Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-08
INTERSCHOLASTIC
MEET IS BARRED
POLY AND HIGH SCHOOL MUST
DROP THEM
EDlcT ISSUED DIscoNTlNUING
SCHOOL CONTESTS
Principal Francis Announces That No
More Athletic Contests with Other
Schools viii Be Permitted.
CONSERVATION Follows

Following the agreement reached
between the principals of the two Los
Angeles high schools, the regular in
stitution and Polytechnic high, 1t was
announced yesterday that interschol-
astic athletics, involving contests be-
tween teams or individuals represent
ing one school with those of another,
will become a thing of the past after
Thanksgiving day. Turkey day, the
date of the final game of the Rugby
season, will bring to a close all inter-
scholastic meetings in track, football
baseball, tennis, basketball or any
other branches of athletics. This is the
sweeping and radical change proposed
by the heads of the schools, on the
asserted grounds that the competition
of the students of the various schools
is injurious to the standard of schol-
arship and tends toward profession
alism in athletics.
Principal j. H. Francis of Polytechnic
high school yesterday morning in
speech before the assembled students
at Polytechnic auditorium, announced
the change and the reasons for 1t. tie
outlined the policy to be adopted, which
will be the encouragement of all in
terscholastic athletic activities after
the present schedules are finished and
the encouragement of inter-class COM
petitions among the students of one
school.
Creates Big Sensation
The announcement of the principal
created a big sensation among the stu
dents, particularly among those athlet-
ically inclined. 1t marks the biggest
departure from the present system yet
attempted, and a storm of protest was
aroused. Francis announced that the
decision to forbid further contests be-
tween members of the schools was
made by the faculty athletic committee
and is final.
1t is believed that many Of the ath-
letes of both Poly and High school
will be found missing after vacation
and that they will register in outside
schools If this ruling is adhered to.
Finish Thanksgiving Day
Only two teams, the rugby squad
and the basketball quintet, will be per-
mitted to finish out their seasons. AS
they have already made arrangements
for dates, they will be allowed to play
out their listed games with other
schools but thereafter all such inter-
scholastic contests must cease. Only
three more games remain to be played
in the basketball schedule, and the
rugby season ends with the Thanks
giving day game
All arrangements for baseball and
track will have to be abandoned and
as a result there is deep gloom on the
Poly campus. Similar conditions will
be insisted on at the high school, say
the students, and the athletic teams of
the two schools are dumfounded at the
sudden change in policy, as heretofore
there has been marked encouragement
given them.
'In the first place." said Mr.. Francis
in his announcement, athletics are
financially a loss to the school. Last
year the school lost just $4SO.58. All
teams except the basketball and track
teams, went heavily in the hole. The
money to make up for this great loss
came from the lunch room and from
school entertainments"
Principal Francis also stated that
athletics, as now played by the city
high schools, are a farce. He declared
that when they put out a team they
expected to win and in order to ac-
complish this end the boys actually
entered into professionalism. The boys
who make teams have to practice for
several months in order to win, which
often causes their studies to drop. He
declared that athletics, as now carried
on, caused a loss in scholarship.
He said that of the 1000 students in
Polytechnic those who represented the
school last year were only eighty in
number. Accordingly only handful
of the scholars actually received ath
letic benefit, whereas the entire student
body was equally privileged to the
same benefit.
He hopes to substitute interclass
athletics instead of the interschool
contests. In this way he declares that
the entire school will profit by athletics
and not a scant eighty.
Poly will meet the fast delegation
from Pomona high next Saturday
afternoon at Bovard field. This is the
second game of the season and the
mechanics are rounding into excellent
shape. Coach Skinner will make a
slight change in the lineup and after
this game the regular team will be
Nchosen.