Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-12

| things make a difference whether the
fond parent is a president or a section
hand. When the other fellows boy is
carried to the side lines we wonder
how his loss will affect the score. But
when our own Willie is mined out
from mountain of arms and legs and
long hair and logged away for repairs
the game is over for us. Interest gives
away to anxious horror and we hurry
to see what parts of William still re-
main. 1t is human nature. and prest-
dents, princes and bricklayers are all
human.
But if Mr.. Roosevelt expects to elm
mate brutality from foot ball, he has
entered upon the most strenuous job
of his strenuous career Perhaps he
may succeed in refining the brutality
of which he complains. Football, as a
game is fight between men of much
physical prowess and strategical skill,
However, its charm for the average
uninitiated onlooker is in the atavistic
return to pure physical force. The
game fellow who gives his last ounce
OF energy, careless of injury to him
self or others, who hugs the ball to
broken rib to save a yard of gain,
or rolls half conscious across the line
for a touchdown, forgetful of every
thing else except the goal, is the one
we cheer, and carry on our shoulders.
Foot ball has in 1t return
to the primary principle of brute force.
The physical it's it's keynote and there
is close cousinship between the ply
steal and the brutal And we who have
grown fat and stale and middle-aged
live over the keen animalism of our
lusty youth while the squads are fight
ing for the round black excuse in the
center, as tho for life and liberty, and
sacred honor. 1t is the riot Of physical
force, the renaissance of the combat
that stirs our red corpuscles, and sends
us chasing, shouting, eIftreating, along
the side lines, when ours are carrying
the ball or defending goal. Theodore
Roosevelt nor any other can eliminate
this gift of the primitive man to his
descendants.
Mr.. Roosevelt is right. The game is
too rough, but the college youth, prov
erbially impudent, is likely to turn Mr..
Roosevelt's own guns against him,
and tell him to keep his boy out Of
the game or take his medicine" In the
democracy Of foot ball there are no
sons Of presidents. If young Theodore
and his father are unwilling to risk
rib or chance leg in the toughest
game of all, there are tennis and golf
and a half hundred other forms of ex-
ercise open. If he is to wear long hair
and a canvas jacket, he must not count
broken collar bones. They are I'M
fortunate incidents Of the game.
College men recognize the difference
between clean and dirty play. The
game IS rough ana DTuIdl at pest. MeI
who injure opponents deliberately in
defiance of the rules are to be condemn
ed and eliminated. This much foot ball
owes to itself and the public, but foot
ball must ever be a rough game. While
ftinjures men it also makes men cour-
ageous strong of physique, it trains
them in strategy for use in the COM
mercial fight that is to follow, 1T also
trains them to observe the rules Of q
fair fight and to this end the rules
should be constantly under revision to
reduce injuries to e minimum.
The discipline, self-repression taught,
the physical courage inculcated
by the game are the real reas-
ons for it's existence. Whatever faults
it may have it helps to make men,
and the chance of an occasional broken
leg or collar bone is everything COLI
sidered not too great price to pay
for foot ball Roosevelt's advice is
still good in business or foot ball, hit
the line hard, and stay by the rules Of
tho poyno