The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-11-25
"CAPN COOT.s


At the Thanksgiving football q anne, high up
on the bleachers where sat hot POI tloi with not
collegiate tradition to the dozen. was
gentleman with black hair sun rumpled with
ailnight travel. and militant beard attempt
ing to deny a shaven-eheeked habit
From one coat lapel streamed tile Orange and
Black, from the other the White "a nd Blue. And
as either team made Roadway in the fight.
this apparently equivocal rooter ! at out a yell
that reverberated down field. Apparently, all
teams were alike to him. He mil hit have been
football expert enthused at scientific play.
(only there was no scientific playl, for he might
have been one who, coming forth Ito cheer, pro
ceeded to boiler.
It happened, however, that there was method
in this non-partisan madness The man with
the varied colors with the impai tial interest
illustrated the football bleache.s palpable
fact In American life. He one of those who
come back. He OF that gnand army OF
men who know what patriotism is. IN the sense
that it is a vital quality which cannot be lost
He was of those Americans to whom section
Is incidental, and to whom parthanship Is a
mixed emotion. seeing that his Gamer includes
all sorts of partisanship
For be 1t known that when the University of
North Carolina sent its eleven running out upon
the field Captain "Coot" Jones sto Cd up and
yelled for his Alma Mater. When the boys from
Charlottesville came tumbling into the arena,
Captain eeet remembered of suoiien that he
was long kind old Collegiate aothers and.
calling TO mind another set of "reminiscences, he
let them fly in manner that would have put
to blush the typical Sophomore a. child of
two such Mothers. Captain Coot must needs dis
tribute his yocati4e favors. He lavi shed them
literally in the surety that among all the crowd
he possibly the one man who could take a
proprietary interest IN the victory. " herever 1t
lighted.
Captain Coot happens to be an alun1aus of an
other University North of Masol. and Dix
on's lne but those don't count. He also hap
pens to on his watch chain the little bronze
cross indicating that he Of those who fought
| with Lee In Virginia, when he only little
| Younger than he is now. He coulhiif only
the experience had been CORY enough,--wear the
button of the Spanish American war, IN which.
as a first class fighting man, he dallied from
his law practice for five or six ilispent months.
in the hope of one taste OF blood and
thunder AS 1t was he rested himself upon his
/ double-barreled University record-roothng most
especially for Carolina, but taking the w'eikin by
the scruff of the neck and making 1t scream
whenever Virginia scored decisive advantage.
Foursquare to all the winds OF fortune, Cap
! Joy 1t to the utmost
And isn't this n pretty remarkable sort of
! country that can furnish a on the bleach
ers who has mixed learning that he cain have
no college partisanship, and who has so mixed
war that he can feel no bitterness. and who has
so mixed life that he can look at it-even when
It aegenerates into battleas pretty good
sort of a game-even II all of us DON'T un-
derstand the new rules? The big war; was
fought by the boys-of whom Captain Coot was
"which"-and the little found many or the
boys of the big war coming along as youthfully
as ever for return engagement Captain Coot
could be old, If he wanted to. but he doesn't
want to- He has fought the Union, and fought
for It. Has yelled for Virginia. and against
her Has kept with it all a sound sense OF ma
! tional State and institutional patriotism which
is as sweet as a nut. And there are thousands
of good fighters like him.--men whose expert.
ence carries such mingled feelings that, who
ever wins. they find cheer with which to greet
the victory; that, whoever loses, they find a tsar
with which to soften the defeat
1t was worth while that the game should
have been played, If only Captain Coot had been
there to watch, and to cheer. and to approve!