The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02

exceptional men. In the other lines, TOO,
they cannot but be hurt.
The action OF the University OF Pennsyl-
vania ls impelled by a motive that Is more
than dislike. There is cool calculation In
IL, III the continued refusal OF the Pennsyl-
vanians Co meet the Harvard men IL i'm
prssHed sufficiently on oil fair minded
collego nnen-at Harvard as well as at other
institutions will not be long before a
demand for the true reason will be forth
coming. IL may in time become so strong
that an inquiry will he held. IL will not
be so unexpected, then, that an Apology
he sent to the University OF Pennsylvania
from Harvard. Most college men will
admit that some repatriation lie due the
PhiiadelI hans for what cannot be con-
strued into anything other than an insult.
Az matters now stand and will continue
70 stand until some reparation ia made,
the various intercollegiate associations in
the minor sports may well be disrupted by
the dislnion that exists. II cannot be so
long before sidesi in this dispute will be taken
Then the mere opposition Of sentiment will
lead 20 action and some Of the minor sport
organizations which have hade r dstrugRle
for existence will crumble to pieces at about
the time when there were hopes that they
were getting on a steady footing. The
fault will be Harvard's as much ~ Penn
sylvania's. The loss will be that of the
whole college world
There is not a great deal OF surprise
among college men on this side OF the water
that q request from the jamestown exposi-
ton that a British college crew be sent here
TO meet an American coilege crew in a race
has met with a pretty fiat refusal. The
proposition with which the emissary OF the
exposition went abroad was 20 get the
winner OF the Oxford-Canbridge race TO
come over here and meet the winner Of the
Harvard-Yale race and probably the victor
OF the Hudson regatta. Il was a pretty
plan on the face OF IL, a slight defect being
that the commissioner OF the exposition
failed TO interview the college rowing
associations on this side before he started
out TO get a crew TO meet the best American
university lot. That naturally "A it
impossible for the British oarsmen TO receive
the man as coming accredited from the
colleges, and with the idea OF rowing to
benefit a worlds fair the British were no
more captivated than would the American
crews have been il they had been asked about
it before the commissioner left.
1t certainly was not to be expected that
any college organization would fall for the
plan OF letting itself be used TO advertise
an exposition, either on this side or the
other. The British make a point OF their
refusal On that score, but they would do it
no quicker than wOuld an American crew.
The whole idea was preposterous n tho
college put locations on this side were quick
to see that it was unlikely tn the highest
degree that any British crew would cross
the water for the purpose OF racing here at
a fair. II it a heen a proposition to come
over here on a trip something on the Ines
of the visit Of the Harvard crew last fall,
that would have been entirely different.
Ii il not of course likely that a British
crew would come here anyway to row a
race. h suprenac- in rowing remains
in England, and until such tin as American
crews continuously defeat the British in
their own waters the idea will cling in
England that all the knowledge in rowing
is bottled up in the tiyht little isle. After
that period has passed there will be no
doubt frequent visits by British crews TO
this side. In the interval the eat that we
can hope for il that the spirit OF sportsman
ship will some day impel the British TO send
over a university crew for a race here with
Cornell or some other first rate rowing
cole o so that we will have a chance TO
see them in action and study the way they
do il.
But a. for the idea of COLLEGE oarsmen
furnishing the star athletic attraction for
a worlds fair and heing advertised around
Ike a tull fight or some other odd feature.
il is snail wonder that the British did not
care for that. 1t was a proper rebuke, is
the opinion of most American colle~tsns.
There cannot fail to he appreciation
among college men of the fact that the
Amateur Athletic Union at last has passed
a rule regulating the competition by college
men in open meetings. II therto the col
lege men have been able 10 compete one
week for an athletic club and the next for
d college. and the beginning Of each open
athletic season generally Is marked by a
great influx Of college men into the clubs
which always are recruiting. This has be-
come so marked in the last two years that
the men of the smaller athletic clubs which
were threat ened with extinction made a
justified protest. Not only these men. but
others who followed the sport thought that
il was unfair to import all sorts Of good
athletes Just for the purposes Of a single
season. getting in. for the most part. men
who had no real sympathy with the club.
but who competed solely for there
was in it.
BY a SIM le alteration in the rules the
legislation committee Of the Amateur
Athlst cUnion has solved the whole problem.
and has put up a rule that is cast iron and
unbeatable. The regulation simply de-
mands that any college man who intends
TO compete in open athletic meetings under
the control Of the Amateur Athletic Union
must register either for his club or his
college. He may not change that registra-
ton within a year from the date. That is
simply explained.
A man, for instance, starting the sum-
mer campaign decides that he will run
the A. A. L. as John Smith, New York A. G
IT, IL well and good. He runs for the
summer under the colUrs OF the club. When
is cClleys opens he returns. II at any
time while college is in session he wants
b run in any race In which the competition
is open he may not run for his q llege.
He mu t run for the club. 1t il not hard
% see what a protest that will stir up among
men in the same college. They will not
be at al in sympathy with a man who while
in a position 10 win honors for his college
as well as for himself deliberately runs
for a club. The sentiment against this
procedure will sOon stop the athlete from
that sort Of thing.
To represent a club in open competition
a college man must have lived four months
in the district, and 10 take part in the dis
trict championships be must hav lived
six months In the district. That will stop
men from Indiana from competing for a
New York club solely because they are
students at Ysle, for instance, until they
nave had a residence there for some time.
The whole tendency of the rule is TO make
a man take and stand by his choice. He
must decide which he wants e. he, a COL
leVe man or a club athlete. His college
athletic association is apt 10 help him. In
forming his decisio n.
II Is understood that il will not be long
before a decision is reached at Wisconsin
as to the next rowing coach for the Badger
crew. The finish of the football season
and the estimating OF profits will help more
than anything else in determining what is
40 ha Jona In tha linz Of hirip0 n rnuu;nv