The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-10-16

has also forbidden and penalized the
helping of players who are on the
ground. The committee has defined as
crawling' any attempt of the man
with the ball to wriggle ahead after
fairly down. 1t was wise legislation.
A player pulled or pushed too often is
IN position where muscles are contract
ed or limbs so turned that joints are
likely to be misplaced and bones brok-
en-. An effort has been made to bring
all players to thorough understand
ing of the fact that when the ball is
once down it is "down,' and the more
rigidly the officials enforce the doc
trine the less liability there will be of
injury to the player stopped or tackled
and the quicker the game will be rid
of the desire to beat the actual stop
ping of the ball with foot or two of
gain by "crawling' over the surface
of the field.
la would appear that both of these
reforms, which have been introduced
into the rules, are to result more eff
fieaciously among the younger players
of the game than their elders.
Youngsters Like to ''Pile Up
There has always been a temptation
among players in grammar and prepara-
tory schools to "pile up' on the man
who is down with the ball. Everybody
who has had to do with youngsters
knows the impulse of the boy to throw
himself into the heap when there is a
general mix-up on the ground.
No better instance can be cited than
the frolics of crowd of healthy young
Americans in field of newly cut grass
or hay. There may be half dozen
heaps of grass or hay on a lawn or
field. but if a boy in a spirit of healthy
activity pitches headlong into one of
them the other boys, instead of pitching
into the other haycocks, will, nine
times out of ten, heap themselves into
a squirming mass on top of the one
hoy and into the soft pile into which
he first threw himself.
In football games among the younger
players this practice has always to be
dealt with. If player is downed with
the ball, first one boy, who has no rea-
son to become involved in the play,
win jump on the PROSTATE youth to
assist IN holding him; then another and
another. And l have seen even the
full back running the whole length OF
the field to throw himself on top of
all with no more reason for dong so
than that he wanted to show that he
was in the game.
If this foolishness can be wholly
eradicated among the young players,
those who object TO football for the
boys between fifteen and twenty will
find that one principal source of danger
to the boy carrying the ball has been
| eliminated. When the boys find that
it IS against the rules to do this. and
not a part of football, desire to win will
bring ABOUT a speedy reform on their
part because they viii not relish beng
peuaIized. What is true of the bows
Is also true Of some college PLAYERS
who make great pretense Of being in
every tackle in which several PLAYERS
are involved, and it seems to have been
a very wise policy 10 have Incorporate
ed clauses in the rule which will not
only discourage the practice. but will
punish il by penalty in every way.
A Good Preventive.
Another section Of the revised rules
prohibits the iuterlocked interference.
This. 90. : move IN the right direc-
ton for it preserves Individuality of
action, which is a distinct safeguard
against injury. This section Of rule i
IS 50 clear and sane that it IS worth
! emphasizing to impress it fully upon
those who shall he members of the eIev-
ems of tb,s season. The section reads:
"No player Of the side in possession
of the ball shall use his hands. arms
or body to push. pull or hold upon his
feet the PLAYERS carrying the ball. nor
shall there be any iuterloeked inter
ference. BY interlocked inter ference is