Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-24
Professor A. P. Heald, of
Spencer, Severely Condemns
the College Game
PRODUCES ONLY RuFFlANs
Its Principal Object is to Make Men
With Faces of Brass and Necks of
Rubber-A Menace to Education and
Morals - Others at Meeting Defend
the Game.
Special to Tlmes-Republican.

game of football, and in which GER
tain class of players was referred to
the most uncomplimentary terms
Professor A. P. Heald, of Spencer Ia.
a former player on the Iowa State Uni
versity foot ball team, today declared
against foot ball as a menace to the
high school.
At the close Of his paper, which was
read before the Northwest Iowa
Teachers association, an enthusiastic
round of applause showed that the
paper had found adherents.
| Corporation manipulators'' and
"grafters. Professor Heald dubbed
]. the managers of foot ball teams, de-
caring, players lived for months in the
soul enobling, elevating atmosphere of
gambling to return at the end of the
season.
The Foot Ball Standard.
Colleges were dubbed hotbeds of foot
ball culture, which must put up teams
that can defeat anything in the coun-
try or their enrolment will suffer. Col
1
during the summer who tour the state
to preach the gospel of foot ball and
solicit candidates for the team in the
grand army of foot ball players.
4 Arguments in favor of foot ball were
cracked and split by the keen denunc-
iation of Professor Head. He declared
that he had thousand other argu-
ments, but he would refrain from Civ
ing expression to them in the paper.
II have been told,'' said Professor
Heald chat no one favors foot ball
except men Of brutal character,
whose physical nature predominates
over the mental and moral. Such IS
not the case. have been told that the
opposition to foot ball comes from
sissy boys. find on investigation that
this not be the case AS an argument,
you say foot ball brings into school
class that cannot be reached by all
zebra or other studies. AS a rule the
whole bunch thus induced to enter is
boisterous, rude, rough, profane set,
of no benefit to the school, and to
whom the school is no benefit. They
pollute every pupil with whom they
come into contact by their vulgarity,
OUSCGllt SlOI lcS anu SlSShAS POAAuSSo
breath They drag into the mire all
the better ideals of the school. They
demoralize your school record with
absences.
Curriculum Not Important.
+ Football is the outcropping of u
desire to excel. To crafty this spirit,
amusements have been launched. In
this spirit we find whatever justifica-
ton there is In pool. billiards, poker
and finch But the games of physical
skill are in the province Of boyhood
"Our colleges are hotbeds of football
culture. They graduate a number Of
men proficient in that course who OF
necessity become trained coaches, and
the college who can't put up team
that can lick" anything in the country
must not expect it's enrolment to in
crease or it's star to be in the as
cendancy.
when 1 suggested to a young man
that he should go to Iowa university
for his college course, he reminded me
that Minnesota had everlastingly wall
loped that institution last year in foot
ball.
Some favor football because it de-
velops a manly physique. 1t does moth
ing of the kind. 1t must have physical
ly perfect men to start in with.
Calls Football Graft.
you will say that it brings into
school a class that can't be reached
thru algebra and other studies.
Such is not the case. They develop a
careless Indifference to school work and
to school discipline which you have
10 eli
Thanksgiving day.
IF it took the weak students and
made them strong; II it developed
better feeling toward the parents, !
would favor it. Now'I simply tolerate
it. But you will say it heightens school
spirit. In fact( it brushes out the edu-
cational spirit and demands that the
football team win by fair means or
foul.
Football in our colleges becomes a
graft. Its managers equip themselves
to become corporation manipulators.
The Standard Oil University goes after
players with Inducements not offered t.,
,debaters Of students, and some Of our
Iowa colleges send out men to tour the
state to preach the gospel Of football
to a hungry and thirsty people. And
he has on his inside pocket a large
number of jobs requiring little and
paying well, to induce young men -
report for the team in the grand army
Of football players.
Football is here today Nearly all
the principals of the state admit that
they don't like it, but it Is demanded
and they must have 1t. Foot ball
drags down the moral standard. 1t
develops desire to win, whether fair
ly or not. To oppose foot ball now,
when it has risen to the height of pop
ularity, would be suicide.
Foot ball trains the physique too
much. It develops brass cheeks, steel
limbs and rubber necks.
you have doubtless noticed the
swagger of the foot ball player.
Watch him as he struts about the field.
If l had my way about 1T I would
at least eliminate this disgusting swag-
ger.
Besides the arguments against
foot ball which I have already named
! might mention a thousand others.
but l will refrain. Most of the rea-
sons have given are good and legit-
innate. / have others that speak for
themselves. have some that speak
with silent eloquence."
A Champion Appears.
At the close Of the paper Professor
w A. Burton, OF Kingsley, entered
lively protest against the abolition OF