The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-29
How the College Boys Started
for Wheat Fields in West.
CAME NOT FOR MONEY
Wanted to Go Into Training
for Football in Fall.
iRah-Rah-Rah. Westward no!

| Rah, rah, rah; ran, rah, rah; rah, rah,
rah-Yale. Siss, boom. ah-h-h'-Prince-
ton! Ray, ray. ray, Columbia. Co.
lumbia Harvard Harvard! Harvard!
The pigskin is DEBATED now, the running
shoes are Wondering in the gym lock-
ers. Hung high in the boathouse is the
victorious shell Of Junes latter days.
| Weeds choke the once trim diamond. The
! Colleges are taking a vacation.
But why this pilgrimage to Kansas?
Ask the boys, they'll tell you. Going
there TO reap the golden grain that is
| all but rotting on the stacks for lack OF
| labor; going there to train for those keen
| days of autumn when again the cry of f.
| 16-99-12. will be heard in the land; when
| flying wedges, mass plays fake kicks
will be the talk of thousands; when can
| vas-clothed giants will crash together
once more and helmeted heads rub them
| selves against the frozen bosom Of Moth
er Earth.
The boys of a dozen eastern colleges
are going to turn farm hands for the
summer, just to make themselves better
athletes in the autumn.
Under the torrid suns of the prairies
millions upon millions of ripe, fat grain
are crying for the tender attention of the
| farm hand. The harvest is plenty, but
| the laborers are few. 1t means hard work
| for ten hours day under skies that grill,
| and nights in the hayloft or on the barn
| floor, so cramped are the quarters in
the farm house.
But it means health and strength, mus
Gle and Drawn for the men that toll
there, to say nothing of the wages be-
sides.
All your Princeton football heroes are
not the sons of millionaires. Many a
brawny oarsman has stroked a Yale to
victory of the Thames while earning his
own way through college. The So a day
and more that the Kansas farmers are
offering for hands is a godsend to many
of the men who have carried the colorS
of Harvard, Cornell and Columbia and
other crack colleges so often to victory.
Some cShege genius was the first TO
see the chance. He knew he had good
material for his eleven and nine and
eight and all the rest of the teams.
Some could train this summer at home;
others would have TO go to work. Clerk
ing 1t in a stuffy country store all sum
mer or waiting on table in some White
Mountain hotel isn't conductive TO ath-
letics.
Why not send those boys who were
working their way out to Kansas to gath
er the wheat and thresh it, where they
could get the best physical training in
the world-wholesome toll in the open air?
No sooner said than done. Out on the
first train to Topeka journeyed the first
batch of athletes.
Tricks and plays are not part of sum-
mer training. The building of muscle, the
piling up of a store of health and strength
is what is more needed. The rest comes
when the boys are thick at college after
vacation.
I'VE need $4,000 men 10 harvest our
crop" came the cry from Kansas.
The cities had already been drawn upon
for their surplus stock of labor Still
the cry came for more. Country towns
contributed their quota. 1t was better
to earn IS a day in the fields than SO
a week behind counters and thousands
left jobs indoors or jobs outdoors for the
wheat fields.
Then on the scene came that college
outfit. big husky heroes of grfdiron and
diamond and oval, there to work for
works sake and only too glad of the
incidental 50 a day besides.
'B'gumi" unused the Kansas farmer
who managed to corral the outfit at its
own terms, beats them tramp harvesters
all holler. I alters thought them college
fellers were pin-headed dudes who wore
pink ribbons on their hats and said. Ray,
ray, ray.' most Nv the time. No, stree!
The boys is all right Whoopeei Hay
rick strawfooti Ray! Ray Ray! Kan
sas,"
The news went round like wildfire. Here
were young men Of beefy build who want
ed their 50 much. but their work more.
No sinking for them. Many Of the
little companies OF athletes had their cap
tains along and failure 20 DO their duty
stint Of work might mean TO place on the
college team. What more could a farm
er want?
So the wires to the effete east grew
hot with kilograms TO college centers.
send us all you've got" pleaded bleed
ing Kansas.
They're of in shoals now-Yale. Har-
ward. Princeton. Columbia. Cornell. Syr-
acuse. Rochester ard as many more small
er universities, shipping regular training
squads Of athletes to work up their
Drawn in the wheat field. Every day
more OF them are asking how 20 get there
at the State Free Employment Bureau
in East Thirty-hrst street
NO more summer jobs as waiter or
canvasser or porter" says this sturdy
young American a farmers life for
ne
IT keeps US in training for the foot
ball season, says another. gives Us
enough money TO carry Us chance to see
the great West. too
4 party consisting 81 six Columbia
juniors as many more from tire Cniver-
sity Of Syracuse and two Princeton soph-
ignores got away from New York last
week six hours and they had jobs secured
in the grain fields.
No no. Tuxedo was their slogan. as
the train pulled ont, meaning they were
1T taking their party clothes along.
Another youth. Just out q Princeton.
was about 20 seek his fortune in South
Africa when he heard OF the rush FOR
farmers out west He accepted the ad-
vice OF Superintendent Besliu. Of the
state Employment Bureau and he Is now
on his way west TO try harvesting a
while
Another party who went OF IN high
spirits the next day vss composed OF
two Princeton Sophonores. w J. Simp-
son and C r Preattss. OF No. III Msdi-
son avenue: Columbia senior. L O
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