The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-12-29
SOCKER COMING
into GREAT FAVOR

There is every evidence that socker
is shortly to come into it's own at
three big universities at least. The
Yale eleven has already played a great
er number of games this fall than has
ever been the case before. Princeton,
not in the intercollegiate sock
er league, is developing considerable
enthusiasm for this sport. And it be-
came known recently that the Harvard
athletic authorities intend to raise
socker to the plane Of major sports,
including 1t in the category with foot
ball, rowing, baseball, and track. The,
army will also join the procession az
an early date. So that before very long
there is every reason to believe that
this open football will be played on all
college campuses. ,
The Harvard socker team has already
had very considerable amount of
practice and is getting more daily on
Soldiers field, which has usually been
sort of deserted village" at this
time of the year. All that has been
changed. Now there are usually four
or FIVE and sometimes more socker
elevens kicking and dribbling the ball.
Instead of waiting for the spring, when
the regular series of intercollegiate
socker games is scheduled, to develop
one team, Harvard may be said to have
at the present moment several elevens
all highly proficient in this game. And
the crimson is making no secret of it's
intention and desire to carry off the
championship this coming year
Not only is socker being played by
the members of the large squad now
candidates for the socker al" but
the Harvard hockey men have been
using 1t whereby to get into condition.
Many candidates for the track and
gym" teams have also been out in
the past fortnight for the Same pur-
pose. This state of affairs will con-
tinue until the Christmas holidays,
when the game will probably be al
lowed TO lapse until fairly well along
into the spring, when the ground will
again be in such condition as to permit
further play.
Several leading colleges viii! he met
early in the season, and Harvard has
every hope OF defeating them all. Tar
ticularly is she DESTROYS of doing so
now that 1t is the intention to further
socker as a major art. But there is
another impulse which has had a very
considerable influence on the crimsons
recent decision to put this game on a
par with all others.
1t is felt in Cambridge-particul
by the students of the undergraduates
schools-that the present game of coll
lege football is not for them, nor can
it be made so regardless OF any changes
-s,.1- rrza.
feel, according to a Harvard senior
that the gravest defect OF modern coll
lege athletics is that they are not ploy-
able by a properly representative por-
ton Of the university. According to
him, what is needed in every such in
stitution today Is a game that will re-
quire very little equipment - thereby
permitting the man of slender means
and who lis not a member OF the varsity
squad 10 play 1t and yet shall de-
velop initiative, courage, agility and
speed. 1t is to socker, therefore, that
the Harvard undergraduates are now
looking for this purpose
Take football as it is played to-
day" said this Harvard man, "and
what chance have got in 1T" (The
speaker was slender man weighing
some las pounds. and standing about
Ave feet seven). They'd get my
scalp so quickly in that game that I'd
never even know I'd been the leading
figure in the massacre. Yet I love out
door sport. So that by virtue OF my
deficiency in weight and size I'm kept
from doing any real athletic work in
the fall. So is almost every man in
college sttlated like myself.
What we need, therefore, is a. safe
and sane sport that every one of us
can play and enjoy. We do not want
any elaborate coaching system or train
ing table. We just want to feel that
once we've got our muscles hardened
up by running around, we can get out
and play a hard. fast game without
fear Of serious injlry--and do this re-
CARELESS Of the weight of the men
against whom we play IN game like
socker a big man has nothing on
his smaller opponent. Speed and cour-
age are far more In demand than mere
brute strength. So that, Ii you are
trying 70 find q game that every col