Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-03-25
Honor Standards Applied to College
Athletes.

1t Is the desperate absorption In the
contest itself that has made the prob
lem OF campus athletics SO difficult to
dead with. 1t had been found that, left
to themselves and freed of watchful
Icriticism, the young men who direct
athletic affairs In many OF the Ameri-
can colleges and universities will not
| maintain. as a body, the standards of
conduct which should be matter of
course
1t Is an Indictment of American uni
versity life and its student body that a
complex code of rules and penalties
must be devised to prevent him from
casting reproach on the fair name OF
his institution.
But for his side of the case there is
much to be said. The pressure Of in
tercollegiate rivalry becomes fiercer
every year. Athletics are set far above
| all other reputation to be gained on the
| campus. There is no real sport in
training for the eleven or the crew. The
game is all in all. And the adverse
criticisms of this condition come from
the college men, and appear i'm their
own periodicals in such force as to in
dicate a strong reactionary tide. Presi-
dent Eliot of Harvard complains of the
| same tendencies in his latest report.
Nowhere appears any symptom Of de-
nial that athletics play a tremendously
valuable part in the making Of useful.
vigorous. self-reliant men. Nor is
there any stronger influence for geod IL
college life than the training. develop
ment. and disc ipline of a university
team. Yet those chosen for these teams
are being driven with increasing pres
sure to make of their athletics a vOca
ton. not diversion in college. The
result of combined influences working
with increasing hcadway has been %
increase also the difficulty of keeping
these intense rivalries within tEe
bounds of gentiemanly conduct.
Princeton has tried the honor system
in student examination. and it has been
notably successful. Instead of fencing
her young men about with tutors an.,
rules. they themselves are on honor
towards one another. Punishment is
in the disgrace which comes hot on the
heels OF betraylnS a common trust. Is
there any reason why the same code
should not be applied to athletics? A
manager who cOaxes q promising school
athlete to go TO certain college by
promise of material help, cleverly dis
Euised: a coach who teaches unfaic
tactics. player who takes 4 position
Mt z summer hotel in order that he ma,
play ball without actually receiving a
salary, the man who allows any mis-
representation to exist about his anna
teur standing-are not these pitiful
persons in as sorry 4 plight as the man
caught crbbins in his examination?
From Massachusetts to California,
and from MaiEe to Georgia. there is IN
amending squabble over eligibility
rules and purity in college athletics"
Yet there seems to be no difficulty over
the problem of what should be done
with students caught cheating in the
classroom, Or men caught cheating with
cards in n clubroom, or short-sightcd
persons accused of taking money under |
false pretenses. But in that class of
American life in which standards Of
conduct befitting the gentleman are !
most confidently to be looked for it Is |
no disgrace to be accused of dishonor-
able dealing nor Of attempting to pass
it off on others.-lllustrated Sporting
NawS