davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

With such game in force let us see
what we have accomplished.
There will be no difficulty in limiting
the offensive backs i'm the zone four by
five yards. The prime reason for estab-
fishing the zone is to prevent the offence
from massing on a given point. An Of
fetal could readily notice any infraction
Of the rule and could compel the offence
to adjust its formation.
Defence il is possible TO limit in two
ways; first, by legislation. and second.
by peculiarities and the eXigencies of
your style Of offence. II is clear that in
the game that | have proposed the de-
fence will Immediately adjust itself to
the offence and close up near the de-
fensiye line OF scrimmase. 1t is equally
clear that the superhuman burden now
placed on ;he defensive back will be re-
moved
The players are near together at the
start We viii have made a mass forma-
tion impracticabc. We will have min
lmized tho weight possible 10 be thrown
against one man. We will have elimi-
mated the admittedly dangerous de-
signedly free ball in the open We will
have got the game back where II viii
provide q dashing. open attack with a
visible ball, and we viii have made II, as
well. interesting, logical, sane and safe.
Lot me explain the technical state
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

hurdle play the on-side kick and the
forward pass.
Way to improve the Game.
Can we not have a game that shall,
perforce, be similar to the game played
from 1889 to 1891. without the above
enumerated Objectionable features? We
can. and the method is very simple.
Lay down the following rules: Seven
men on the line of scrimmage; forward
pass back of your own line OF scrim-
mage, the pass not to he received be-
yond the point where the ball was put
in play; a zone four by five yards in the
offensive field that shall contain only the
quarterback; the other offensive backs
10 be back Of the ball four yards always,
or five yards out from centre. one man
allowed to help the runner, and he to
help only after the man has reached his
own line Of scrimmage or Is five yards
out from the centre. Then. with the
man who receives the ball from centre
allowed to carry the ball at will, with
the forward pass back of your own line
we will have stronger and more varied
offence than in the period OF 1889 to
1891 The distance to be gained, five
Yards. will be easier to secure, and the
game will be re-established with a def
mite striking distance and an offence
with a reasonable continuity.
| will illustrate with "A diagram typi-
cal defensive and offensive formation.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
Mass Play Not So Dangerous.

! Why did they not apply themselves TO
answering these just demands? one Of
| these demands. while reasonable and de-
sirable. was made without giving
The proper reason. The mass play has
! always been as safe play as football
holds. serious injury never resulting
| Mind. ] say from the mass play. Yet
we remember, not long back, how this
college president and that college presi-
dent were being interviewed. and one
and all were against the brutal mass
play"
! / admit it gave some opportunity for
dirty playing. and therefore was unde-
sirable for that reason. The ball was
often hidden from the spectators, and all
| they could comprehend was a jumbled
pushing. hauling mass. IT was unde-
sirable for these reasons. but not brutal.
Now, people, listen we'll TO this: Unless
| YOU Join the movement Of reason this
| incompetent rules committee is going TO
give you a little of their new remedy.
! They arc going TO try il out on YOU if
YOU will take it, They have never given
il to any one. and, hearing that you are
ailing, they are going 10 give it to you
and your children. If it kills one Of you,
they are sorry, They guessed wrong.
II not fatal. yet unavailing. they will
hide behind the plea Of honest effort and
try again. But if you let them keep on
trying they vii get you surely.
What you want Is. believe. fewer in
juries, abolition of mass play and an
open game The late Gordon Brown,
George Adee and myself spent much
time in endeavoring TO meet these de-
mards and solve these problems. and
while none of MS have ever burst into
print, we have done our best on various
occasions 10 get the rules committee to
return to reason.
one of the first questions We asked
ourselves was this: Has the game
ever been such as 10 answer the above
demand? Has there ever been a time,
since the defence has been developed
and brought mp TO standard during which
We had really good game, when men
were reasonably sure of lasting out the
season." We found that there was such
a game in the years 1889, 1890 and 1891
What has happened 20 the game since
to mako II less desirable; Tho follow
ing devices. introduced in tho order
named. have brought about that condi-
iiou flying interference, The turtleback.
the guards back, the tackles back, the
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
YALE SEVEN IN DEFEAT
St. Nicholas Hoes Out Victory III
Practice Hockey Game.

