Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-16
Favored, But Football Will
Stay With Us at Colby.
Executive Committee Discusses
Subject in Every Phase.
Prof. Hedman Chosen to Attend National Foot.
ball Conference as Colby's Delegate.


This was the question that received a
full discussion at Il special meeting of
the executive committee of the Colby
College Athletic Association, which was
held at 5 O'Clock Friday afternoon.
1t had been supposed that the work
OF the committee for the present year
was completed, when Friday morning
the following notice appeared on the
bulletin board in front of South Col
lege:
There will be a special meeting of
the Executive Committee of the Athlet-
ic Association in Chemical Hall at 5 p.
NJ, Friday Dec. Is. An important mat
ter is up for discussion. Will every
member please arrange to attend this
short session.
(Per order)
p. w. Keene, President"
The members gathered and the ques-
ton came before them in the form
of a communication from President
Charles Lincoln White, who asked that
the committee recommend represent
ative to attend the meeting called at
the instance of President Roosevelt to
be held in New York the last Of the
present month, meeting ut which Il
large number of the colleges of the
country will be represented, and to
which Colby has been asked to send Il
delegate.
The discussion by the executive COM
mittee cente-ed around the instructions
which the Colby delegate should re-
ceive. on rather the expression of senti-
ment which he should carry with him
to the convention.
Shall football be abolished? Upon this
question the executive committee
registered an emphatic No" but the
sentiment was expressed that the game
should receive notifications. Each
member of the committee was given an
opportunity to present his views, and
there was great partisanship on both
points.
1t was thought that the adjustment
of football would seriously weaken any
college in Maine. holding out on any
such proposition against the other coll
leges. Colby has not had a man seri-
ously hurt in the game for years and
nothing scarcely worse than the tradi-
tional cracked rib has been received
by Colby player within the memory
Of the present generation of Colby
students.
However. the sentiment prevailed
that the game should be more open to
prevent the unavoidable tendency to
dirty playing for which the present
''pile-ups' give too frequent an oppor-
tunity.
1t must not be supposed that the exc
cutive committee of the Athletic Asso-
citation stopped over" so badly as to
frame its sentiments in any such
language. Its members deliberated
seriously. carefully and in the end came
to that final ceremony at which dclib-
erative bodies always arrive-and took
Il vote.
1t was voted that the committee
recommend to the faculty that Profess
sor John Hedman be duly chosen as the
accredited representative at the gath
ering in New York and that the COM
mittee put itself on record as favuring
such modification Of the playing rules
as would ensure a less dangerous and
more interesting game.
The action of the committee has met
with instant approval about the camp
us. Nobody at Colby wants football to
be degraded to a sport for the children
at a Sunday school picnic, but there is
a pronounced sentiment in favor OF
minor changes. An alteration that is
meeting with favor from several of the
Colby football men is the doubling of
the distance to be gained from five
yards to 10. There is a feeling that this
is all that can be done during the first
of no ~ iol,
be followed with other changes later
While this was going on, the men,
bCrs Of the football team were chooS-
ing their football captain for the sea-
son of 1906. BY the constitution of the
Athletic Association, the team does not
elect its captain, but dominates him,
the actual election taking place in the
meeting of the executive committee of
the association.
Fifteen men to whom football "Cs"
have been awarded the past season.
were eligible to vote for captain. Those
present at the meeting were Palmer.
'06. (captain); Dewitt, OF: Reed, 'OS;
Hammond. s: Sherburne, '0S; Thomp-
son, '07: Mcclellan, O9; Keyes, 'OS;
Fleweling. '09; Trask, 90.
Those absent We're: Ross, '06; Joy. '06:
Httherington, '0S; Lyons, 'OS; Cot
ton. '0S.
Thompson nominated Dewitt and
Reyes nominated Hetnerington. The
vote was taken resulting in vote of
6 To 3 in favor of Dewitt.
Dewitt has worked hard since he be-
came a member of the team two years
ago last fall and the honor is well-de-
served.
Rex. w. Dodge, '06, returned on train
No. IL Friday morning from Bellerica,
Mass, where lie has been engaged in
teaching for several weeks at the
Mitchell Military School. Mr.. Dodge
will resume his studies at Colby, as he
left merely to fill position Temporal
rily until a regular instructor coA,d be
secured.
Rev. George Dana Sanders, pastor of
the Watervile Unitarian church, was a
visitor at the chapel exercises Friday.
There was a meeting of the confer
ence board Friday at which Arthur G.
Robinson, &C. was elected chairman of