There was more uncalled for rough
play in two Of the big eastern games
Harvard-Yale, le-Princeton-than ha:
been seen for some time Not before ir
a number of years have I seen so much
foul play as I saw at Princeton and New
Haven; and Yale the offender. The pity
Of it is that such a good team should. in
dividually stoop to work so contemplate
And this was directly due to incompetent
umpiring."