The Washington times., 1906-12-09
RUGBY UNPOPULAR
IN THE FAR WEST
Frisco Athletes Declare it
Unfair Not to Give Reno
Vated Game Trial.
ENGLISH SPORT A FAILURE
Under Present Rules the American Con-
rest Is More Open and Spectacular
Than Foreign Style.

! one seasons experiment with Rugby
football on the Pacific Coast is not very
hatteriug 10 the eXponents of the Eng
Ash game Tor American colleges. At
stanford, for instance-and Stanford is
the Coast champion for Ig5C-there is
"a vigorous demand fer the new Ameri-
can revised game.
The advocates OF the reformed Amer
ican game AT Stanford insist that COM
PARSONS must be made not between
Rugby and the game % 1901. IN which
mass play was predominant. but be-
tween Rugby and the open game If
J 1906 Special claims ma L. for the Eng
Ash game In California included its open
play, but the Stanford students argue
Ihat the reform game is just as open.
and-they emphasize this-m0re in ac-
cord with the spirit of American sport.
+ striking the fairest possible balance be
/ tween Individual work and team play.
Rugby a Failure,
a summary Of the seasons history
shows that the attempt 10 introduce
Rugby into preparatory schools Of Cali
fOrnia was "a failure High schools in
and about Frisco and the neigbboring
cities played the game under revised
rules used universally in the East
In the high school OF Palo Alto the
stanford town, where the school author
ities made determined stand for the
English game. il was only after sus-
pending seven students that they were
able 10 cOe-ce the school into plavins
Rugby. One small college dropped the
sport entirely The attempt 10 trans
plant the English game made trouble
because 10 was impossible 10 wine our
AT stroke the Old traditions and no
cause the milder spirit of English eD,rts
could not be grated upon the sturdy
American stock. As the Stanford Sc
quota puts 1t editorially: we began
with Rugby thirty years ago and il
mas taken three decades 10 build up the
splendid game that IS all our own"
kut the hardest obstacle the R1gby-
people had TO buck against was the fact
that reform" football. the open gaT,
was having phenomenal success amons
the colleges, big and little. of the East
Aleck Chalmers. captain OF Sranrnr,I,o
l9ao team, is dead against the Rugby
game. Is Rugby a worthy substitute
for the old game?" he writes in re-
sponse TO a request for his opinion. ..J
can't say that II is. There were u1arv
objections 20 the old game, but the
only important one is that Of the mass
plays They don't appeal to the spec-
tatorsr and much less 20 the DIayers
Three hard seasons OF such pIav is TOO
great strain Such plays should be
done away with, and they are done
away with in the game as IL is now
played in the East
Could Be Made More Open.
There is no reason why this Ameri-
can game can't be made even more omen
than it is without further change of
rules-such as passing the ball on kick
offs or after any XIX It's PLAYS and
formations are more constant than they
are i'm Rugby. Every man is detached
and free TO use his skill as he is taught .
In Rugby half OF the players are strtlne I
ont clear across the field. while the
othe~ half are tightly jammed together. +
heads down. hands and arms used as
ropes, one foot for pushing and the [
other Tor hooking the BAN out. Such a 1
formation is too much like mass PLAY.
with main strength as the requirement. /
we changed To Rugby because the 4
American game was corrupted ia the
East now the new American game has I.
been adopted almost universally. Why
shouldn't we consider it-at least give (
it one years trial?''
Others are with ex-Captain Chalmers. /
while there is a faction which is for
Rugby, fearing that if stand is made .
for the other game the faculty will put
the ban on football altogether 4aIf a 4
loaf may be better than no bread. bUt f.
most men prefer TO make a bold try for .
the whole loaf. 4
good argument brought forward by 1
the antl-RugbN majority is that next
fall the English game Will be harder to I
boom than ever, because the new rules
have made good and there viii be no 4
such confusion as there was this year,
when the sport in any form was in |
danger.