Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-29

at length what should be done in
Harvard to produce the right spirit
| among the. men who 60 out OF Harvard.
but rather to speak of what this spirit
should be. Nor. shall speaker the
| exceptions. the men to whom colies"
| life Is disadvantage. Randolph. or
Roanoke. he Of the oitIilg tongue. once
remarked Of an opponent that he re-
| minded him of certain tracts OF iand
(which were almost worthless by ma;
ture, and became entirely SO by cufti-
| vation." OF course, If in any indi-
vidual university. training produces 2
taste for refined idlencss. Il distaste Tor
| sustained effort, q barren intellectual
| arrogance, or a sense OF superciliOus
| aioofness from the world of real men
| who do the worlds real work, then 1t
has harmed that Individual: but in
such case there remains the abiding
| comfort that he would not have
amounted to much anyway. Neither Il
| college training nor anything else can
| do much good to the man o. weak fiber
| or to the man with 4 twist In his moral
or intellectual makeup. But the aver
age undergraduate mas enough robust
| ness of nature, enough capacity for en-
thusiasm and. aspiration, to make it
| worth while TO turn to account the stuff
| that is in him.
There are, however, two points In the
undergraduate life of Harvard about
which l think we have 4 right to feel
some little concern. One is the growth
| Of luxury in the university. l do not
know whether anything we can say
| will have much effect on this point. but
just so far as the alumni have weight
| 1 hope to see that weight felt in serious
and sustained effort against the grow
| ing tendency to luxury. and in favor of
| all that makes for democratic Condi-
| tons. One Of our number, the one
whom l think the rest Of us most de-
light to honOr-COlOnrl HigginsOn-has
given to our alma mater the Harvard
| Union. than which no better gift. no
gift meeting more vital need. could
| have been given to the university. 1t
| Is neither possible nor dos irable to try
| to take away all social differences from
the student life; but it is a good thing
| to Show how unimportant these differ
ences are compared TO the differences of
real achievement, and compared alO tn
| the bonds which should unite together
all the men who are in any degree cap
| able OF such real achievement: bonds,
moreover. which should also knit these
| capa BILE men to their brethren who need
their help.
| The second point upon which 1 wish
to speak is the matte of sort. Now
shall not be suspected of a tendency
unduly to minimize the Importance ot
1 biol in,
believe in outdoor games. and 1 do not
mind III the least th:,t ;hey are rough
games, or that those who take part in
them are occasionally injured. l have
no sympathy whatever with the over
| wrought sentimentulitN. which would
| keep a young man III cotton wool. and
l have a hearty contempt for him If he
| counts a broken arm OF. collar bone as
| of serious consequence. when balanced
| against the chance of showing that he
possesses hardihood, physical address
and courage. But whel these injuries
are inflicted by Others. sither ,wantonly
the question. not OF Pa damage to one
mans body. but of da ritiSe to the other
mans character. Brutality in playing
Il game should awaken the heartiest
and most plainly shown contempt for
the player guilty Of II; especially If
this brutality is coupled with a low
cunning in committing it without get
ting caught by the umpire. hope to
see both graduate and undergraduate
| opinion come to scorn such Il man as
one guilty Of base and dishcnorable ac-
/ ton who has no place i'll the regard of
| gallant and upright men.
1t is a bad thing for any college man
| to grow to regard sport as the serious
business of life. 1t ~ 4 bad thing to
Permit sensationalism AMI hysteria to
shape the development Of our sports.
| And finally it is a much worse thing 10
| permit college sport to Ect ono in ans
| shape or way tainted by professional
ism, or by so much AZ the slightest
suspicion Of moEeymakiEg: and this is
| especially true if the professionalism
is furtivc. If the boy or man violates
| the spirit of the rule while striving to
keep within the letter. Professional
sport is all right IN it's way / am glad
to say that among my friends number
professional boxers and wrestlcrs. oars
men, and baseball mcl. whose regard
l value, anu W Ioiit UNI lS6oiu dH
thoroughly good citiIera But the col
lege undergraduates who. in furtive
fashion, becomes a scnli-profcssional is
an unmitigated curse. and that no:
/ alone to university life &nd to the cause
of amateur sport; for the college gradu-
ate ought in after Yeas to take tn,
lead i'm putting the business morality
Of this country on 4 proper plane. and
! he can not do it if in mis- own college
career his code Of conduct has been
i warped and twisted. Moreover. the
| spirit which puts SO exec ssivc value
upon his work as to produce this semi
| professional is itself unhealthy. l wish
| to see Harvard win "A reasonable pro-
portion of the contests in Which it en-
| tors. and | should be heartily ashamed
| of every Harvard athlct" who did not
| spend every ounce there was In him in
| the effort to win, provided only he does
| it i'm honorable and manly fashion.
| But l think our effort should be to
minimize rather than to increase that
kind of love of athletics which mani
tests itself. not in joining I'm the at<le-
tic sports but in crOwdmg by tens of
thousands to see other people indulge
in them. 1t is 2 far better thing for
our colleges to have the average stu