The Washington herald., 1909-03-15
Colleges Realize Importance
of Sports More Than Ever.
PROBLEM HAS BEEN TESTED
Worth of AtheIticS shown
when PennsyIvania College Turned
Down Oner of Cool Million on Con-
ditiOn that One Phase of Sport BE
DrOpPed-"MOIIyeOd Defined.

L
eliminating one side from an equi-
lateral triangle and still have a tri-
angle left as TO talk OF eliminating
athletics In all it's phases and d.
versities from college life and still have
/ colleges left. This may or may not be
true. We do know this much, however
that many Of the greater institutions IN
the East and the great Central West have
put this problem 20 the test, only 10 nave
the validity Of the assertion verified The
/ truth is that to-day you cannot find any
! recognized college or university that does
not in some respect or other foster ath-
/ letics, for even the most conservative re-
aIize that it is incumbent upon the col
I legcs to develop the physical as well as
the intellectual and moral side Of young
men.
/ Time was when the routine work Of a
| college course consisted merely In
strenuous and unswerving application 10
study. and outside of that life al college
simply meant nothing 20 the average
young man. But we are glad 10 Know
I that such time and such ideas have been
relegated 10 the trash basket of past
mOnastic conservatism. and now there
/ has dawned a new era. the era OF strenu-
Gus application In athletics as well as IN
the delusive pursuit of that still more de
Iusive phantom which. for the want Of a
better 90 name. schoolmen have been
/ content TO call dub the classics
One Instance Is Cited.
That we may fully realize the intrinsic
value of athletics we need here cite one
/ instance only. A few years ago a certain
good-hearted old Quaker lady-they are
always good-hearted, the Quakers are
offered a gift OF a million dollars to a
certain college on condition that said col
] lege abolish one phase Of athletics which
I in her innocent Quaker-hearted opinion
/ she considered "A crude form of barbarism-
/ Ii Is gratifying TO note that after due
/ consideration the board Of regents polite
/ ly declined her paltry little million, for
/ they thought that not even the Rookie
feller millions could justly purchase the
birthrights Of its athletic inheritance
/ This. / believe. in short is the spirit-Or
( atany rate should be the spirlt-which dom
mates all our colleges OF the present day.
I / think I am further safe I'm saying that
\ in time to come some Of the most impOr-
tant questions that VIII confront the
young man seeking entrance into college
Will not be how much Greek or Latin.
/ French or German. mathematics. history.
or the natural sciences he has had. nor
/ even yet how thoroughly he has mastered
( the elementary branches OF knowledge,
! but rather whether he Ca play football
/ baseball. basketball. hockey. &c; in
what time can ne make the 1Go-yard. the
quarter the half the mile.
/ These viii be the real live issues which
/ the coming youth will have 20 confront,
and If he cannot make good I'm some one
/ Of them he must be consigned 10 the rank
and file Of mollycodles or 90 the back row
/ of college nonentlties. Already there is
a great trend in that direction.
HIS Services nt a Premium
Just a few days ago + received letter
/ from a friend who entered one Of the
great Northern colleges this school year.
made good on the varsity. and was Sc
lected By Walter Camp fsr a place on
/ the third all-American team. saying that
/ he had received inducements from a
dozen or more different colleges. all put
/ ting forth the most strenuous efforts 70
/ secure his services for the coming school
year by making all kinds OF pecuniary
offers TO him. none Of which seem to have
changed his mind.
/ This simply goes to show that the man
who can carry the pigskin 80. 60. or 20
yards for a touchdown. who can always
( be depended on 10 make his distance
when IL IS necessary. 10 tide his team
over a doubtful moment; who can always
win a place. II not the first place in the
/ 100-yard dash. the quarter. the half. or the
mile and still keep up his class standing
Is preferred a thousand times to the man
who sits I'm his room and grinds. grinds.
grinds. shut in from the outside world
and from the sympathy and influence Of a
7 Ta- fun.f
viewed from the standpoint Of athletics.
OF s. or 90 per cent. This does not mean
that We deCry Il high standard OF schol-
arship. No: not at all. But when schol-
arships are stimulated by a good dose Of
real athletics, then II becomes power
to DO things and not theorize upon them.
Spirit of Fair Play Created.
{ The value of athletics might further be
/ seen in the fact that It creates in the con-
! testants a spirit of fair play and equal
rights You cannot demand any more
for yourself than you are TO concede to
( the other fellow. II cultivates alertness
I Of perception. makes one instant in sea-
/ son. for in athletics il is Of no avail to
/ be an instant out Of season You see
I your opportunity 10 plunge your oppO-
nent's line or TO skirt his end; TO steal a
Z a.
must do il in that instant or perhaps your
opportunity is gone forever, often result
/ ing in defeat for your team and humilia-
ton for yourself.
| Athletics inculcates self-reliance. inde-
| pendence (Often). and manly courage.
( The time comes when you are put 20 the
( final athletic test and unless you are
made of the real stuff you just can't de-
| liver the goods.
Other reasons might be advanced why
athletics should be encouraged. fostered.
and even supported at the expense OF the
college or university in whose name and
/ for whose honor these blOOdless (Often
/ bloody. yet friendly battles are fought.
] Il is unnecessary to mention the pres
! tige to which the hero of the grldiron
alone can attain nor the reverence which
I Is heaped upon him by his own class
mates and fellOw-students. In addition
I to this, record shows that the man who
/ is most active I'm athletics while in col
/ lege is also almost invariably most active
1 In business and commercial life when he
leaves college. He is the best student in
school and out OF school; he has a broad
er and more comprehensive grasp on the
! problems of life, and he tackles them on
the broad gridiron of the world Just as
he did his opponent trying to describe a
semi-cicrle around the left end of his
home team on the gridiron of his alma
mater.
Name Of Duffy Still Famous.
In considering the contributions 10 the
athletic world by the various colleges.
We find that some OF our local schools.
such as Georgetown. George Washing
ton, and the many Washington high
schools. have done much in aiding. main
tanning, and even raising the record of
college athletics. Nobody can deny that
Duffy won for Georgetown place in the
annals of college athletics which is en-