The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-06
ATHLETICS AT
CA
DEFENDED
Warner Answers Charges
Of Professionalism on
Indians Football Team.

In reply to many stories printed and cir
culated Of an uneomplimentary nature re-
garding the football team of the Carlisle
Indians. Glen S. Warner, athletic diree-
tor of the Carlisle Indian School, makes
a statement answering many criticisms
and explaining why the Indians have such
a clever football team as they presented
this year.
He says: mo one seems to understand
how Carlisle could turn out such a good
football team without recourse to pro-
~tessionallsm and unfair methods. No one
at the school has paid any attention thus
far to the absurd stories and he public
generallyis probably wise enough to under
stand that these Knocks against the Iaf-
Isle team came from sorcheads and hard
losers. but az there seems to be no general
understanding OF the conditions at Car
Isle. and as so many raise or misleading
stories have been published. l think it adj
visable to nail some of these lies that
have been flying around and at the same
tune explain the situation in athletics at
Carlisle.
In the first place. the Indians are not
a yellow lot There are no men on the
Carlisle team this year who have played
eight years, and there are only two who
had played three years prior TO this sea-
son. Furthermore, the average years of
experience on the Carlisle team will not
figure up as much as the average of the
pennsylvania team. l do not wish to cast
any reflections upon the Pennsylvania
$50 hAaN ~ ENoAA ~
perfectly on the square and a representa-
tive one. and am using the Pennsylvania
team for comparison on this account.
Neither the coaches nor anyone else
connected with the school," says Mr.. War
ner, tried to get Metoxen or any other old
star back to Carlisle this fall. and the
records show that Hauser, who is accused
of being 81 years old, married and having
children, is really % years old, unmarried
and u bona fide student. There are TWO
more men on the Pennsylvania team who
"a Va nl1an fhnr anHF "a On AHA- - NJ
team, and the average age of the Carlisle
players is less than the average age of the
Quakers.
I'm regard to the number at Carlisle to
pick from, there are less than 300 boys In
school who are old enough to ngage In
intercollegiate athletics. and Ii may be of
interest to those who have no thought of
the matter before to remember the fact
that the total indian population of the
United States is only about 210,D00. and the
total number Of Indian boys enrolled over
II years of age in the schools of the United
States is less than half the number of
students at the University of Pennsylvania.
Neither | nor anyon else connected
with the school has ever travelled over the
country recruiting athletic material. and
every student who comes to Carlisle does
so voluntarily, it being necessary to sign
an application blank, and. If under age,
to have the written consent of parents.
at has been said that Carlisle has no
eligibility rules. and TO a certain extent
this is true" continued Mr.. Warner. The
only requirement necessary for eligibility
has been that an athlete representing car
Isle shall be a regularly enrolled student,
who has been admitted to Carlisle under
the rules and requirements laid down
by the United States Indian Department
at washington. Conditions at Carlisle
are so radically different from those of
surrounding colleges and universities that
there has never been the need of eligi-
bility rules governing athletics here. As
l understand 1t, college eligibility rules
are made to discourage professionalism
and competition among colleges in secur.
ing preparatory school stars and star
athletes from minor colleges. Under the
conditions here ne such evils have ever
existed. only Indians can come to Car
Isle, and as there is no other school IN
Carlisle's class. there is no competition
in securing prep. school stars.
1T has been said that some of the men,
bers Of the Carlisle football team have
played at Haskell and other Western In
dian schools. This is true In some cases.
Haskell occupies about the same relative
position to Carlisle as Ursinus College does
to Pennsylvania, and yet ~ylvania
Is not criticised because a member of her
team played several years on the ursinus
team before entering Pennsylvania. As
a matter of fact, most of the Carlisle
players have been developed at Carlisle.
Hauser, who played three years at Has
kell, is the only Carlisle star who ever
obtained his knowledge of the game or his
reputation at amy place except right here
Mt Carlisle.
1T has been said that Carlisle played
men under assumed names. Such state
ments are entirely false. A great many
students at the school have two names,
one being their tribal or Indian name and
the other an English name which they
have taken; some may be commonly
known by one name while enrolled under
another, and it has been a matter Of
choice with them as to whether their In
dian name or their English name goes In
the lineup, and NJ deception whatever
has ever been intended.
"Another criticism which has been made
is that some members of the team are at
tending Dickinson Preparatory School and
Dickinson College in Carlisle. This is
true, but were the system of Indian edu-
cation at Carlisle understood no just crit
icism could be made in that regard.
THE only real criticism that can be
made Of Carlisle football methods is the
fact that men rave played on the team, In
term for which students enter Carlisle is
FIVE years. unless they graduate sooner.
and they are encouraged to stay even more
than five years. il it is necessary. to grad
uate. Many come to Carlisle without any
education whatever. and some even with
out knowing the English language. and II
Is not in such cases for stu
dents to remain at the school six or seven
years. Not having had any athletic evils
10 contend with, the authorities have
never prohibited a student from playing
on the team as long as he was a regulai
bona hde student. However, since there
has perhaps been some just criticism in
this regard. the authorities will. no doubt,
before the next football season, make a
rule which will prevent any student from
pla wing on a school team more than four
years Of the tive-year term for which he
enters. This will remove the only cause
for criticism that exists in Carlisle ath-