Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-01-05
LETTER FROM KARL MATHIE.

Il
was published the substance of an at
tack made in the Milwaukee Free Press
on Principal Parlin, of om' high school,
for the manner in which the Wisconsin
lnterscholastic Athletic Association has
been managed. Upon further investi-
CATION | find that both the sporting
editor of the Sentinel and its literary
editor have made several vicious attacks
of similar nature criticizing the Board
of Control, in general, and Mr.. Parlin in
particular
1t is not necessary for me to repeat
the Substance of these attacks, and |
have felt until now that it was beneath
the dignity of either Mr.. Parlin, or his
friends to make any reply to them Life
is too short at best to accomplish even
worthy objects. As a rule it is best to
ignore SANDER, libel, or any other form
OF petty persecution. But every COM
munity is cursed with few small souls
whose chief occupation seems to be to
charge those whom they dislike with
whatever has happened of a disagree
able or reprehensible character. School
men are quite likely ia the course of
time to offend these parties, but since
school men meet so much petty cIiti-
cism they come to ignore it. Hence
they are easy marks to these attacks.
| feel however that it is necessary to
clear the situation here as the article in
last weeks PILOT may give a wrong
impression. Much of the petty perse-
cution INDUCED in by the Milwaukee
papers is due to the ludicrous jealousy
of an agent of the book trust, who was
formerly athletic coast for the South
Division High School of Milwaukee.
This ex-coach had the manhood TO ac-
knowledge to Mr.. Parlin, in the lobby of
the Plankinton last Wednesday and in
my presence, that he had written some
of these articles to get even with Mr.. |
Parlin. And for what? For nothing /
more than this, that when Mr.. ParIin \
and Mr. A. r. Schulze a former high |
school assistant, issued the athletic |
manual the name of an athlete from /
the South Division High School, who
had record, was omitted. The ex-
coach at once assumed that it was done |
on purpose, ard resented il. He then |
expressed lis resentment in these
attacks.
1t certainly was silly to bear any re-
sentiment for an oversight of such an in
significant nature, but it was piece of |
foolishness, if not injustice, to rush |
into print with the hope of tearing
down another mans reputation without
first finding out how it happened that
this great sin of omission occurred
What, however, shall one think of news
papers, whose boast it is that they are
great metropolitan dailies, that lend
themselves as tools to the resentment of
this literary as ent Of the book trust.
The Fort Atkinson Eau Claire foot !
bail fiasco had but little to do with the
newspaper articles, although the arti-
cles had much to say about the Board
of Control for awarding the champion
ship to Eau Claire in this controversy
The principals and superintendent
gave singing rebuke both to the lit
erary book agent and to the principal
of the Fort Atkinson high school, whose
'hard-luck' story was hardly taken
seriously, when it passed the following
resolutions by unanimous vote after
the "hard-luck" tale had been rehearsed
at astonishing and wearisome length
WHEREAS The welfare of high
school athletics has been greatly adj
vanced by the loyal and self sacrificing
efforts of the Board of Control of the
Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic
Association, now therefore be it re
solved, that we the members of the w.
/. A A. again express our appreciation
of the efficient manner in which the
Board of Control has performed the
duties incumbent upon ii during the
past year; and
Be It further resolUed That we tender
the thanks Of the Association to Prin-
cipal Pariin and Supt Dudgeon, the
present members OF the Board, for the
efficient and satisfactory manner in
which they have performed their duties.
The cheap, detected manner in which
the diseredited book-agent and the
principal wandered about
the hotel lobby after the decisive action
of the principals and superintendent
showed that they at least had learned
their lesson. If now the great Milwau-
kee dailies would also learn theirs and
keep their pages free from the vogaries
of undeyeloped minds it would be a
wholesome thing for Wisconsin athle-
tics.
The Sentinel in its issue of last Sun
day again runs its wooden dagger into
the Board of Control and makes the
Imaginable explanation that the BOARD
of Control was given this vote of con
fidence by the principals of the high
schools because of the clever parliamen-
tary work Of Mr. Parlin and his friends,
and because of lack of Interest on the
part Of the principals. As matter Of
fact the meeting was the largest in the
history of the w l. A. A. and as the
vote, expressing confidence in the
Boards management, was unanimous,
his friends must have bean numerous,