The news & observer., 1905-11-19
FooT-BALL--ITS DANGER

If one desires conclusive proof of
the good of any thing that is peculiar
ly American he should observe
whether or not an Englishman ap-
proves.
Very frequently he does not approve
and the American is of that happy
isposition-especially as regards the
English-that he is enabled to stand
the criticism with an indulgent laugh.
1t might as well be admitted, how
ever, that English approval is very
dear to American hearts-posSibly
because, when it comes, it is SO pa
tently involuntary. Particularly as to
his prerogative of sports does the
Englishman go cautiously before he
will show his hand. No sport can
ever be played in America in quite
the English way and, that failing, the
Englishman is apt to fall back on
his line of precedents and denounce
the innOvatioS.
aplomb is Jared from it's stable foun-
datiops. and then you may know that
the moving cause lies deep. / have
seen an EngliShman remain absolute
ly impaSSive while a dozen of the fin
est thoroughbreds in the country
swept with a thunder of hoofs into
the straight so that any one of the
leading Jockeys could have touched
three other horses either of which
might win in the next two hundred
yards; have seen his eye, cold and
critical, resting on a sight that would
have stirred the soul of an Indian
to delirum. while, inch by inch his
jockey riding with arms and legs and
body, great chestnut forged from
the rear over-hauling the leaders
jump by jump; have seen the leaders
collared within ten strides of the wire
and watched them flash by side by
side and so close that the wizened.
desperate faces of the jocks, their set
mouths and the hooded glance of their
eyes. flashed out in picture of the
transport of motion and of battle, and
the heave and leap and play of whip
cord muscles in the mighty f1anks of
their steeds, and known the English
man to turn from a finish noses apart
with men tearing their hair and wo-
men crying and hugging one another
all around and forget the whole
grand spectacle in contemptuous dis
gust because he wasn't pleased with
the style of starting the race! 1t was
good enough in all conscience. the
time was the fastest ever made for
the distance, but it wasn't English,
don't you know" 1 have seen ar
Englishman, again, watching his first
baseball game with utter Indifference
apparently rise suddenly up with the
rest of the grandstand at a smash over
the left field fence and get red in the
face with the effort to keep back his
cheers and, sitting down again, have
heard him remark five minutes after
the event that it was a "bally good
swat" But it takes a football game
to make an Englishman forget his
nationality. For while he will ask
strange questions in Volapuk about
''scrimmages' and forwards" and
''dribbling," and what not of ancient
terms as they are spoken at Rugby,
but he cannot long resist the appeal
of that king of games. Pick out your
Englshman in the wild moments that
follow on a touchdown and, ten to
one, his hat will be off and he will
be hitting somebody on the back and
dancing up and down in quite an
American way-and quite as though
he understood what it was all about!
Football is in the concrete the Sc
cret ambitions of the men and the
primal admirations of the women. 1t
is a glorious spectacle of passions and
pride and loyalty clashing together
for final arbtrament before ones
eyes. 1t is a battle of men,. 1t Is
naked strength, frank and unashamed
and confident. Before it's command
the shams of polite life disappear.
The crowd as well as the players be-
come natural. Things are said face
to face. 1t is the grip of the native
wish to be the best man. 1t is the
modern survival of the old dream of
the body beautiful; quick blood, swift
limbs. strong heart found latent
through the ages under their cover
ing of clothes. Seeing which, the null
titudes of narrow chests which would
collapse at a back-handed pat from
arg ole of the gladiators they watch,
feel within their tiny frames the an
cient longings of free life and a fair
fight: and, going home, misty eyed
and grave, taughten their fiabby mus
cleS and, for a moment live in the
game themselves, doing mighty deeds,
crushing over PROSTATE bodies. emerg-