The Washington times., 1908-01-27

Inc experience OF the managers tl
the George Washington University in
door meet at Convention Hall on Sat
urday night should be a valuable les
son for the promoters Of the other
meets to be held here this winter. When
they entered the local indoor field the
George Washington University people
were somewhat in doubt over the pros
Dsct Of entries ana booked every relay
race suggested or for which teams were
offered. The consequence was that on
Saturday night their program was sad
~ Overburdened with these events.
Relay races between junior and
second teams OF small organizations or
grammar schools are Commendable and
more or less good attractions for the
box office, If there are not enough OF
them 20 weary the spectators and force
them to leave the hall before the star
performances in order to get home at
a reasonable hour. The youngsters de
serve encouragement and limited
number should be selected by some
form Of competition for appearance in
the big meets, but that is all. Other
wise. their presence viii discourage gen
eraI attendance, make the meets I'M
profitable financially, and kill off the
enterprises NLl4LAl w - -+-NN~+A -
courage healthy competition among old
or boys and men.
Bad Manners Displayed.
All meets at Convention Hail are
necessarily Handicapped, from the spec
tators' point of view, by the fact mat
the seats begin on level with the floor
and those who occupy what should be
the choicest positions get the poorest
run for their money even when there IS
the least croWding on the floor. Keep
ing the field clear of all not absolutely
necessary for the event being run OF IS
what Is demanded and If something IS
not done to improve the conditions
which existed at the @. w. L. games
hundreds of dollars Will be lost 10 the
promoters of meets in the future.
The conduct OF many persons wearing
the badges of ofieials and accepting the
courtesies of The floor at the g. W. l.
meet was disgusting.
The finish of the dashes was sur
rounded by a dense crowd Of persons
many Of whom had no right whatever
To Obtrude themselves at that time.
Public~Treated Contemptuously.
Field judges. inspectors. marshals and
numerous host Of other self-impOrtant
personages insisted upon crowding right
up TO the tape and it was not until they
had been requested time and again
that they had the courtesy or consid-
Grafton TO kneeI and let the public see
over them. Many of these obstruction
lists who were doing so much to queer
game in which they profess to be pro-
fOUndly interested had no earthly excuse
for being at THAI particular point, and
deliberately sacrificed the pleasure OF
scores Of spectators in order that they
might crafty their own curiosity or
show that they had pull enough 10 wear
When some idea of the courtesy due
the spectators was drilled into the
heads Of these pretty boys, and they
cOndeScended to stOOp, IL was only for
a minute and at q close finish or on the
. next heat they would forget or con
temptuously disregard those who paid
zeal money. and once more project
themselves into the limelight, their nor
maj power of observation greatly iii
creased by the abr armal swelling Of
their chests.
Reforms Absolutely Necessary.
The finish for the relays and the
runs was so crowded that the really
necessary offcials-the judges and
timers-who alone should have been
there. We're forced onto the track. and
in one instance collided with the COM
peutors. The public had no view what
ever Of the finishes in these events, and
was simply defrauded.
The conditions at the @. W. L. were
only an exaggeration Of what has been
noted at every indoor meet held IN
Washington, and the promoters must
get busy with the problem immediate
~ or see the meets fail for lack Of
patronage. In the first place. there
are too many officials. In the second
place. officials not needed for the par
tlcular event. such as inspectors and
Trarshals, when q dash is being run
off should be made 20 sit down either
in seats reserved for them IN q special
section Of the stands, or in chairs placed
on the floor. In the third place. when
an official is appointed he should be
told point blank that if he has not the
innate courtesy and good breeding to
make himself scarce and inCOnspiCuOus
when not working at his Job he win be
promptly elected from the floor like any
other undersiTs BILE character and a sub
6titute appointed.
Must ReassuTe Spectators.
The managers should remember that
meets are not love feasts. where old
time obligations are to be discharged
by giving Tetainers and friends floor
badges Friendship should have moth
ing whatever 20 do with distributing the
official insignia. The meets are adver-
tised as spectacles for the public and
when the mana gers allow the people
who pay 10 be cut of from view of
the attractions they are taking money
under false preterseS-
The Federal Games are 20 be held on
February D. and the Georgetown meet
on March Z. both in Convention Hall
and unless the managers OF those en-
terprises can positively assure the pub
lie that they viii not permit conditions
which existed at the same hall last
Saturday night they have no right to
ask people to give mp current cCin 20 see
Them.
Haskins' Richmond Work
Guy Haskins was deliberately and
badly fouled by Melvin Sheppard In a
special 1,000-yard match race at Phila-
delphia on Friday night Sheppard
threw out his arm. hooked Haskins as
he went by, and threw him violently to
the floor WhereUpon, thc enraged
Phfadelphians wanted to mob Shep-
pard. and that young man was rescued
by the melodramatc method Of letting
him out OF the building b. rope low
cred from one Of the windows Now