The sun., 1905-09-10
COLUMBIA'S NEEDS IN SPORT.
GRADUATE EXPLAINS THE UNI-
VERSITY,S DISADVANTAGES.
Net 30 Many 0tudents 20 Draw From In
Athletics % Generally supposed-Lack
Of Facilities for Outdoor sport . Bsr
to Progress-'rO0 Many Small Teams.

NV % nnbUy 0VtDUcuW W DtbW rEVs" un
Athletics % Generally supposod-Laok
Of Facilities for Outdoor sport . Bar
to Pr0gress-TOo Many Small Teams.
Within week or 90 the beginning OF
preliminary football practise at Columbia
will mark the opening of another athletic
year. Columbia has great hopes OF her
coming football season, but has little to
look back upon that is cheerful In the ath.
letic line. The year completed was charac-
terized by only fair success. The so-called
minor sports were the stronghold OF the
local university, but In none Of the major
sports save baseball, and there only feebly,
did Columbia shine.
In the main 1t WAS noticed that Columbia
did best In indoor sports; due not TN
naturally to the fact that facilities for
indoor work are much completer and better
at Columbia than for the outdoor aotivi-
ties. This must be qualified In the case OF
rowing. Continued weakness; more or
less pronounced, in athletics has come to
be 80 serious an affair that It has given
much concern to the loyal graduates OF
the Morningside institution. They want
to see the university's athletes and
teams win; and they are making diligent
efforts to find out exactly what IA the matter
and wherein the trouble lies.
A prominent graduate who has been in
touch with Columbia sports for the past
ten years said recently:
"Not a few persons have often said:
columbia is big institution. with nearly
5000 students to draw from 1t seems
as II 1t were easily possible from 80 great
a crowd to draw material OF value for
every sport
Persons cannot understand when told
that. Columbia has very small fields Of can
didates for all sports and that the majority
Of those who come out for the teams are not
exactly Of the right quality. The trouble
at Columbia is attributable to several
causes. Indifference, shown in the small
squads; Incompetence, shown in the poor
quality Of the squads, and the last. an
Intangible thing, lack OF cohesiveness.
The general attitude OF the institut ion is
opposed to athletics. Many persons will
refute this; but the fact ia that Columbia
is 90 much Of university and 80 little
college that the men are not supposed
to take time from their advanced work to 60
out for athletic teams. There Ia q certain
feeling against sports among the instruct
ors. In the college proper; where the men
all have time enough to 60 out for athletics
and do their work besides; the instructors
are strongly against the athlete. One Of
the most prominent OF them; a man in the
English department; never lets an oppor-
tunity 20 by to demo unce athletics and
its influences and to show plainly that only
tho non athlete can hope TO prosper In his
sight. This attitude naturally deters the
men Immediately under his control! and
they are many.
But the college student is not 40 much
missed from athletics, for the simple reason
that he is too young 1t is possible for q
man to enter Columbia College at the
age Of IS. Not only is it possible but 1t Is
quite the usual thing for those OF the mini
mum age to enter. 1t can be seen easily
why these men are Of little Use in sports.
Until they get to be seniors, only the most
herculean efforts ever can drag them into
sport. They display. when about to be
graduated, the same amount Of athletic
ability as that shown by the graduates OF
one Of the bigger high schools or prepara-
tory academies. Most OF these little fell
lows are city lads. who spend little time
away from their studies at any time. This
to a great extent eliminates the college
student from the calculations Of the cap
tains and managers Of teams at Columbia.
This throws the burden Of the strain OF
supporting sports upon the other depart
nents. The schools OF applied science,
law, philosophy and medicine are the ones
left OF these the law school and the
schools Of applied science are the only
ones that can and do furnish men for the
teams. This is the backbone OF Columbia's ,,
teams These men make their effort, for
they realize that it is up to them
They enter college when they are nearly
20 years of age and leave when they are
nearly "a They are matured. more like
what a man should be, and they compare
more favorably in development and
ability with the men OF the teams OF other
colleges which are not SO devoted to the
best means OF advertisement The law
school, a graduate institution at Columbia,
clrously enough furnishes large number
Of athletes. Naturally most OF these men
are from other institutions. where they
played out almost all their permitted term
OF intercollegiate composition. They have
no undergraduate enthusiasms and often
come out only to escape the annoyance OF
being pursued and begged to come out.
These men. however, DO ;a1 time ana aos;Saa again
and act toward Columbia as If it really
were their alma mater.
That, briefly. is one side OF the defense
of Columbia. The medical students simply
maven L Cn0 Clfno 10 COI1o all Cuo way uP
from Fifty-ninth street to practise for teams,
and their ten hour day OF study is not ar
ranged with a view to permitting them to
take part in athletics. So the 900 from
which to draw dwindles gradually into the
400 from the college, rarely available. as
has been pointed out; the few among science
students who dare TO take their time from
study; the scanty quota from the law school,
and an occasional student Of philosophy.
Altogether there are about 900 or 900
men from whom to draw. That is, men
who from inclination or circumstances
can compete in sports. It is useless to count
the Teachers College students, the medical
students, the pharmacy men and most OF
the graduates in pure science. The men
haven't the time, and they aren't there for
athletics. That is the whole attitude. 1t
is indifference, simply because the men are
there to study, not to play.
But there il something that hurts CO. |
lumbia sports quite as much. That Is the
lack Of proper places for the practise OF
games In basketball, in water polo. in
swimming in gymnastics where Columbia
has facilities equal to the best Of the other
colleges. the local institution is the inter-
collegiate champion. That is significant,
surely. Outdoors. across from the library |
building there In a poor thing called South !