The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-15

not really reduce athletics to this t'reary
rcslduum. How nat, stale and utterly M
nlluring would be tho athletes life then
how ,iiistoried and tiis,ing! II President
Wright runs his own Clark College on
tits basis, wp arc s,,rn that 1t must be
n very policy place to 80 70 soho Del
It is comforting to think, however, tn 'i't
We needn't 20 there; and thai there would
be no Immediate likelihood that any OF
the Important colleges would follow
Clhrk's example. @
Wise college presidents arc not golns
10 put intercollegiate contests under the
ban, because. for one thing. they are
powerful attrnctors Of students. Big
athletic events bring the college veiS
prominently into public notice The an
nual Yale. Princeton football game, for
example. obtains more space III leading
newspapers than the commencement en-
crciscs OF either, probably Of both conf
fbined Everybody is interested in 1t ana
talks about It; and 1t Is no more than
natural that n healthy youth should pre-
fer 10 choose an Alma Mater whom, some
body has heard the name of. Peculiarly
spcaklng, n good team is one of the best
advertisements college can have, and
alert presidents. OF the new. business
type. are very we'll aware Of 1t.
But above this somewhat unitarian
nssor. there is another and higher one.
Athletic sports, even under conditions
far FROM ;teA., are good thing for
college and an excellent thing for the
s.,en who ;ssei A hand III them. To the
college they ,,rins an increase In college
spirit, uniticaticn and cen'rasizaison oil
interest, d lesson OF Individual sacrifice
10 the common good Of all. To the player
they bring physical Improvement OF I'M
;nis;akaass VALUE in the future task OF
earning . living, and. unless he Is hope
.essiy the wrong sort, n growth III
courage. In fairness. In r,enta, alertness
ans. self reliance, and III personsi etf-
tssacy No one has yet succeeded IN
showing That a good college athlete goes
~: s..o the world less fitted for psay'ns
. *urthy par; III the hattie OF life than
one who has been merely a good student.
GA The other hand statistics complied
a year or THO from WHO'S Who in
= in regard to the latter careers
o; members Q. Harvard crews, developed
the interesting fact. Il we remember
a.isht. that the percentage OF oarsmen
w!le had made what world commonly
b erag araei as success in life" Was fas
larger than the percentage of success
full. members of ,he college honorary
scholarship society. sa1
As 10 the ..del,praliz!ng influences
Wnlch presiden. Wight rather vaguely
mentions In this connection. We are not
sure that we know jus, wha, he means.
i: he has in mind. however, the drift TO-
ward commerciallsn, n athletics, OF
which we had something TO say in these
columns some ,in1e ago, we are heartily
in accord with him- Commercial'sm has
no place in sport, and ought to be stamp
ed out on sight.
we are SIN more opposed. OF course.
to ,ricsery and smuggling on the field. but
athletics must not be abolished. because
OF needless abuses.
The way. 10 get the best out Of under
graduate athletics, we believe, Is not to,
abolish. but 10 reform. Cut out the pro.
fessional coach: do away With the col
lege agents" proscly,ising visits 10 the
prep" school: have an end to this perni-
cious determination to win at any cost
Let us return to the old conception of
sport rs gentlemans pastime, counting
healthy rivalry, honestly ambitious TO
excel. yet playing for sports sake only
This kind Of athletics by all means let US