Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-11-16
From the Washington Star.

lump OF kicked pigskin and the shrill
OF the referees whistle are heard IN
; the land. and when he perfumes OF
alnica, witch hazel. alcohol and mole
skin mingle in one thrilling. pervasive
smell that means Football. Surely the
capital letter is permissible; the sub
ject is one that annually engages the
most strenuous and earnest attention
OF several thousand of our college STU
dents, other thousands of high school
and grammar school lads. and still
other uncounted thousands who, in
some manner or other, ave a part or
an interest in the game.
From Bangor to Los Angeles. and
from Minneapolis to Tampa today the
bravest n the best of the nations
rising generation of %collegians are feel
ing tenderly of swollen ears, bruised
eyes and noses. wrenched knees, ell
bows and ankles and sprung ribs. Elias
tic bandages enwrap fun many a manly
form; swathings of medicated cotton
and carefully sewed muslin indicate
where someone received the imprint of
someone's heel right in the middle of
the forehead. But every wal SCARED
undergraduate. every STRIPPING school,
see the other fellers!" And all the re-
suit OF yesterdays games.
3 II Is a great game, this football. 1t
=. mus needs be a great game to have
withstood the attacks that have been
= mad upon 1t from times when men
were just beginning to learn how to
write, and to have come, at this day.
to a point where it holds so many
thousands OF eager, virile young men
In absolute thralldom. obedient to harsh
training rules and enforced abstinence
from every form of social diversion
for months at a time.
But OF all the thousands who played
IN NnSfnrf0 We NJ ~, ,V ~A - l.
hundreds of thousands who cheered,
yelled and shrieked themselves hoarse
on bleachers Or side lines, how MANY
gave a single thought to the ancient
beginnings of the sport? How many
knew that football, Of a most primi-
1--WE sort. doubtless. was known to the
lsraeites, the ancient Egyptians.
Greeks. Romans. Teutons, Gauls, Celts
ana even to the Aztecs of our own con-
tnent? How many knew tha football
as a game was the subject of stern
repressive laws as far back as the time
OF the Black Prince-aye, even earlier?
How many remember their Homer we'll
enough to connect one of his passages
with he game they We're playing or
watching.
That the people Of Israel, as far back
as The year $50 B. C. INDUCED in some
form OF game played with a ball-pre-
sumably a ball to be thrown. rolled or
NNN0 ~OOoS Wy ILlo pIdyCIS-IS SHOWN
by a passage in the 22d chapter of
Isaiah, in which the prophet says: He
Will u and toss thee like a BALL"
Ihat this game of ball was brought by
the children of Israel from the land of
Egypt is indicated by Inscriptions
carved on monuments beside the Nile.
n this written word of Isaiah takes
q beginnings of the game back a clear
1000 years and more.
In the sixth book Of the Odyssey.
Homer writes OF Nausicaa and her
maidens: Then. having bathed and
annointed well with oil. they took their
midday meal upon the rivers bank,
and anon. when satisfied with food,
they played a game of ball." 1t is prob
able that this was a game in which the
ball was tossed from hand to hand.
as part of a dance. and that there was
In 1t no system and no effort to kick
goals: execute end runs or h like.
But. coming down q little farther
bringing our ancient history a few
centuries closer to the present-we And
the Spartans playing a game called
'~harpaston." This game was played
on q rectangular field. bounded by side
lines and goal lines. with a center line,
There was no limit to the number Of
players: Equal numbers were chosen
he ball was put in play on the center
line. and the object Of the game was
70 KICK, toss,. carry or in any manner
get the ball across the goal line of the
opposing side.
The ~"harpaston" of the s%partans was
later Romanized into ''harpastum." and
carried to Rome. and 1t was played long
before Cleopatra made a mock of An
tony. When Augustus Caesar succeed
ed his uncle. Julius Caesar, as emper.
or OF the Romans. In the year % b. c.,
one Of his first official acts was to de-
mand q revision OF the football rules.
"A NN01N0fNNQ 0nNnANkAA ~~n ..-I.-...-
philosopher to write the new rules and
this man, whose very name is lost in
b mists Of antiquity-this original
rules committee of One-did his work
% well that the football code Of Au-
gustus Caesar survives today. These
rules survive the fall Of the Roman en-
pire; Augustinian football was played
Tor centuries by the peasants Of Italy,
after the greatness that was Rome had
crumbled into dust: n as late as 1898
the Augustan game was revived at
Florence.
The game as 1t was fixed by Caesars
nameless philosopher was played on 4
lines and a center line. Twenty seven
players on a side took part. These were
divided as follows: Fifteen forwards.
nve defensive backs. four halfbacks.
three fullbacks. Score was made by
kicking or carrying the ball across the
8Oat iine OetWeen the gOal posts. To
kick or carry the ball outside the side
slnes constituted a foul. and two fouls
counted as one goal against the side
committing the foul. In order that
neither side might be unduly advant-
aged by wind or sun. sides changed
after each goal.
The game ended at sunset and six
judges awarded the victory to the side
ihaving made the most goals. Specta.
tors n partisans OF the teams occu-
pied seats behind the boal lines at