Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-01

was to o. the bare margin of one field
goal, and this year it was two field goals
which decided the contest
The variety of play shown by the two
teams was poor. Neither gave the least
formations or plays. The Navy tried
one forward pass about the middle of
the game, but it was not successful, and
that was about the sum of its efforts
anything but hit the line until the last
two or three moments, when in despera-
ton it opened up in the hope that it
would be able to score. 1t is probable
that the Army men realized the weakness
of the Navy line all year and that the
quarterbacks were instructed to drive
their backs into it until it gave way. The
first couple of minutes was all the time
that the opposing forwards We're preg
nabte. though.
last period. Just after the end of the
third period consultation was held
among the Navy coaches, and there was
a lot of heated argument. but the team
was allowed to go into the final quarter
as it was.
When the Navy goal was kicked the
stands on the Navy side went wild with
Ia cheering, swaying multitude. 1t was
the moment for which the Navy sup
porters had been waiting and hoping, yet
which they feared would not come. That
it did come and that at rather an uneX-
pected time and suddenly caused the joy
to be even greater if such could be pos
sible.
Time and again the Army has come
to Franklin field the favorite in the eyes
of the critics, yet it has been compelled
to return defeated. Today it came in
just that way. 1t stood one game less
than the Navy in the number Of wins in
the total of contests played between the
schools, and it was determined to even
up the score. 1t was sure that it wo>lld
be able to cause the previously given
opinions of the critics to have solid
worth. but for the third time in sue
cession. under almost precisely the same
conditions. it was compelled to accept de-
feat as its portion.
The Navy songs might be said to have
been the feature of the game. Both it
and the Army came to Franklin field
we'll supplied with vocal ammunition but
Of the two the Navy had the same mar
gin of advantage that it did in the keener
contest on the field. From the very mo-
ment the game started the Sailors kept
up constant racket of some kind. When
they were not singing they We're being
led through the intricate mazes of
tumble of words by a lythesome indi-
vidual who stood in front of the stand
and who combined some qualities of
ment and who must have been the cham
pion Of the academy in gymnastics, to
judge by the evolutions and twists and
turns which he gave himself.
Between halves the Navy band gathered
in front of it's stand and the midshipmen
proceeded to render list of songs which
were exceptional both in melody and
words. The thirty-odd thousands of
people who banked the field around list
ened in rapt attention, and showed their
appreciation by sending out loud peals of
applause. Even the Army battalion.
seated directly opposite the sailors, re-
fused to interrupt the proceedings by
breaking into the songs with either wells
or other songs.
Here is a sample of what the Navy
sang, and there We're others a lot better:
Stand, Navy, down the field,
Sail set to the sky;
Wen never change our course.
&c. Army, you steer shy-y-y-y
Roll up the score, Navy;
Anchors aweigh.
Sail, Navy, down the field
And sink the Army,
Sink the Army gray
This one seemed to please the boys in
gray, for they sang 1t often.
Disaster threatened Navy once in the
second period, when Markoe blocked one
on the Nays 15-yard line. An Army
| man fumbled on the next lineup,
though. and the Navy recovered.
Leonard punted out of danger on the
first lineup.
After all is said and done. the value
of the Army and Navy game is in the
crowd which attends. Let the contest
take place before a crowd of two or
three thousand people. and it would
hardly be worth while, except for those
especially interested. The social quail
ity, the attendance of the dignitaries
of the nation, the presence of thousands
and thousands Of beautifully arrayed
girls and the respondent battalions of
midshipmen and cadets lend color and
glamour to the whole which is not to
be found in any other gathering of the
kind. They are the things which at
tract. the one big tangible something