Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-03-28

Gus tn >ught on the part of responsible
faculties. The public discussion
which in the main has taken the form
OF criticism of the game OF football
as attended with unnecessary bruta;
.ty and serious physical dangers.
does not seem to reach the heart Of
the matter.
A careful investigation shows tina,
a considerable proportion of the re.
ports of this character are err neous
and that in fact there have not been
many grave injuries in teams con.
nected with the larger institutions
However that may be, the evils which
have been growing of late years and
which seem to the facuiues of other
universities the most dangerous. are
those which may rather be called
moral than physical in their character
1T is believed that athletic con
tests hold too prominent a part in col
lege life. than too much is made CT
athletic prowess in relation to other
forms of student activity; that the
steady process of circumstances has
been tending 10 surround the game oil
football with an atmosphere of pro
fessiOnalism and commercialisn
which is out OF character with Il @
higher aims of college life: while the
intense rivalry which has been de
veloped between certain institutions
has led to i'll feeling and pickering
unseemly and not in keeping with the
courtesy and good feeling which
should prevail among sister institu-
tons.
impressed by these considerations.
during the present quarter the facm-
ties of tie nine universities in the
middle west accustomed to cooperate
with one another in interc ollegiatr
sports. have taken the matter up III
conference. After long and careful
discussion an agreement has been
reached on certain principles which
are to regulate the contests hereafter
and which, it is hoped, may tend
greatly TO improve the present stu.
alton
1t should be said frankly thar
many members OF our own faculties
are in favor of a total cessation from
intercollegiate contests for a term III
years until a better situation can b.
assured. A majority of the nine,
however, prefers TO continue under i'm,
proved conditions.
The conditions made viii restrict
membership or competing teams to
undergraduate students and among
them to those who have been at least
one year in college; limit the dura-
ton of membership on terms of three
years, establish careful safeguards
with reference to adequate scholar,
ships. forbid the training table ana
the training quarters as essentially
| professional features, limit the mum
I Der OF games of football to five in one
| season, the last coming on the Satur
day preceding Thanksgiving; pronnol5
| contests between college teams ana
| teams representing the secondary
| schools, limit the price of admission
of members of the university to 81
! cents and require that professional
coaches employed shall in all cases be
appointed by the regular university
| authorities.
There are many who object thai
these changes do not ga far enough
! perhaps forgetting that it is not easy
! TO remedy by a single action all ths
complex conditions which have grown
up Others will undoubtedly asser
that the reforms have gone too far
| | think however. ii may be safely
said that, on the whole, a great ad
vance has been made in the direction
! CT the subordination of athletic sport.
| to the more important primary inter
! ests of academic life and in the elm
ination of many features charact eriz
ing what have called professionalism
and commercialism.
ITO those who believe in the value
of athletic sports and of intercollegl
ate athletic contests. as | do. 1t is o
| first importance that these shall b.
| carried on under such conditions tina
all reasonable suspicion of profession
alism shall be eliminated-in short
that amateur sports may be what thel
purport to be, the sports of amateurs
l therefore believe that the confer
| encas of the past winter have take;
a long step in the direction of purify
ing and elevating this branch of stu
dent life"
| life "