Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-01
TALK OF NEXT YEARS GAMES
CONTESTS PROPOSED THAT ARE
FAR FROM PROBABLE.
BY Edward r. Bushnell.

j
With the foot ball season of 1907 off,
cially ended yesterday some ambitious
correspondents at Harvard are busily
sending out tales of Princeton-Harvard
alliance in foot ball. The visit OF Coach
Roper of the Tiger eleven to Cambridge
before the Harvard-Yale game a week
ago and his cordial reception and en-
tertafnment by the Harvard coaches and
foot ball officials seemed to lend some
color to the project in spite Of the vigor-
Gus protests of Roper and other Prince
ton men who ought to know. Naturally
the denials did not carry much weight,
because those most interested would
have denied the truth even If it had been
guessed.
While there is no doubt in the minds
Of well-informed persons that both Yale
and Princeton would welcome a triple
alliance with Harvard in foot ball and
other sports. and have done their best
to bring it about in the last year. the
scheme is not likely to ever be realized.
Indeed. Harvard men do not know that
they will even be allowed to continue
foot ball at Cambridge. Outsiders seem
to have forgotten that all intercollegiate
sports at Harvard are still on probation.
When the board Of overseers permitted
the continuance of sports for this year
it was expressly stated that this de-
cision was not permanent. If the over
seers come to the conclusion that Har
ward would do better to withdraw from
intercollegiate competition that will be
the end of the matter. The dismal failure
of Hervard's 1907 foot ball season, in
which the Crimson lost its three i'm
portant games to the Indians Dartmouth
and Yale, and should have lost as well
to Annapolis and Brown, which the Grim
son won only through the greatest of
luck, will certainly incline the overseers
to the belief many of them Y formerly
held that intercollegiate athletics are not
worth while.
Would Increase Harvard's Burden.
Consequently. If there is any likelihood
that Harvard may be obliged to with
draw from intercollegiate competition
there will be no disposition on the part
of any one to take on another hard game,
such as that with Princeton would GER
tainly be. A game with the Tigers would
merely increase the burden of the Har-
ward coaches and managers and would
undoubtedly add another defeat to the
Crimson's annual list.
An alliance between Harvard and
Princeton would compel both of these
institutions to offend one or more of the
big colleges with which they have been
playing, for there is now no room for
such a game on either the Harvard or
Princeton schedule. To play such
game Princeton would be obliged to dis
continue relations with Cornell and Har-
ward would be obliged to drop either
Dartmouth or the Indians. all of which
would cause a great deal Of hard feeling
on all sides. 1t is quite certain that
neither Harvard nor Princeton place
high enough valuation on the game to
cause So much trouble in scheduling 1t.
In this connection also 1t should be
h0rna ir, mind that fha f1rpS of the ILL
feeling which developed when Harvard
and Princeton broke off their foot ball
alliance a dozen years or SO ago are
still smoldering and the feeling between
these old graduates Of Harvard and
Princeton Is fully as bitter as that which
now exists between Harvard and Penn
sylvania. This merely adds to the I'M
certainty of meeting between the Tigers
and the Crimson.
Observation-Disclosures Proposition.
Another rumor which has been indus
triously going the rounds is that Michi-
gan is seeking to secure meeting with
Princeton or some other eastern uni
versity rather than Pennsylvania, whose
team beat the Wolverines two years run
ming. Unfortunately for those who origi-
mated the rumor there is no truth in this.
for Michigan and Pennsylvania have
already started negotiations for another
game and will probably make a two
year agreement similar to that Of a year
ago. A very friendly feeling prevails be-
tween Michigan and Pennsylvania, and
it is altogether likely that these two
universities, representing the best in the
east and west, will continue to meet for
some time to come. The games have
drawn better even than anticipated.
There was a tremendous crowd when the
two teams played in Philadelphia, and
the biggest crowd on record saw the
teams at Ann Arbor this year. AS long
as nothing occurs to mar the friendly
feeling which now exists and the two
teams continue to prove the attraction
they have been there Is certain to be
nothing that can disturb the pleasant
relations which now exist.