New-York tribune., 1910-02-05
FOOTBALL ON RACK
.SOLONS TRYING TO
SAVE GAME.
Nothing accomplished in the
Way of Rule Changes at
Clinic Yesterday.


diagnose the case and provide cure at
clinic being held in the Hotel Cumberland
This city, by the members Of the rules COM
-77fttee. Three sessions were held yester-
day o-7e IN the morning one in the after
nom and one in the evening, which lasted
into +7,e wee small hours. While in one
sense much may have been accomplished
-7o+tinr of any material nature in the way
,,f conclusions was reached for publica-
tion'
TWO more sessions al least will be held
-o-dav but Il seemed to be the general opin-
ION among the members Of the committee
last night that no definite changes in the
rules would be made until a second meeting
which il nay De necessary to hold late this
month or early in March. E K Hall, sec
-etarv Of the committee, said last night:
..t-4a-,, suggestion YOU ever heard Of is
under consideration The committee is fully
olive 70 IN, importance Of revising the rules
"a make the game less dangerous. and our
cSnectations of getting anywhere at this
meeting are not particularly high
An arnalgarnation Of the committee OF
Zen named bv the intercollegiate Athletic
Association OF the United States with the
ord r1,Ies committee. made Up OF representa-
-fves from Yale Harvard, Princeton, Cor
,7el1. Pennsylvania. Annapolis and Chicago
Was accomplished without any friction and
IN organization perfected at the morning
session. The old officers were reelected as
follows
chairman. Professor L. NJ Dennis, Of
,-or1eu. secretary z. K Hall of Dart
mouth: editor Of the rules. Walter Camp,
Of Yale
Lieutenant F. n. Berrien represented An
---z-,of;s II. r1ace Of Lieutenant Paul Ddshiell.
-r,fle John g Bell was the accredited repre-
zer-ative from Pennsylvania, with DR., Carl
Williams as his alternate. in view Of the
-+sr+ tba- Afr. Bel must return 10 Philadel-
7-r,s. early to-day Every member Of the
-,--,.7,;-7ea vas on hand for the afternoon
session and answered 70 the rollcan as fol-
Ions
Walter Camp, Tale. Crawford Blasden'
Harvard Parke H Davis, Princeton: John
g Bzu University Of Pennsylvania; ; Alonzo
A SraEe. University Of Chicago; Lieutenant
r =. Berrien. Annapolis: L. NJ Dennis
Cornell: Z x Hall, Dartmouth: Dr. Harry
:. Williams. University of Minnesota. Lieu
tenant Il 5 Hackett, West Point; Dr.
James = Babbitt. Haverford: Dr. W l.
Dudley. Vanderbilt. Dr. W A Lambeth'
University Of Virginia, and Professor =
". Savage, Oberlin.
The meeting was held behind closed
doors but Z. K. Hall, the genial secretary
.zCre5 a. intermediary between the commit
zee and the newspaper men, between ses-
sions. when II was necessary for the mem
hers &c satisfy the cravings OF the inner man.
He eynlained that one thousand and one
suggestions had been offered to make tHe
game safer. and that the time yesterday
,ss soent IN q more or less Indirect ois-
.--,ss;or as 10 the best means of bringing
of
.-I1s. nature accomplished was unanimous
agreement which was not placed on the
,--.n7,-as as = formal resolution, that foot
hall as nlaved in 1863 contributed TO more
INJURIES than n any previous year. and
that i was the purpose OF tie committee 70
5a4err7ine # possible the causes and bring
-abour 2 remedy.
-- Dudley, Of Vanderbilt. turned in a
set O.. resolutions enlbodying the views as
IN = revision Of the rules Of the southern
-771erooueziate athletic Association Alonzo
3. Sragg rhvsical director Of the CniVer-
-s7-v Of Chicago. did the same for the IN
-ercollegiate Conference Association "h-le
-T0r Harry l. Williams. of Minnesota. sun
rr:-ted the resolution demanding raolcal
changes IN the rules as passed by the IN
-erco1lezia-e Association OF the Jnlteo
states az q meeting in this city last De
7-e+ of suggestions from the CorneA
<er-1-z while Parke 4. Davis, Of Prince
-on. submitted the plan for reform as
worked o1Ir by the football committee At
Princeton and published in The tribune
1ssr Sunday Other members OF the COIN
--77rree had suggestions also, and altogether
4here were quite enough to present pfop-
lem not easy Of solution.
Parfe H Davis also submitted tame
of statistics compiled by Alexander Mohetl'
showing. as did The Tribune on Dece1npel
1e that the number Of fatal injuries III
football last fall had been greatly exag-
serated, and that outside Of two unlofIu
nate cases, the injuries could be attributed
70 lack OF care or improper training.
when asked il any particular feature
such as the forward pass onside KICK OF
mass play had been picked out as IN
trnical 10 the game, Mr.. Hall replied that
not a single vote had been taken, ana
that for the present al effort was being
made 10 weed cut the dead wood IN the
suggestions so as TO get down TO those
which would bring about safer game
without changing the character OF the
game 70 a marked extent
II is The purpose Of L. committee at TINS
time 10 make changes in the code that
vii he lasting. This was brought out IN
who indicated that when the rules were
revised three years ago the problem had
,rt been properly solved. 1t took some
.-rne 10 find this out, and II was not untl
~ middle Of the past season that II was
,.---,rFlr home TO the critics that the game
rad been opened up so far that the point
4 least resistance was the line, which
s.-ouglt- about 10 q large extent the old
tattering ram methods, with the tackles
icing forced to bear the brunt OF the at
,ack without the support Of the secondary
Inc OF defence
Between the sessions Parke H Davis, OF
Princeton. secuted the oft repeated sug-
gestion that English Rugby be substituted
for the American college game. ANY talk
Of the English Rugby game being gentle,
he said. is q myth, and ought 10 know
. ] played il ten years"
Mr.. Davis is attending the meeting armed
with statistics 10 carry out his assertion,
which VIII be presented IN due time. lie
explained that Donald 9. Herring, an old
Princeton man. who is now a Rhodes
scholar ~ Oxford and played the OK
ford Rugby team last year, he'd supplied
him with the necessary material In the
annual OZford-Carnbridge game late Ia st
fail, one forward broke MS leg, another
fe folTa~hOre third Cs-+SIaoe J,sE