New-York tribune., 1908-04-17
PROPER COLLEGE SPORT
President Eliot of HarUard Rene1cs
His Objection to Football.

Cambridge Mass, April 1.-THE annual report
OF President Eliot TO the Board of Overseers OF
Harvard University was made public to-day. III
It a considerable number of topics of especia! In
terest are considered. On the subject of pensions
for professors President Eliot refers to the pene
fits from the Carnegie Foundation. to which Har-
ward made eligible in 1906, and says:
The benefcent effects cf the Carnegie FOunda ion
are already plain The Foundation makes possible
wav Of Old feachers whose usefulness impaired,
and so keeps faculties fresh and vigorous IN iheir
T se4yad cspsb and 2o 1 s1 Who formerly
deferred by natural appTehensions eTnde and their
families. Moreover: trustees need no longer ,e+9 ee
fiftv Years OF age for example They used 10
feel that such man could ie give them f be enE EoeWed }
in all probability. by formidable number OF year 5ears
they need longer apprehend the iu9profIa;cle s;n
appendix to the years Of distinguishes of
executng the trust. is giving the country @trus}. @
snG &c COLLEGES and between colleges and unyersi55
ties II also contributing to raising fne denon
nationalism in education.
The report deals with the work Of the appoint
rnents office which secures positions for uhoer
graduates and past members of the university seek
inc er,nIoz,ent the new scholarships of the year the
students admitted from public schools the cou se
Of study special instruction for teachers the eA
change of professors with Germany, the graduate
School of Applied Science, the work or the oiEh'S
school and the finances of the medical school
The most interesting theme treated by Dr. En0t
is the exaggeration Of athletic sports espeoiSI'
football. On this he says:
The exaggeration of athletic sports in schools ana no
colleges remains crying evil, and there dlt no
clear signs that effectual remedy IS Lah1Hs mn!
The tendency of the hlgn CONF, CONF ng
five violent games is TO reduce the proportion oI
boys and young men who play theIh anu 70 mp
the universal development of wholesome sports ac-
cessible to all To be sure. playing on teams is Is
now confned to school years and three years IN
sonai schools; but these limitations have no ten
dency to make the PLAYING oI IoG'oa ,as school
boys and students. for the fierce competition makes
these games SO intense lnaI ts e , chnoIb"Is and
the the students 3cd s,''''' .,.,, .-.a.u.ors
and ne neWspapers nameiv football is least
full of all the games because smaller propor'lokA
number of students are it for that sport than TOT
anv other Another objection to all the TioletI
sports that they cannot be played afer the en e%i
healthy man until he is sixty is much more val
after he is twenty-three. Every intelligent youth
ought to cultivate sports that he knows viii serve
, m NM nm after he leaves college The moderate
generally available and long avaIia aniH spqIsn ts
which only few endure. and these fe" only
while they are young. .,.. .-
geration of athletic sports are obvious as WaS
eoeeate ln tas Contests sRod be reduced to
each sport during any one season the rest or ] me
competition The most successful sport at Har-
Yard regards bringing out many G9mpe s tlogs bes
sbunSantv ~ proved that the interest in rowing
can be fully maintained on two 1ntercolIesiaie
noIitv 2 chance to succeed II would he necessary
for more colleges 10 agree that tneN "ouIu
permit only two intercollegiate contests IN sea
son in each sport, for it would of course. ne use
less for a college team that was permitted HnIF
two intercollegiate contests in season 10 & SoL IN
pete vs wh ePege To- 1r6 o 'a' On the right day the
most perfect team possible in any one OF the m
tense sports is piece of administrative pusII-
vice. the skill Of professional teachers ana t,le
whole life of the players for months must De De
voted One feature Of this business m IS "a.chts ing
country and securing the best boy players by Oh
fering them favorable opportunities. pecunlary OF
other. Colleges which go heartily into this pus
ness will almost certainly succeed in athletic
contests frequently than colleges which 90
not Whether they will promote the real OBJ
ter Many commercial interests strongly pToInoI Z
the exaggeraton of athletic sports in schools ana
trainers, the dealers in supplies the hotels trans
portation companies. and newspapers .,,,
The American notifications OF Rugby 1ootbail
have been played long enough TO make p.,ssl-
lie a Judgment o the of eminent root
ball players in after life. and the verdict is what
might have been expected. It clearly appears tlat
characterize football players are particularly ser
/ viceable young men who have their way to make
in the intellectual callings. Football toughness is
the kind of toughness which is most profta Bile
after life The weight and inseEsttiveness needed
in tho football line are not the bodily qualities
/ which best the man who must make has llv-
I ing by quick. accurate and inventive thinking To
get accustomed make ones greatest eXertions in
the presence of shouting thousands and OF the
/ newspaper extra ts bad preparation Tor the StfuS
giles OF professional men. VINO must generally 90
their work quite alone or In the presence or a
few critical observers. Even for modern warfare
the violent competitive sports afford no appro-
pirate preparation nasmuch as in real warfare the
combatants seldom see each other
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