Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13

igan. the &C. of California. or it may
be only the letter of some little known
preparatory school. But it is trophy
of greatest value to the competitor.
In the stress of bitterly fought foot
ball game, where every player is during
the whole seventy minutes in actual
danger Of serious injury. during all the
drudgery of preparation for a rowing
race. in the excitement of a base ball con-
test, during the varied work that comes
to candidates for track and field meet.
ever as a goad Is the dream Of having
affixed on sweater the initial letter OF
the school or college and having the right
to wear it officially fixed by authorities OF
the institution.
To get an III Theodore Roosevelt. jr..
SON of the President of the United States.
came out as a candidate for q place on
the Harvard foot ball team. He didn't
make good. He was too frail. and In
spite of his courage he never was able to
attain to the eminence of a place on the
varsity. In every game In which he
played on his class team he showed ad-
mirable spirit and quick wit, but he lack
ed the needed strength. In one game he
was so badly used up he had to be almost
carried from the field.
Young Corey. son of the president of
the United States Steel Corporation, is
young man with wealth enough to buy
almost anything that might appeal to his
fancy. but there is one thing wealth
couldn't buy him. That is "Y." There
fore he has taken the same course to get
one that would have been pursued by the
humblest student who goes to New
Haven. He became a candidate for the
foot ball eleven. He made good, and
was quarterback in the big games. He
won his ~
Persons not familiar with the life of a
college have often wondered at the senti-
mental valuation that men put on the
letter Of their alma mater. Apparently
1T would be simple matter for the stu
dent to buy sweater and have anything
he wanted lettered on 1t.
~
He could get the sweater by this plan.
but woe betide should he attempt to wear
it around the college. There are unwritten
laws at every college which make 1t little
short of a crime for the letter to be worn
by man who has not earned it by ath-
letic achievement. If freshman in ig-
norance bought sweater and letter, he
would be promptly advised by some friend
among the upper class men that he was
guilty of bad taste, and still continuing to
offend after this warning, he would be
dealt with by some of the rough but eff
enforce their DEGREES.
In one of the foot ball games played one
week before the final contest of the year
player sustained broken arm.
He made little of the pain, but as he
was helped off the field he voiced one COM
plant, and this was:
Tough luck. Now I won't get my let
ter
Back of the incident is story not with
out pathos
This athlete was the son Of an athlete
of SKILL and in going to the same college
as his father the boy was actuated by the
desire to win letter to add to the family
collection.
X
In foot ball the rule at all colleges and
schools is pretty much the same. Whether
the big game games of the year are
defeats or victories every man who gets
In the action, If only for an instant, is
awarded letter. The same is true of
base ball and rowing.
In rowing certainly every man earns his
trophy. for this is perhaps the hardest Of
the college sports. The crew trains sew
eral months works in actual drudgery to
get ready for one race, twenty minutes
of terrific test.
Practice for almost every other sport
has in it some element Of entertainment,
but rowing practice is unceasing work,
without the spur of student cheering to
help along the tagged out wielder of the
oar.
In track and field athletics the systems
vary widely. A point earned in the in
tercol'egiate meets Of east or west gives
the letter. First, second, third or fourth
place men all qualify.
With foot ball, base ball, rowing and
track and field sports out question,
the awarding of letters for the many
minor branches becomes a very much
perpleXed question, governed principally
by local regulation.
Representatives of these four big
sports in the colleges have always con-
tended that it was mistake to award
letters too freely. 1t might have the
effect Of cheapening them.
But against this there is the argument
that the champion in other lines may
have done far harder work than the grid
iron or diamond stars in whose inter-
ests the sacredness of the letter is to be
protected.
tennis championship for Columbia. Ten
mis- is a game that requires endless prac-
tice to acquire proficiency. Columbia
officials rightly decided that Mr.. LIE Roy
has as much right to his letter as any
man on the athletic teams of any descrtp-
ton, and thus awarded him the &C.
Chicago, Colgate, Williams, Syracuse,
Pennsylvania and Columbia all award
their letter to successful basket ball
teams, though this result was not achieved
without some opposition. But a cham
pionship five is hardly to be denied recOg
milton with any show of justice. Hence
basket ball has come into the number of
those sports at which a man can be-
come possessed of the highest reward
possible to the amateur.
The awarding of the letter is not
matter of chance. 1t is one of the Of
fetal acts of those who control the ath-
letic policy.
Usually at the regular monthly or week
ly meeting of the governors of the ath-
letic association the question of the letter
is brought up.
A list is submitted of those who have
by their victories or participation quail
fled to receive the symbol of their work
for the athletic glory Of their alma mater.
Then. unless there is any ban on any
of the men, the list is ratified and the
letters are awarded
From tile funds of the athletic associa-
ton sweaters are bought for each of the
successful candidates. and the letter that
gives the sweater it's value Is affixed by
the maker.
Sometimes a man wins more than one
letter. This has been the case with a
number OF clever all around athletes like
Glass of Yale, Sharpe of Yale, King of