In a lively hockey contest the seven
the ST. Nicholas Skating Club deiea'eu "
team of Yale by goals to on the i'e y
the ST. Nicholas Rink During tue 81"
half OF the game the aggressiVeness
Captain Harmon of the Yale team an
Cox. playing at left wing resulted IN lrD
tallyinS of two goals for Yale, While OH.
Cornell was successful in scoring Tor ."
Nick. ,y
The two teams worked all of their tr'oN,
plays ia the second period, with the reSu"
that Cornell shot the puck into the cage ~
even the score. while near the end OF 'i'
contest Swensou, the cover point TOT S-
Nicholas. managed To hook on TO ions
carry from which he shot the winning soA-
The summary follows
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
The Crying Needs of
Football and a Cure

spectators team was defending he was
fearful. tense.
As the advance went on the supporter
of the offensive team weayed and swayed
with his fellows i'm the stand in the di-
rcction OF the ball, roofing, beseeching
almost advancing the ball by his own
strength. As the five-yard marks were
passed the spectator became importu-
nate. frenzied: ne and his fellows cried
Touchdown, Touchdown! Score, Score
Across the field in the stands the ad-
herents Of the team that was being
thrown back, back, swsyed and pushed
i'm sympathy against the ball. They
cried in fury Hold en-! Hold emf
The ball went on. on, relentlcssly on.
The bah came to the liveyard line. With
a lift and crash and Il swirl il went
over. The referee dug down into the
pile. He burrowed for the ball. he
Jumped up and waved his arm. touch
down
one stand was Instantly a bedlam. a
frenzy. Il riot and tumult of joy. Hats
flags. cushions, papers sailed into the air.
Thousands leaped. subsided and leaped
again. until the stand was vivid re-
surgent Niagara. Across the field was
silence, dropping flags, detection, misery
That, dear public, was game with a
thrill. an absorption. a punch. Achieve
ment there could be and was, and in 1T
YOU gloried. You were carried out OF
yourselves You played the game your
selves.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
Reasons for Chaotic State.

The reason for such chaotic state IS
that the committee on rules has not re-
duced its work to a simple problem and
then proceeded to solve it in a logical
and sane manner. The problem as such
has presented itself to some of the rules
committee members, but they have re-
fused to consider its solution simply be-
cause they have not been brave enough
TO face the public with the truth.
The truth is that football is game Of
personal contact of such a strenuous
nature that II is bound 10 he rough
game. Any other claim for it is ridicu-
| lOus.
Theodore Roosevelt had the right idea
and the sand TO express 1t publicly when
he said that the game was "A rough
game. but that if it was played hard
and cleanly no one could rightly object
even II injuries came to a member of his
| own family. because Of the manly quail
ties il inculcated.'
In his characteristic style he might
have added: "It is the last game in the
world for the Molycoddle, for the SAT-
from heart with the hard face and the
| soft body"
The definite problem, then, Of the re-
vision Of the game is to make it as safe
as possible and to minimize its rough
ness i'm the greatest degree compatible
with its basis of physical contact.
In their efforts to cut out the danger
the rulemakers have committed fatal
error. They have gone on the theory
witness the neutral zone) that separat-
ing the bodies Of the players would
lesson injuries The character of play
that the rules prescribe, that they render
inevitable, has separated the bodies Of
the offence and the defence, only to hurl
them together head-on with greatest
possible speed. This has reference TO the
defensive halfback who, in defending
properly against forward passes and on
side kicks must play ten yards back Of
the ball.
If the particular play is not kick or
4 pass. then to defend successfully this
man ten yards back must meet the run
ner on or about the line Of scrimmage,
coming at fun sped. The man with the
ball is also 1t top speed and absolutely
unpreparod to accept a tackle Of the
character me gets. In coming through
tho line ne is likely TO stumble or 10 be
tripped. The chances for these two
Young men to met hoad-on Is excellent.
This makes OF player either a gutter
on corpse.
You may say that / am an alarmist
j reply that this new game is young;
that $50 Far fow serious accidents have
occurred. bat that Just As sure ss fato
We alc bound, under this ruling, to have
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
The Value Of Football.

