Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-09-28
The Football Puzzle.

The Football Puzzle.
As these crisp fall days come on
| there are several million rcd-bloodcd
| people throughout the length and
| breadth of the land who are awaiting
with much interest the solution of
| the football puzzle which has been
| caused by the extensive changes in
the rules governing the game. EX-
pcrts differ widely as to what kind of
| a game we shall see under these new
| rules about which 50 much has been
heard in the past year. Many coaches
and players condemn the new rules
in unmcasurcd terms. and declare
that those who opposed the game un-
der the old fashioned rules will see
| more than ever in it to find fault with
under the new rules. Some are wholly
| non-comnittal, but are doubtless
keeping up a great thinking as they
cndcavur 10 adapt old-fashoncd meth
o,ls To- the revised regulations. Others.
/ al
pleased and satisfied with the new
| rules and to think that they will ben
cnt the great autumnal game which
has So strong hold upon the Ameri-
can people.
IN the meantime. upon "A thousand
school ami c"llcgc gridirons. the
prac,ic" Is going On steadily and
preparations are being made for the
first real games in which these re-
viscd rules will bc given their test.
Will the game bc more open" than
il used t. bc AMI. consequently. more
pleasing to the spectator? Will there
bc fewer accidents and an elimination
Of the roughncss which caused scnSi-
tive souls to cry 50 loud in opposition
to the game as it has long been
played? Will team work be done
away with in large measure. and
games won by individual stars? ?
a greater premium put upon speed?
Will the increase Of the distance to
be gained from ) yards to 10 yards
prove 50 difficult a proposition that
tic games will be the rule, with no
. scoring by either side unless one is
greatly superior to the other? These
questions and dozens Of others which
are bothering football enthusiasts
everywhere will be answered in tho
: coming month or six weeks. and the
most experienced prophets Of the foot
ball world are very Shy in the matter
Of telling US what these answers
will be.
In some schools and colleges. pend
ing this falls experiments under tn,
, new rules. the game has been sus-
5 pended Several of the leading schools
in our own State which have beer
, prominent in intcrschoastic football
, will support no eleven this year, ant
in numerous colleges and universities
throughout the country. notably Har-
/ ward, it is plainly understood that tho
future of the game depends upon the
success of the attempt to reform j
under these revised rules. Though
prophccicS may not be at all safe, i
is safe to predict that football will
l live and continue its popularity fo
years and generations to come. 4
+ great many people, including nearl.
: all who ever played the game. dcclar'
r that football was all right as it wa
. and that it did not need the grant
! reformation or revolution, whatever i
| proves to be, which was forced upoi
it by those who raised the loud out
cry against the game last fall. Bu
.. the outcry was so loud and was take,
e up by so many well-meaning persons
in authority who really knew nothin.
Il about the subject. that the change
. had to made, and fortunately the,
= were made by the friends Of the gam
7 who had its best interests at heart
We shall soon see whether their judg
II mon was good or not and whether tn
n game was benefited or injured.
Il
A Paris shopkeener displays the follow
l IL, n i,,.l.