Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-29
scHURMAN FAvoRs FOOT BALL
President OF Cornell says Much Crit
icism of Game is HrstericnI


fcfsm of Game is HystericnI
SYRACUSE, n. V, Dec 2s.-President
JACOB Gould Schurman of Cornell university
In an address before the Associated Aca-
placed himself on record as a stanch friend
of foot ball. declaring that the recent criti-
clsm OF the game III not historical and
frenzied, Is at least one-sided and unfair"
President Schurman urged that the game
should not be abolished. Modify 1t, he sug
gested' SO as to remove the extra hazards.
put TO abolish IL, he asserted, would be to
do away with the most popular sport of the
youth OF the country and of the American
people themselves.
President Schurman's theme was Ma
tional Greatness" and he devoted consider
able time to the physical basis of man. In
the physical training of the youth. DR..
Schurman declared outdoor sports take the
place in this country of the military service
required In Germany
And speaking of the colleges and uni
versities,' he said, ~ am sure they have
been an effective antidote to efreminate
weakness; 20 low vice and foolish disorder
and rowdyism. However strange it may
sound to the critics, II is nevertheless true
that athletics have made IL possible to gov
ern because athletics have developed an
esprit de corpse hundreds, yes thousands of
students In single university year after
year without the help Of jury, court or
policeman.
Am l then an advocate of foot ball?
What have said 1 have said and desire
not to alter Base ball and foot ball are
the best outdoor sports we have Cor the
American youth and foot bali is The most
popular, not only among the youth, but
among the American people themselves. II
is rough game, but taking account of the
large number of people who play lt--com-
pairing them for example with the mora
luxurious motorists-the number of serious
accidents and of fatalities Is small. The
game is so stirring it challenges the play
impulse of young Americans. 1t appeals so
strongly to the popular love of vigorous
competition, 1t has in 1t so many elements
of military discipline and moral training
1t AFFORD such a columinous vent for huge
masses OF superfuous feeling and energy in
players and spectators alike which other
wise would seek and find an outlet in more
dubious channels-there is, l say, so much
to be addueed in favor of the game that the
criticism which has of late been hailed
upon 1t will on impartial consideration be
found to be. If not hyster1cal and fIenzied
at Least one-sided and unfair.
The game is rough but roughness is no
bad ordeal, and even the scriptures enjoin
us to endure hardness the game is at
tended with accidents; so is every game; so
is every form of human activity and every
form of idleness. Is the game unduly rough
or unduly dangerous? Then let us remove
the extra hazards by a modification of the
rules. In my judgment the two greatest
objections to foot ball as now played are
! smuggling and other Intentional evasons OF
the rules for the purpose of weakening
opponents, and the ucommercialism which
grows out of gate receipts and the handling
by young men of enormous sums of money
/ for athletic purposes
THE first of theseoevils can be remedied
by the enforcement pr severe penalties for
fender, but penalizing his side TO that
end the positions of the umpires must be
rendered more independent so that they
will not scruple to do their duty even when
the stands are filled with the friends and
supporters of the offending team. A few
changes in the rules and in the provisions
for their enforcement would accomplish all
these reforms except the elimination of
commercialisrn And that | suppose, we
must endure till the colleges and universi-
| ties agree TO abolish gate receipts. And
gate receipts will not be abolished till some
less objectionable way is devised of sup
porting athletics.
when the reforms / have been descrb-
| ing are effected In foot ball the friends OF
! the game will owe debt of gratitude to
/ the general public who have shown them
| selves far more sensitive than the experts
I to the Objectionable features OF this branch
. nj "a athletics