In conclusion, just an expression about
football as a game. This game is an
nually giving to American society full
brigade of virile, self-reliant. quick
thinking and fearless men. We nave
but to look about u.s. hearken TO Hob
son or put our ears to the ground to hear
the rumble from the active battle-fields
OF the day or the threats Of yesterday
Q was in Canada during their recent
election) to conclude that virile man
hood is likely to be a valuable asset to
this country at no remote time.
Not that a football player is any
gamer than any one else. but football
players are gamer than any other civil
ians as a class; from the nature Of what
they do they must be. Aside from this
young college athletes, with their mental
training and physical Drawn, are beyond
any doubt great uplift TO the standard
Of American manhood.
Football builds that in a man that
spells fair play and loyalty. it makes
for self lf-control, unity Of effort and per-
severance.
Football is the greatest of great
games. See TO it that it is preserved.
We as American people need II.
Reduce your committee on rules TO
five good football experts and you will
secure a sane game. 7 suggest a COM
mittee composed of men like Paul
Dashiel, Bob Wrenn, George Adee. Joe
Beacham and Bill Langford
Three OF these men are permanently
in New York and the other two are ac-
cessible. They could meet often and
could confer and would take the neces-
sary amount of time. The present COM
mittee meets once or twice a year for
two days in a quasi-political convention,
wherein It is jockey and swap, give AMI
take. on the part of the delegates. who
endeavor 10 rush through the instruc-
tions Of their own institutions.
The men / mention are experts, and
even though coaches C'The Harvard Bull
letin" TO the contrary notwithstanding
of them would come from the govern
ment schools, and it is clear that those
two would come to a meeting unin-
structed and unhampered, for surely the
government has enough on its hands
without supervising football rules.
These five men would formulate and
adopt an \, b, c code Of rules, intelli-
gible and concise. OF utmost impor-
tance, they would give us game har-
monious. interesting, sane and safe.
And though | pose as no Cassandra. IL
you. dear Public opinion. pay no heed
and take no action, remember that vain
regrets are cold consolation for avoid
able fatalities.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

G.. Foster sanford. In suggesting changes
in the rules of football, contends that the
present code has devitaiizcd the game,
robbed II of It's striking features. destroyed
its continuity and made the possibility OF
a score depend upon the error Of opponents
10 a large extent. He says further that
the present game IL more hazardous 10 life
and limb than the one played In his day.
While he admits that there were serious
objections which brought about the crusade
several years ago. he insists that these
Objectionable features crept in after 1891
and should have no place in the game. lie
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
Sanford's Remedy After
DIAGNOSING Football Uls

refers particularly to the flying wedge. the
turtle back, the guards back. the tackles
back and other crashing mass plays.
lie suggests as remedy that the game
he returned TO the safe and sane period
by legislatinR out the objections men
toned. His way OF doing IL follows:
FORWARD pass limited to behind tho
line Of scrimmage. Am offensive Iono
limited 10 five by four yards. 3-Didanee
TO be gained five yards In four downs, or
three tries. 4-0ne man to help the runner
after the latter reaches the line Of scrim-
mage.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

