Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-13
Another Gas. of "kmatcurisn."

After rigid examination by the
| college authorities and the advisory
beard of the Holy Cross Athletic Asso-
citation William Carrisan, Holy Cross
premier catcher of last years team. has
Leen deemed eligible for the varsity
nine the coming season. The decision
has been arrived at only after the
greatest scrutiny into the case. and
after Carrgan had shown beyond doubt
that he had not played professional bail
last summer. rs alleged by a hotel
keeper III Winthrop Me.
| "Carrican had been notified that
should the charges be substantiated he
| would not be allowed to report for cage
PRACTICE February /, and at the inSti-
gltion Of many OF his friends he paid
a visit 10 Maine shortly before the
Christmas vacation opened. An inves-
tigation showed that an error had been
made and Carrigan was Immediately
lcAoncrated. II was shown that at the
| time the charges We're brought forth
Carrigan was employed by prominent
| Winthrop business concern. and that
while ne had played a few games with
the Winthrop team he did so entirely
for his own amusement and without
remuneration"
Isn't that rich? II is a dispatch un-
der Worcester. Mass, date line which
appeared this week in Boston news
paper. and the same thing i'm other
forms has appeared in several out of
the State papers within the past few
days. To the people down this way
/ 7
season. it is a very amusing illustration
| Of the kind Of "amateurism'' which
| prevails ut certain colleges which make
a pretence of enforcing amateur rules.
| Evidently under the rules of the Holy
| Cross athletic association-and the
same rules In substance prevail at Har
| ward, Yale. Brown, Dartmouth, Will
| lian:s. Wesleyan and practically all
| universities and colleges Of standing
outside of Maine-a student who plays
baseball for money during the summer
| is barred from future participation
| upon his college athletic teams, and the
resul: is that hypocrisy, dishonesty and
deceit are promoted and the rules con-
tinually violated at all the institutions
| named.
| Her. iii our Maine colleges we are
oi,cn and honest in this matter. The
| boy who earns money by playing sum-
| nicr baseball is no more barred from
| participation i'll college athletics than
I I
books or waiting on tables at summer
resort hotel. 1t is simply required that
| he be a bona-fide student in good
standing in his studies. that he shall
| not participate in college athletics more
| than four years, and that if he goes
from ole college To another he shall
not represent the latter college in ath-
| letics until after a residence of ono
year. His means of earning money in
vacation. provided it be honest. is not u
matter of concern to the college or it's
athletic association. This is as it should
| be everywhere. The so-called "ama-
teurism" which the outside institutions
| attempt to maintain is nothing less
| than a relic of British snobbishness in
| sports aud is wholly out of keeping
| with the spirit of fair play and democ-
| racy which should prevail in athletics
al all American educational institu-
| tons.
OF course. everybody down this way
| know; the circumstances Of the Carri-
patch. He was Il regular member of
| the Winthrop team and played in all
| tic games except during the time tiut
| he was under suspension by the board
of managers for jumping his contract
with the IIallowcll team in order to get
| better pay ut Winthrop. But in order
to retain his valuable services upon
| their athletic teams. the Holy Cross
| "a hlctic authorities blind their eyes to
the fl is which could easily nave been
| asccrtained here. and declare that he is
| eligible because "it has been shown DC
yo.l1 doubt that lie did not play pro-
i
| fcSSioHal ball last summer ana that
| he was employed by Il prominent Win
| throp business concern and played :,
| few games with the Winthrop team for
his own amusement and without re-
| muneration.'
This is the bnldest kind Of evasion of
| the amateur rulc which Holy Cross pre-
| tends to enforce. More than that. it is
puerilc tummyrot, and makes such
| ".,mateurism'' at Holy Cross and other
| institutions which have similar rules
nothing less tnan laughing stock.
Better far is the openness and honesty
of the Maine colleges in this matter.