The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-12-02

and other contests which develop manly men, 1t is
also certain that football playing requires the high
est type of physical evelopment-strength, size,
good lungs perfect heart action besides cool head,
quick eye, indomable pluck and agility. Such quail
ties can only be developed By correct habits of liy
ing Cigarette smoking, drinking and other evil
habits which stunt the growth and sap the vigor of
youth must be entirely abstained from. The foot
ball player is the hero of the girls and the idol Of
the boys He has entirely superseded the dude
Of twenty years ago, with his narrow chest, lsping
talk and white hands stained only by cigarettes.
The natural ambition of every boy is TO be
hero, and he will naturally take his cue from the
one on the pedestal He knows that the bad habits
referred to viii disualify him and instead of be-
ing the hero he will be classed among the willie
boys"
That this ambition the part Of boys has borne
practical fruit Is shown b.. comparing the college
graduate of the present day with that of ten or
fifteen years ago Formerly, the college graduate
was the butt Of the humorsts and cartoonsts, far
as his business ability was concerned. Business
houses found them so incompetent for practical af-
fairs that they Disseminated against them. Those
who graduated with honors. as rule, had such
weak pbysiques and jaded brains that they were I'M
able to adjust themselves to practical conditions OF
life. They could recite the Had in the original,
perhaps, but they could not control men, The type
has entirely changed. Today the typical graduate
Is husky, strappng individual, with clear eye
and plenty of common sense as we'll as learning.
1t has been proven that by devoting half his time
football and the other half to his studies he has
accomplished more than the boy who devoted all his
time to his studies He possesses the physique which
makes him able to take care of himself in any lit
tie discussion mental or physical which may arise,
and he is not likely to be imposed upon. 1t is not
right to class him with hired murderer whose only
object is to kill someone else in an arena for
ey He is the kind of man who can take charge of
mine, railway or bank, and make practical
success of it. He is ready to do a stunt in rough
riding if his country needs him, and he has been
trained to face danger with steady nerves. and be
up and coming in an emergency.
1t is regrettable that deaths should have re-
suited from football, and if the rules can be so
amended as to eliminate the danger of a repetition
of such disasters, and without emasculating the
game, it would be well. If, however, only such
sports are permitted as contain no element of dam
ger, and which have not been responsible for many
deaths, then we must eliminate polo, horseback rid
ing swimming, skating, baseball and other contests
which develop manly men, Vicious habits are re-
sponsible for more deaths than football, and any
thing which keeps boys from those habits should
be encouraged The learned college professors should
weigh the matter carefully for it is the most inn
portant question in college management of the pres
ent day.