Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-01-16
Harvard 0verseprs Vote to
Abolish the Game
Until Reforms Acceptable 10
Board Are Made.
Uaion College Students Also Vote 10
Abolish in Present Form.

Boeton. Jan. 15.-Football has been
abolished at Harvard. pending a re-
form in the game that will be accept
able to the board OF overseers. accord
ing to an official announcement today
from the university.
The discontinuance of the game is
q result Of q vote taken last week at
q secret meeting Of the board of over
seers, when it was decided that inter-
collegiate football at Harvard would
not be permitted unit! the rules and
regulations had been so changed and
amended as to remove what the over
seers regard as the evils of the present
game.
The overseers accepted unanimously
the opinions of a special committee
that the game as at present played is
essentially bad in every respect. that
the method of formation absolutely en-
courages trickery and foul play and
that the result Is bad for the morals
OF the players as well as for the body.
The committee declared that if
changes were to be made no man now
a member Of the so-called intercol-
legiate rules committee should have a
manu- III IL, TIE OCAlCNliS
that these persons are so far COM
nlitted to the present system that they
cosld not agree to such changes as
are absolutely necessary to produce
decent, clean, pleasurable contest, ''in-
stead Of the present apology for a
rough and tumble fight
Football is a fine game when prop
erly bad and ought to be stopped abb
solutely and finally. Any university
taking this action will later be con-
sidered as benefactor by many
players and by all lovers of healthful,
clean sport and fair play"
Under the ruling of the overseers
football Is now in allegiance at the uni
versity until the committee on the
regulation of athletic sports has made
it's report to the board and until the
board has accepted the new rules and
regulations in every particular.
Whether the reformed rules can be ar
ranged and accepted in time for the
resumption of football next season is
prcblematical. Some determined ac-
tion by the board Of overseers has been
anticipated in Harvard athletic cir
cles. but the radical attitude Of abol-
ishing the game altogether caused
great surprise among the students and
graduates.
The action of the overseers was taken
after q special report had been received
from the committee on physical training
athletic sports and sanitary condition OF
all buildings. This committee reported
that It considered the game of football as
at present played essentially bad in ev-
cry respect The committee said:
THE method Of formation absolutely
encourages trickery and foul play. IT Is;
very difficult to see what is done even
by the most careful and sharpest eyed
umpire, but the results are seen in many
serious and even fatal accidents 1t is
nearly impossible to line up 90 powerful
and aggressive young men opposite each
other and not have someone lose his self
control and do what is wrong. So long
as the larger universities play the game
In this way 1t is bound to have a bad
effect on the schoolboys. The result is
bad for the morals as well az for the
body. Your committee is thoroughly CON
Vinced that in the interest of clean. fair
minded sport Il complete change is neces
Fary-either to adopt a different kind OF
football game. or else to SO change the
existing one as to make II radically differ
ent. If changes are to be made. your
committee believes that no man now Il
menibcr Of the so-callad intercollegiate
rules committee should have n hand in it,
believing that they are so far committed
to the present system that they could
not agree to such changes as are abso-
lutely necessary to produce n decent.
clean, plcasurable contest intended of
the present apology for a rough and tum-
BILE fight.
"A new committee, it is believed. could
formulate rules that. while simple. would
cause an absolutely different result. In
this connection 1t Is necessary to point
out that proper umpires are as necessary
as good rules-men who, unlike many OF
those used as such in late years, are
ready and anxious instantly to punisi,
any infraction of rules. Such mcu could
be found. but fcw so far have shown
tho proper spirit and infexibiiity.
Football is fine game when properly
played but the present method is thor
cughly bad and ought to be ed abso-
lutely and finally.
ANY university taking this action will
later be considered a benefactor by
many players and all lovers OF heathful.
clean sport and fair play. There is no
desire OF criticize any special set OF
players; all seem more or less to blame:
It is the system that Is wrong.
''Your committee does not feel called
on. nor is it competent to say exactly
what changes. either In the game or rules.
should be made. but 1t does feel that Il
change is imperative"
The action of the overseers was unani-
nous. all believing that the game as it Is
played today was impossible.
--.-
Union Students Vote to Abolish.