Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-11-16
an hundred other such numbering de

wees"
The old puritan certainly disliked
football and wasn't afraid to say SO.
Our old friend Pepys, under late OF
January 2. 1865. remarks that 1.-THE
streets fwere) full Of footballs. 1t being.
a great FROST" Pepys undoubtedly re-
ferred here to the weather, and was
not using h word frost with a mean
ing that has latterly been given to 1t.
INC again. Shakespeare knew the
game without doubt. In king Lear
scene Nv. act 1. you will find:
"king-Do you handy looks with me,
you rascal?
"Oswald-1ll not be struck, my lord.
Earl Of Kent-Nor tripped, you base
football player"
.Whereupon the earl trips the unluckN
steward and overthrows him.
But the football that is spoken OF.
tnveighed against n outlawed IN
these writings and enactments was not
IN those days the game was played
oN. whole regiments; the men of on4
village would be matched against tho
men cf another and the game woulf
continue for as much as a week at
a time, raging over whole parishes. AT
the Old town of Chester, on Candlcnas
day. the citizens for centuries played a:
football game, the goals being the town
hall. within the city. and a place called
Rood's Eye-now known as Rodeshee-
outside the town. This game was
played In commemoration of the day
when. with a famous wedge forma-
ton" the men Of Chester defeated and
drove out the invading Romans.
1t was not until 1851 that football was
reduced to a systematic game and
adopted in the schools OF England.
There were then two STYLES Of games
the Elton game and the Rugby. And
it was not until 1863 that the first inter
scholastic game was played in Eng
land. This game, between the schools
of Charterhouse and Westminster, was
played at Vincent square, and West
minister won by two goals to one, the
Rugby game being played.
1t was at Elton that the rule limiting
the players on each side to IL was
Formulated.
The first mention of football in
America occurs in Relations of Viz
ginia.'' written by Henry Spellman IN
1909. Spellman says:
They vse beside football play web
women and younge boys doe much play
at. They make their coolies like ours
only they never fight nor pull one an
other doone. The men play with a
! littel ball lettinge 1t falle out OF their
handles and striketh 1t with the tope
of his foote and he that can strike the
bale furthest WINES that they play
for"
Modern football in the United States
udlGS D0Ck 10 lolls WLcH rae IlISC Or
ganized u team to play under q cod of
rules. Two years later an Elton team
visited this country and played Yale.
the Sons of Eli being victors. In
1877 Yale first insisted on the adoption
of the EtOnian number of II players
to a side. in place of the Rugby union
team of Is men. which was the team
under the intercollegiate agreement ex-
listing between Yale, Harvard and
Princeton. The Yale contention was
overruled. but the fight was continued
and in 1880 Walter Camp, Yale's dele
gate. now known as the father of mod
ern football, succeeded IN having the
11-men rule adopted.
Sir Walter Scott, who captained the
men OF Ettrick in a game of football
against the men of Yarrow, led by the
Earl of HOrn-Scott's team being vic
toriOuS-wrote
From the brown crest Of Newark It's
extending.
Our signal is waving in smoke and
in flame,
And each forester blithe. from his
mountain descending,
Bounds light DER the heather to join
in the game.
her strip, lads, and to it. though
sharp be the weather.
And If by mischance you should hap
pen to fall,
There are worse things in life than a
tumble on heather,
And life is itself but u game of foot
ball,