Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-04-05
BASEBALL IN JAPAN
Trip of University of Chicago
Team Described.
Mainichi Denpo Predicts Pastime VIII
Become National Game In MIka-
dos Kingdom and Promote
Better Feeling.

fined, the most highly organized and
the most active" is to become the ma
t1onal game of Japan.
Daily newspapers of the island en-
pire, commenting with enthusiasm up
on the recent visit Of the University
OF Chicago baseball team, declare this,
and then go so far as to predict that
the nlfkado and Uncle Sam, hands
| clasped as fellow-fans, will never, new
er will utter harsh word except, per-
haps, at the umpire.
The Mainichi Denpo according to a
translation sent to President Harry
Pratt Judson, of the University of Chi
cago, by Montgomery Schuyler, charge
d'affaires at Tokyo, and published in
the current University of Chicago
Magazine, had the following to say on
the subject:
1.-THE American peoples own esti-
mate Of baseball may not be quite I'M
reasonable if we take into considera-
ton the fact that Of all foreign games
adopted by our students baseball is
| the most popular and attracts the larg-
est number of spectators, and that sew
eral international matches have been
held. If baseball makes progress at
this rate in this country, and If we do
not have any new international game,
then baseball will become the national
game, as it is in America.
Without reference to Warship
teams or professional teams, the con-
| tract Of American and Japanese teams
i will, besides promoting the game IT.
| self, contribute much to a better I'M
derstanding between the two nations.
"The University of Chicago team
now visiting this country consists Of
| students Of good moral standing and
excellent scholarship. They are real
American gentlemen whose amiabflity
is an object lesson to our students.
We have been told that in the princi-
pal American colleges students Of In
ferior scholarship can not join base
ball team no matter how good players
| they may be. Following this example,
our schools have adopted a rule where
by those can not become members Of
the representative school teams. 1t
will thus be seen that the evils that
the enlightened public feared might
attend the game of baseball have been
! prevented
eff baseball matches can be held by
Japanese and American students who
cross the ocean, and if thus the stu
dents of the two countries cultivate
! friendship, then international baseball
matches between Japanese and Amer
| lean students can no longer be regard
ed as sport pure and simple.
1--WE hope that baseball in this coun-
:! try will make sound progress among
our students and that we may be able
] to have more international matches.
/ It is natural to expect in this connec-
| ton that the graduates Of various
schools will make it easier to have in
/ ternational matches. America will feel
proud if one of her national games be-
comes an international game in which
the Japanese nation alone can take
part. If our people intend to make
! baseball an international game, the
! American people will extend to us
their most cordial support"
The Japanese newspaper paid a
glowing tribute to the exemplary and
sportsmanlike behavior Of the Chicago
students.
I'm moments of excitement" it said,
every person is liable to lose control
Of his temper, and especially is this
the case the world over with young
men. But in many occasions Of thrill
ing excitement and close contests the
Chicago team always maintained calm,
gentlemanly attitudes. Not a word OF
indecent language came out of their
lips.
I'm the United States, the east
claims almost a monopoly Of polite
ness and refinement The west is gen
orally considered as rough and unre-
fined. But from this west we had the
pleasure and satisfaction of welcom-
ing here a baseball team most ex-
emplary not only in the skill Of the
art but also In their conduct on the
field.
"They have given us very useful les-
sons in many ways, and especially to
our youths, who rank behind nobody
In their tendency to get excited, the
Chicago team and their behavior
throughout the seven games on the
| Waseda field stand out very prom1-
nently as a model Of conduct, and as
we record this fact we are simply
echoing the unanimous impressions Of
the tens of thousands who witnessed
every match on the Waseda ground
eve believe and expect that in
Osaka also the same thing will be
slaced to their record, and such happy
Impressions left behind will doubtless
ly go a long way in keeping UP the
traditional friendship now happily ex-
listing between the United States and
our country. It may be said Of the
Chicago team that they have done
considerable service in the interna-
tional relations of the country they
represent and the country of their
visit"