Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25

Smith a slight injury in the shoulder.
Nothing can better illustrate the exaggera-
ton of athletic training than the empirical
psychology to which team is exposed Flow
ers on the training table are pleasing objects
and do something to keep up the vegeta BILE
sympathleS of persons who might become lop-
sidedly animal; but their potential effect on
the spirits of the team does not justify the
expenditure of public money The roasting
comments of a disappointed and spiteful re-
porter are more than brave man might
bear. If reading the newspapers IN the loot
ball season were proclaimed breach OF train
ing, the team would save some time and be
spared to some degree from what President
Eliot calls "insolent and vulgar comments on
their personal qualities stuttng re-
porter in order to make his comments sooth-
ing implies a pusillanimity which cannot but
affect the moral fiber of the student body.
The Coach as Moral Leader
THERE is no need of multiplying instances
to show the spirit and the standards of
some coaches; the vileness of the language that
they permit and employ, the treachery of
play that they instil for moments when the
officials are not looking,-these are matters of
common knowledge, and make some persons
despair of the game. Whether it be for the
free and public plying of freshman team
with champagne, or for the deliberate adop-
ton of "cursing out" a part of sound policy,
the coach is the element in football that needs
closest scrutiny to-day. II his will IS law and
right minded gentleman with personal cour-
age and with enough knowledge of the game
to be respected as teacher, has almost bound
less power for good; and this believe to be
the fact. No preacher and no dean can do
what football coach can do in maintaining
among students a clean, brave, sens1tlvely
honora BILE life. The reason is simple: he works
in field that young men-good or bad-ln-
stinctively love, and his results are seen and
felt by thousands. If he teaches his players
forbidden by rule to the fist the art of
using the end of the forearm with the hand
turned back, he degrades not only them but
the whole university and such other UNIVERSE
ties as are affected by his prestige if he teaches
his PLAYERS to play hard and fearlessly, never
inficting wanton injury, never slugglng on
the sly, never insulting opponent to make
him slug and get disqualified never playing
anything but white game from start to
finish, he lifts up the craftsmanship OF his col
lege and, IN some measure, OF his country
Clean craftsmanship, as everybody knows,
means honorable manhood The opportunity
to put clean craftsmanship into the youth OF
America is an opportunity tor which no man
is too good. In sense athletic sport IS rec
ognized too much in another, far too little:
Rightly viewed, the work of the director of
college athletics to-day may be higher call
ing than the minister's because, fortunately
or unfortunately, the spirit of our people has
put into his hands larger power for evil and
for good. What we need IS larger men to use
this larger power.
l cannot discuss this subject, even briefly,
without expressing my conviction that there
has been no cleaner work in college football
than the recent work of w. T. Reid, jr.
remarka BILE athlete close student OF the game,
an untiring worker, who in former year
coach led a great team to victory, he has had
the courage to Danish foul talk from the daily
practice, to teach nothing but fair play, and
even to condemn publicly certain earlier
methods of his (Which were better than what
prevailed at the time). Evidence of this
comes from many sources, not all of them
friendly to Mr. Reid; and believe it may be
stated as fact.
An Exposure of Conscience
WHEN / speak of the opportunity for