The farmer and mechanic., 1907-02-26

In speaking here at the Harvard
Union / wish to say first special word
as one Harvard man to his fellow Har-
ward men. l feel that We can none Of
US ever be sufficiently grateful 10 Colo
mel HigginSon for having founded this
Harvard Union. because each loyal
Harvard man should do all he can TO
foster in Harvard that spirit OF real
democrdacy which viii make Harvard
men feel the vital sense Of solidarity
50 that they can all join to work to-
gether in the things that are Of most
concern to the college. 1t IS Idle 10 OK
pect nor indeed would it be desirable
that there should be. in Harvard
uniform level of taste and association.
Some men viii excel in one thing and
some in another: some in things Of the
body, some in things of the mind; and
where thousands are gathered together
each Will naturally find some group Of
specially congenial friends with whom
he viii form ties of peculiar social IN
timacy. These groupS-athletic, ar
tistic. scientific. social-must newt
ably exist. My plea is not for their
abolition. My plea is that they shall
be got into the right focus in the eyes
Of college men; that the relative inn
pOrtancc of the different groups shall
be understood when compared with
the infinitely greater life of the college
Us IL whole. Let each man have his
special associates, his special interests,
his special studies and pursuits, but
let him remember that he can not get
the full benefit Of life in college If he
does nothing but specialize; and that,
what is even more important, he can
not do his full duty by the college Un-
less his first and greatest interest is III
the college itself, in his associates
taken as a mass, and not in any small
group. One reason why so thorough
~ believe in the athletic spirit at Har-
ward is because the athletic spirit is
essentially democratic. Our chief IN
tercst should not lie in the great
champions in sport. On the contrary
our concern should be most of all to
widen the base. the foundation in ath-
letic sports; to encourage in every way
a healthy rivalry which shall give to
the largest possible number Of stu
dents the chance to take part in vlgor-
Gus outdoor games. 1t is of far more
Importance that man shall play
something himself. even if he plays it
barly than that he shall go with hun
dredS of companions to see some one
else play Well: and it is not healthy for
either students or athletes if the terms
are mutually exclusive. But even hav-
ing this aim especially in view, it
seems to me we can best attain it by
giving proper encouragement to the
champions III the sports, and this can
only be done by encouraging intercOl-
legate sport. AS | emphatically dis
believe in seeing Harvard or any<other
college turn out mOllyCOddles instead
Of vigorous men, | may add that l do
not in the least object to q sport be
cause it is rough. Rowing baseball,
la crosse, track and field games, hook
ey, football are all of them good. More
over, it is to my mind simple nonsense.
a mere confession Of weakness, to de-
sire to abolish game because tenden-
cies show themselves, or practises
grow up which prove that the game
ought to be reformed. Take football,
for instance. The preparatory schools
arc able to keep football clean and to
develop the right spirit in the players
without the slightest necessity ever
arising to SO much as consider the
question of aboIishing it. There is no
excuse whatever for colleges failing to
show the same capacity, and there IS
no real need for considering the ques-
ion Of the abolition of the game. IF
necessary, let the college authorities
interfere to stop any excess or perver-
SION, making their interference as lit
tie oiilcious as possible, and yet as rig
ofOuS as is necessary to achieve the
end. But there is no Justification for
stopping thoroughly many sport be-
cause il is sometimes abused, when
the experience of every good prepara-
tory school shows that the abuse is in
no shape necessarily attendant upon
the game.
We can not afford to turn out of col
lege men who shrink from physical eff
fort or from a little physical pain. In
any republic courage is prime ne
cessity for the average citizen if he is
to be a good citizen; and he needs phy-
steal courage no less than moral cOur
age, the courage that dares as we'll as
the courage that endures, the courage
f1at VIII fight Valiantly alike against
Inc foes of the soul and the foes of the
DodY. Athletics are good. especially in
thelr r0ugher forms, because they tend
To GCNeiOD such COURAGE They
good also becaues they encourage a
true democratic spirit: for in~the ath-
letlc field the man must be judged not
with reference to outside and acciden-
tai attributes, but to he combination
Of bodily vigor and moral quality
which so to make proWess.
| trust [ need not add that in de-
Tending athletics | would not for one
moment be understood as eXcuSing
that perversion of athletics which
would make it the end of life instead OF
merely a means Of life 1t is first class
healthful play, and is useful as sucn.
But play is not business, and it is a
very poor business indeed for Il college
are exceptional cases which | do not
need to consider; but diSregarding
these. / can not with sufficient empha-
SIS say that when YOU get through col
lege you viii do badly unless YOU turn
your attention to the serious work of
ne with a devotion which Will render
II impossible for YOU to pay much heed
20 port IN the way in which it is per
!''''y proper for you to pay heed while
III C"icSc Play While you play and
Woih Whllc you work: and though play
Is mighty good thing. remember that
you had better never play at all than
10 gel INTO condition Of mind where
you regard play as the serious busi-
ness or me or where You permit it to
hamper and Interfere With YOUR doing
your full duty in the real yorlr of tI,a