ment "limit the defence" IL IL easiiy
comprchendcd that to pass rule as mas
been suggested lately In the press u
make the defensive backs play hVe vi
ron wards behind the scrimmage line
limits the defence in the following way
The rule prescrlbes the position OF the
back when the play opens. Now, IL 10 d
cardinal principle that the defensive ei-
feet i'm order to be successful much De
made not later than at the line OF scrim-
mage. Accordingly, back VINO Is re-
quired to remain five or ten yards away
from the logical defensive area, to arrive
at the point where he is needed-viz..
near or at the line of scrimmage-at the
time when he IS needed-must proceed at
his greatest possible speed. At the line
of scrimmage one back meets the other
i'm what might be termed football
merger TO quote William story. "They
meet as two clouds in heaven that be-
fore the thunders ily.'
Seriously, one can readily see that the
present game has tended TO develop
defence much more onerous and severe
than the old game of football ever held
ANY one that has ever seen footpaIi
game must know that the nearer the
players arc together at the start the
less likely they arc TO suffer from inc
shock Of impact. If one REFUSES 10 con-
cod, this. he is without the facts
Yale has had three teams III 'ne ~
decade that we're not scored upon
those Of 1889. 1891 and 1892. In 1871 we
r,ayod botb the big games without
substitution. and all the men VI '''o
three teams mentioned who played III
those games are still alive. These lac's
seem 10 refute the argument that foot-
bail is necessarily a man-kiiler' eithei
while PLAYED or in later lie.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
Monotony Of New Football.

Sclf-appointed prophets told you thc
| game was wrong. uninterestng. They
said the mass play was brutal, gladia-
torial. They said you wanted kicking
omen play. passing-the ball always in
| view. They gave these things TO you
and to-day you see monOtonous itera-
tion of kick, catch, kick. catch. varied by
a ball thrown in the air, only to fall dead
| valueless, amid groans and disgust. To-
| day you, forty thousand of you, walk
from a stadium, fresh from big game
quiet, perplexed, detected. just as en-
! thusiastic as a crowd of boys tagging
| into school on the first Monday of Sep
tember.
Now you miss the tumult. the thrill,
the vital punch, and still you do not
realize that you were played false. The
game has been devitalized. The mass
play was not TO blame; its evils could
have been eliminated.
Hold the mirror to your emotions, your
enthusiasms of the old game. Analyze'
and determine what attracted you. Re
fleet and be convinced that what you
wanted removed was not the roughness'
not the conflict, not the team effort, but
the danger!
To return to the Rules Committee. 1t
has been my contention ever since the
old game of football was changed In
1905 and 1906 that the committee has
fulfilled the old adage, Men are desir-
ous Of things that are new" One might
add that men are not always pleased
with the new things that they get.
This condition exists relative TO the
present game. Through all these years
that the present rules committee has
been guessing it has been offered sane
counsel, which has been listened to with
indulgence and which some members
have been convinced was sane, only to
have said counsel uproariously put down
by "My institution Or that institution
or the public or press) will never stand
for that" In consequence, the rule
makers have gone deeper and deper into
the ridiculous, hoping against hope that
this or that wild dream might come
true.
They have given us almost as many
officials as there are players and code
/ of rules that calls for moot court after
! almost every down, which often results
I in the mad pacing Of the official up the
/ field for five, ten. fifteen or twenty yards
only to pace as madly back, declaring
/ checkmate to the first penalty. Such IL
course has proved one thing, and that IS
/ that the football loving public is en-
tirely lacking in national American
( trait Of impetuosty The public has
learned TO stand for any and every
tbiDU
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

Everything is I'm readiness for tho b,p
Christmas dinner which Frank TlIford viii
give to one thousand little mothers" of
the tenement districts in the Murray Hll
Lyceum tomorrow afternoon at o'clock.
one hundred and nifty 12-pound turkeys ten
bushels OF cranberries and fifty gallons of
rice and tomato soup viii mako nm the
feasI.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
PLAYS That Are Objectionable.

