Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-03
HARVARD'S FLOP ON
COLLEGE FOOT BALL
Effect of Presidents Recent
Speech at Cambridge-Lon-
don's Olympic Games.
By Edward B. Bushnell.

The sensation of the week in intercol-
legiate athletics has been the Kaleidoscope
reversal of the authorities of Harvard Uni
versity on the subject of foot ball and IN
tercolegiate athletics. For period OF a
year and a half Harvard men have been
tortured with the fear that the enmity or
President Eliot and the board of overseers
toward all forms of intercollegiate athletics
would result in their total abolition at Cam
bridge This in fact was the admitted pur-
pose of President Eliot and many Of his
associates, and no demands or petitions on
the part of the students had any power to
alter this determination.
But what everyone else failed to accom-
plish was wrought by President Roosevelt
In a single speech to the Harvard students.
The President Is a strenuous advocate OF
foot ball, and the rougher 1t Is the bet
ter it suits him. provided 1t Is ralriy
conducted If the President had tried he
could not have answered President Enot
more directly than he did. And had there
been a serious intention to abohsh root
ball and other forms of intercollegiate
sports at Harvard it could hardly nave
been done after the Presidents broadside.
Behold the change he wrought! In much
less than half a week President Eliot has
to discontinue foot ball at Harvard. and
that SO far as he knew. it would go on this
fall as before. Although no one wishes to
accuse Harvard's president of Illustrating
the case his latest announcement concerning
foot bali Is directly at variance with all his
previous remarks ON this same subject. 1t
looks as though President Eliot and his
confreres at last realized the effect such
radical action would have on the future OF
the university. and got under cover at the
first favorable, opportunity.
Lis not unlikely that the action of Har-
ward will have some effect on Columbias
authorities who have been the recipients OF
a monster petition circulated by the under !.
graduates and alumni asking that foot ball
be reinstated there. President EOts pub
lie hostility to the game had much to do
with the stand taken by Dr. Butler of Co
lllm bia and now that the Harvard man
has reversed himself there is hope that
Columbias president will also see a new
light
The injury that has been done both Co
lumbia and Harvard from athletic
standpoint will not be undone in hurry
Columbia has virtually no athletic material
at all now. and the uncertainty OF the game
at Harvard has sent many athletes who
had intended going there to other univer-
stiles. SO it may be taken for granted that
Harvard will require year or two to re-
cover from the blow her athletic prestige
has received.
College Teams Not Wanted.
The recently announced plans Of the ANA
teur Athletic Union and the committee
which has charge of the Olympic games
which are to be held in London in 1908, may
be taken to mean that no individual univer-
sity or club from this country will be per-
mitted to send a team to the other side as
was done in 1900 when the games were held
in Paris. The latest proposition is that
Congress make an appropriation of slOOWO
for the purpose OF sending abroad the fin
est team that this country can muster. To
this end President Roosevelt has accepted
the position of honorary president Of the
American committee and will certainly use
all his influence toward getting the appro-
priation desired.
If this is done the American team will be
selected as the result of series Of meets
held In the various parts Of the country,
the winners finally being weeded out In
some national meet. This would insure the
United States having the strongest team
available and would prevent the cries of
favoritism which were raised with SO much
foundation last year on the occasion of the
Greek carnival. 1t Is not desired that any
university or club should send a team Of it's
own. for If this plan were followed there
would be so many entries that the con-
fusion would mar the meet. The English
committee has. therefore, announced it's in
tention to restrict the entries for each
event to definite number for every country
The United States Is much disturbed over
the intention of the English A. A. A. to in
clude in its entries the athletes from Eng
land, Ireland. Scotland and Wales, permit
ting only Australia and Canada to send
their own teams. Scotland has already re-
volted at this plan. the Scotchmen desiring
to send team of their own, but this will
probably not be allowed. The United States
will, therefore. have to have a team Of the
very finest quality to hold its own against
the combined team of Great Britain.
Freshman Teams Forming.
If the big universities Of the country
| thought that by prohibiting the competition
of freshmen on varsity teams they were
therefore keeping the youngsters out of
| athletics they have been badly mistaken.
Although the first year men have been kept
off the varsity teams they have not been
kept out of athletics. To Offset this there
have been organized a number of intercol-
legiate freshman athletic associations which
will compete for the freshman championship
in more than one sport.
AT present the freshman teams of the
eastern universities meet each other in
basket ball. swimming and foot ball. And
base ball will be made quite as prominent
in the spring. The latest innovation is the
announcement that Pennsylvania will
schedule freshman race as one of the fea-
lures of its relays in April. 1t cannot be
denied that the freshmen are quite as husy