Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-02-09
PRESIDENT Eliot's Report

President Eliot, IN his annual 70,
port, says on the subject OF foott hl: |
THE American game of football 10
now played i wholly unit ion cool
leges and schools
"tll II causes an unreasonable
number OF serlous injuries and
deaths not one In five OF the men
that play football several seasons sea
sons escape without injury properly
called serious, and vi the twenty to
thirty picked players who play hard
throughout the season hardly a man
esc,, nes serious injury. The public
hss beer. kept ignorant concerning the
number and gravity Of these injuries.
the prevailing practice among coaches,
asd players having Sseeu 70 conceal
sr make light Of the injuries sustain.
ed Many Of the serious injuries are
OF such q ature-sprains. strains,
VI encles. ~dislocati0ns, ruptures OF
ligafh ents and muscles, aud shocks to
me- Npejn--that In all probal lltty they
can Afever be- perfectly. repdtred.
"(eJ Violations Of the rules OF the
game, by cosciie>', trainers and splayI
ers are higaay N"oftapl4 spdtt are
pertetrat>'d by an "pdfties'
"G.) In any .hs,,dfspght game
many OF the actions O. the players
are Invisible to the spe> 'tators. and
to the referee and spsh,ire; hence
much profitable foul play 'sst apes no
ice. "a
~ The game offers many sppN ftu'
for several players to cSqpbN>'"
n violently attacking one player. ~
"(6.) There 10 NO such thing as
generosity between combatants. sNy !.
than there h IN w1r. NJ
"t6.) Acts Of brutality are coa.Nf
family committed. partly as rcsults \
{ the passions naturally aroused
! hgpting, but often on w~ell-ground.
d calculation OF proit toward vic. A.
w. -,
"(7) Az a spectacle. for persous
no know what the game really is.
Is mor brutalising than prize.
Regarded "a q combat be-
veen highly trained men. the prise =.
ne has great advantages over the -
otball 1eld; for the rules Of the y.
ise ring are more humane than
ose OF football, and they a be. and -,
ten are. strictly enforced. The
hit In a prize ring between two
en- facing each other is perfectly
sjble. 30 tligt there are no secret "
al In football Yet sn'
ize-hghting 1s illegal. Ia
'(S.) The game sets up Q wrong doi
nd Of hero-the man who uses his 70
I myth frutally, With a reckless dis. rev
gard both Of the injuries he may WI
Ter and Of the injuries he may ia.
i on others. That IL moi the bestl
ID OF courage or the best kind Of 0e'
70. The courage which educ&te6
3ple ought to admire Is not tiEt
eckless, unmOtived' cCu-Nge. but tre c
arage that risks life OF. limb to, he!pIOf
save others. n that risks popular mel
fdemnatfon in speaking the truth. Will
in espousfng the cause Of the weaS maj
the mxifgned. tag
All these evils Of f6otUaiT have rnw
'cended from the colleges into thel ~
schools. where they are
king great moral mischief. 1t ISL NJ
arIy the duty OF the colleges, which,
,e permitted these monRtruus evils y
grow up and to become Intense, to pic
'ge themselves OF such fmmoralt and
and to do what they a to help For
secondary schools to purge them 1S0'
also. intercollegiate and in Kas
football ought to be pro- to
tied until a reasonable game has f9et
formulated and thoroughly exems the
led In the practice OF Individual bfaI
titutions It Is childish to sup. plic
that the athletic authorities que
Ich have permitted football to be- oil
a brutal. cheating. ~demMaiizinyl
ne can be trusted to reform It." I:
H
iiss Mary Emilio died at Lincoln.
coin county, Of appendicitis at the A