Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-14

an education TO- ut him for the ministry OF
teaching was a rare bird. The law wos
studied chiefly In offices. and the other
professions seemed to be got more by prae-
tice than by theory. There were not 80
many bis colleges and naturally they got
more attention on the academic side. OF
commencement time n others.
But the body Of the alumni has
grown enormously. There are hundreds Of
Institutions in this country turning out an.
nually more and more college men. In
college with the first changes in spirit
came a heart lking for athletic sports.
That was modelled on the British plan,
from which the education scheme OF the
colleges necessarily was drawn. with the
vastly growing group OF graduates came
the increase in every manifestation OF the
colleges activity.
The institutions do not complain OF great
reunions at commencement time nowadays.
They like indeed to have the old-timers
come back. They are pleased with that
because Il means that old Y still has
power over the hearts and minds Of It's
sons. But some Of the same persons who
survey with approval the gathering OF
AhilAAl - NAdEs toAililElNtnlNlA WNNk ANNh
with decided d~isfavor on lesser attendance
at athletic contests. That doesn't please
them, That means f~rivolity and an over
devotion to athletics It all depends on the
viewpoint.
why Interest crows.
It appears only natural that with the
growth Of everything connected with uni
verslty and college teaching in this coun-
try interest in athletic sports as con-
Quoted in those colleges should grow too.
When a base ball team OF some college, as
Williams, goes west to play against some
middle western team not strictly its rival
1t gives a chance to the Williams alumni
Of that district to see in action some
thing that win emind them Of the old
days at Williamstown 1t helps to keep
alive the old spirit.
When Yale sends a base ball team on
a long trip through the south and west
hat is a good thing for the Yale folks
who are loyal, but who can't get back
to New Haven. When Pennsylvania
sends a swimming team to the middle
west It isn't an athletic junket. IL gives
some old timers an opportunity to renew
their youth and to cheer for the red and
blue. But then comes the objection that
this Is using an athletic team for purposes
that are not to the best interests of the
collegians who make up the teams.
On the other hand nothing Of the sort
would be objected in the case OF a glee
club or a variety show travelling around.
This does not appear TO carry with 1t
the ain that the athletic team bears.
1t is a question apparently Of whether
athletic sports are inherently and incurably
injecting, rather than whether the public
appearance of representatives of the uni
versity or college in a district where
strictly there is no reason OF rivalry for
the visit is a thing that should be avoided.
ola Rowing Days at Princeton
An article appeared recently in the Daily
Princetonian telling OF the old days OF
the rowing game at that university.
Princeton has of late gone back into the
sport with the idea II is presumed Of
returning to intercollegiate competition
whenever a proper rowing spirit is de-
veloped. The brief story of inter-colle-
giate rowing is:
Rowing was first introduced here in
1870. At that time Harvard and Yale had
already been turning out crews for seven
teen years. As far back as 1850 there was
some agitation among Princeton students
in favor of having a crew, but the civil
W0A A0eNAA VAh ~ NAAAo NAAA1 AAREN0 80
plans in the bud. There was naIdly any
thought of having a crew during the ten
years between 1850 and 1870, but in the latter
year two so-called six-oared gigs were
bought from the Yale navy. One great
difficulty to be undergone and be sub
mitted to was the canal. The bridges were
generally closed when they came to them
and canal boats were always passing up
and down causing great difficulty and
squeezing in passing.
I'm the fall Of 1870 the Princeton College
Boating club was officially organized with
the following officers: c. w. Krase, "a.
president; s.. E. Ewing, 70, treasurer; A.
Devereux, 70, secretary; II. w Guernsey,
~, captain. The class OF 1872 organized
the first class crew and it was an excel
lent one.
"For two years the crew steadily i'm
proved and In June, 1872, they entered their
first public contest at Philadelphia. The
success attained stirred up enthusiasm
anew. almost fifty new members joining
the club, and rowing was firmly established
at Princeton. The crews had to practice
at 5 a. m, but the class crew OF 1874 was
the only crew that did this regularly.
Princeton was elected in January, 1874,
into the Rowing Association Of American
colleges, which Was already made up OF
ten members. Great interest was now
shown In the sport, and money enough
was raised to build a boathouse and to
buy seven large shells.
THE first intercollegiate regatta at
which Princeton was represented was at
Saratoga. The first event was a six-oared
freshmen race over a course OF three miles,
and the Princeton freshmen were vic
torious. Yale and Brown were their op-
ponents. The race was, by the way, the
first time that orange and black figured
as the university colors. Each man on the
freshmen crew wore ribbons OF that color,
The varsity six, through q series Of mis-
haps. won no honors.
From this time on the crew continued
entering intercollegiate and public row.
ing contests with varied success and fluc-
tuating interest until 1884. During this time
crews from Princeton entered seven inter-
collegiate regattas and got second place
in two and third In three. Their average
in the public regattas was about the same
Interclsss championships were held an
nually and this brought out all the good
material in the college. But successive
defeats, hard luck and debt began to dam
pen the ardor OF the student body for this
branch Of sports. In 1884 great opposition
arose TO having a navy at Princeton. and