The defence of this period was the SAME
as if is herein suggested, with tle eAcep-
tiop Of the play of the end rush. Inc Of
fo,,co had not developed to include flying
wedges, turtlebacks guards oa'N'
tackles back, hurdle plays lor"aiu
passes and on-sIde kicks, all more or less
objectionable for this or that reason
Mind. I know a guard or tackle was
used out of the line on occasions prior
to 1891. but the above refers to the gen.
eral usage as system.
Now. the logical thing would seem 10
Ia n yo hack to the game OF those years
and to make rules to eliminate the iatei
Objectionable plays. The defence WIN
revised method Of end play. makes nNe
Yards in three tries or four downs 'oo
difficult A task. Hence, we must ar least
add something to the strength OF oHence'
Therefore. if after eliminating the apoEe
objectionable offensive features (no pun)
7 vn add 70 the game Of the 80 period the
r,qbt of the first man who receives the
ball from centre to advance at WILL aiSo
permlt use Of the forward pass back Oh
the line of scrimmage, we will grant the
offence greater scoring power than IL
has ever had.
The defensive half will be unapie u
take the blind chances as in the DAYS VI
mass play. Likewise. the defensive ehus
will have a less certain road to travei.
Under such rules. these gentlemen VIII
have their moments of indecision' WHICH
are bound to make open ground sairiins
practicable.
AsI write. my attention is called 10
two articles in print, one by Caspdi
whitney. I'm "The New York Times, ana
| the other, containing statements at
tributed to the three trainers at Har-
ward Princeton and Yale publlshed III
| "The Yale Daily News.
AS 70 the latter, 1t is hard TO believe
that these three men made the state
ments accredited to them, that "teWer
men have been injured under the present
eridiron rules than under the old code'
Considering that Donovan never tralneu
n, Harvard under the old rules; that
Eitzpatrick has been at Princeton only
two seasons and that Mack trained at
Yale Just one season under the old
code" viz, 1905, it is difficult to see now
these men can deduce any such con-
clusions from their empirical knowledge
of the game at their respective universi-
ties. Yet it is just such statements
which are printed and quoted. undenleu,
that make satisfied the unthinking ana
ignorant with the present rules.
Nothing in this article is intended 10
offend such men as Campus" OF The
Globe; Right Wing" of "The Post;
Riu Hanna, of THE Sum-" and MetZger
and Herbert. of The Tribune who rep
resent the educated standard of journal
istic analysis Of football for their read
ers Of the metropolitan district, or men
of their stamp in other sections or the
country. such as Webb, McMillin, Con-
stantine and Touchdown OF Boston,
| aim no criticism at these men,
In fact, far from wishing to excite the
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24
DIAGRAM, OF TEAMS plACEO NTNSEcTON' or The FIELD

y representing defensive ebacks bcnlnd the
line Of scrmm
Forward pass within territory AA BIB One
"A halves and fu
be be line at all
times.
New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

substltutes-For ST. Nicholas. LuttreM ~
C;osls-For ST Nicholas. Cornell 2) sMentytt
Nor Yale: Harmon, Cox. RefeIses.-h",~, ",~,,h
and McC;rsth. of the Wanderers Hockey wv
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-10-31
ROOSTER
Rides On A Street Gar Near
Mansfield
(Mansfield News)

Ausdale, which comes to the front
very frequently with an interesting
nature story, reports another one
this week which is as unusual as
any that have occurred in that fash
ionable suburb. The latest one re-
lated and vouched for by the people
living out there and by the street
car crew, is very unusual one. A
young rooster, said to belong to the
Gadsby family has learned to come
to the car line when ne hears a car
coming. The reason this intelligent
fowl has learned this is because the
car crews frequently eat their lunches
at the end of the line and they sweep
the scraps out to the rooster.
One day last week when the car
left Ausdale, it happened there were
no passengers and none were picked
up until Helen avenue was reached.
A man got on there and he noticed
a rooster standing on the rear plat
form evidently enjoying a ride. He
called the attention of the conductor
to the bird and the latter recognized
1t as pet rooster the crews had
been feeding. Young chantecler had
hoped onto the car, unnoticed and
was taking ride. All that the con-
ductor could do was to allow the roos-
ter to ride out to the end of the run
on Spr'pgmill street, then carry him
back again. When Ausdale was again
reached the rooster was put off. He
evidently enjoyed travelling, especial
ly as it did not cost him anything.
The crew say they are going to charge
two fares up against Mr.. Gadsby.
Thursday morning the rooster came
down to the car to take another ride
but this was denied him as the con.
ductor saw the dead head before he
concealed himself on the car.