Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-10
5. S. LEAGUE TROUBLES.
Six Teams Withdrew From organiza-
tion at Last Nights Meeting.


tion at Last Nights Meeting.
A meeting OF the board OF directors OF
the Sunday School Base Ball League took
place last evening at the Office OF Mr.
George A Provost the president, with
the result that the representatives of six
of the strongest clubs which made up the
league last year announced that they
would have no team IN the field during
the coming season. The schools which
win not be in the league from present In
dications are Gunton-Temple. Mt. Pleas
ant Congregational, Gurley. ST. Stephens,
Calvary Baptist and Fourth Presbyterian.
The reason that the schools have deter
mined to not again stand sponsors for
teams is that after much time and trouble
had been taken to maintain the clubs
the leaders in the schools believe that the
boys have not taken the interest in Sun
day school work that they were expected
to do. The school pride that was expected
to do so much good In the effort for better
work and increased attendance of the
schools did not materialize among the
PLAYERS as the school leaders had supposed.
and the spirit of 'the team seemed up
permost In the minds of the boys instead
of the greater work of which the idea of
the base ball team was but an adjunct
The main idea having failed, to the
minds of the leaders of the schools, there
was but one thing to do and that was
TO not put teams in the field during the
coming season. Many of the supporters
of the league had hoped that at the meet
ing strict eligibility code would be form
uiated which required that any player
should be regular attendant at Sunday
school the year around. AS the rule in
erect during the past season did not re-
quire the players to be in attendance hut
few Sundays before the base bail season
commenced. during the summer there were
naturally plenty of players in the school.
but precious few after the base ball sea-
son had come to a close
RMS failure on the part of the players
TO take an active interest in the school
AFTER the close of the season was discour-
aging TO the leaders who had gone to so
much time and trouble to fit out their
various teams.
The followers of the league had known
for some time that there were to be
radical changes in the matter of reorganiZ-
Ing the league before the commencement
of the coming base ball season, but hardly
any were ready for the announcement of
the fact that there would be no base ball
at the schools which have heretofore been
represented so we'll among the leader for
the pennant in the Sunday School series.
Although the announcement has been made
that they are to have no teams during the
coming season. many hope that the players
who have merely gone to Sunday school
for the sake of sport" and not for the
good that may be derived, will be eIiminat-
ed from the ranks of the teams, and that
when the season opens Mount Pleasant,
Congregational, Gunton and Fourth may
be represented by the boys who have at
tended the schools throughout the year,
and who, under the rules of eligibility
which should have been formulated at the
beginning of the league would have been
the proper representatives, instead of those
who merely went to Sunday school with
the prospect of making the team. While
the league may not be represented upon
the diamond this season, still ii must be
borne in mind that the action of the board
last evening will not in any way affect the
Sunday School Athletic Association. of
which base ball Is but one of the FORMS
of athletics. At the meeting last evening
the representatives of the Sixth Presbye-
ian Fifth Baptist and Calvary Methodist
announced that their teams would remain
in the league. The representatives of Foun,,
dry, Mount Vernon. First congregational
and Metropolitan Baptist We're undecided
as to the course that would be pursued py
their teams, and their announcement as TO
what the leaders of the Sunday schools OF
these teams will do will be made at
later date when they have had time TOT
more mature elaboration upon the suoJect.
As measure to save the league, If pos
sible a committee was appointed. consist
ing of Mr.. F. w. Bolgiano, chairman. III.
M F. Thompson, Mr.. A l.. Dietricn, MT. ".
A Clark and Mr. Walter Price, TO consider
the adyisablity of continuing the league
with seven clubs, and II same should De
done to devise plans whereby the league
could be formed. This committee Will meet
at the residence of the chairman on Tuesday
evening of next week. and 1t Is said that
every effort will be made by several or the
representatives to have the league gong at
the beginning of the coming season. IL is
proposed by several who are interested IN
the matter of keeping the league upon the
diamond that If the seven clubs enter the
league all of the games could be played
upon the large grounds at 18th and Ly-
decker avenue northwest, where good sport
was seen during the past season Since the
Sunday School League was established SO
many of the residents of Columbia Heights
and other parts of Mount Pleasant have
gotten SO used to attending the contests
that they will have quite time getting
l f,.nrf har hall
contests of afternoon on the Mount
Pleasant lot 1t is also hoped by many of
the base ball enthusiasts that if the seven
clubs are formed In league more pre-
sent themselves for membership, With a
strict eligibility code which will not allow
a player to compete In a contest unless he
should have been in attendance at his
Sunday school previous to his having Of
fered to compete with those who have
places on the team.
At the conference held at the Y. M. c. A.
two weeks ago the question came up for
discussion as to whether or not some action
should be taken to have Stricter eiigi-
bility for the players of the teams but at
that time the members were not decided as
to what action should be taken to cause
the greatest benefit to the Sunday school,
1t is also the intention of some of the MEM
berS of the board of directors to have an
athletic meet of the scholars of the Sunday
schools during the coming summer and also
to have a basket ball league formed In the
near future from the players of the va
rious teams which will be boys who attend
the Sunday schools regularly and whose
attendance has been regular In the past
After the meeting last evening President
Provost said: From a base ball stand
point and business enterprise there can
be no question as to the success of the past
two years. However, some of those who
withdrew feel as though the time and
money might be spent with better results
in other directions. The disposition of a
large proportion of the players has been to
attend Sunday school only during the base
ball season, rather than permanently inter-
esting themselves with the different schools
This has tended to discourage promoters of
the enterprise. and 1t was for this reason