The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-12-26
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER
INDISPENSABLE FOOTBALL.

University football team was intend
ed for the purpose of AFRO Using great
or interest in football and athletics
in general. Ordinarily, the experience
is that the public pays more attent-
ion to football than to any other of
the activities of colleges or universi-
ties. In the schools themselves the
football heroes are fairly idolized.
The writer recalls, when he was
attending college, that "A very distin-
guished individual was connected
with the institution. His name was
known as far as the institution itself
and eve beyond. 1t was blazoned
in newspapers to which the school
had before been a stranger. In the
school itself he was regarded with a
respect akin to awe Should he walk
down the campus, m group of col
iege students would part to let him
president of the United States make
his way upon a parade. Should he
chance to favor some young woman
of the school with his for
some social event, all the traditions
OF her sex could not repress Il smile
of pride upon her face. Perhaps you
think this man was some orator
make the welkin ring. Possibly you
imagine he was some student of alt
itudinous brow. who va accustomed
to receiving a grade of 105 or so in
the class room. Or perhaps you
think he was some patron saint of
the school who made it a practice
to give it a million or so at every
commencement.
But no such sordid, tawdry per-
formances as these belonged to our
hero. 1t should be known he was j. r.
Miller, the greatest half back the col
lege ever knew.
His hair was ed. There are three
different shades of red hair. One
worn by the girl of your dreams
is golden. Another-afways affected
by the social leader as reported in
the society news-is auburn. And
then there is just plain red. Miller's
hair was just plain red. Now red hair
acts as a sort of emphasizer, or in
tensifier. If it is joined with a hand
some face, it makes the face all the
more handsome. But il it crowns a
c~ountenance in itself ugly, the COM
bination Is about the last word in all
that is not beautiful. 1t so happened
that Miller had a face like a %proverb-
ial horse and buggy. But, when that
red hair was tousled and stood on
end, and that mouth was set in de-
termination and those eyes cleaned
like beasons and j. T. Miller started
on a plunge into the enemy's line,
the grandstands rose as one man and
yelled themselves foolish. But the
point of it all is that so popular was
Miller that it became the fashion
in this school to have red hair and
affect a homely face. When Miller
strobe down the street. a crowd of
urchins would be sure to follow him,
to measure his footsteps. When
a distinguished visitor came to town,
Miller was pointed out as one of the
most important features of the seem
cry and one of the greatest of the in
situations of the place. Talk OF the
Isaraelites crying out, to the prophet
Baal, of the Mohammedan prostrat-
ing himself in worship of the Pro-
ohet, of the Hindu journeying for
lays and weeks to battle in the
Sacred River--the devotion OF these
O their idols was all but sacrilegious
is compared with the veneration in
which j. T. Miller was held by the
tudents of his college.
Now any sport that so appeals to
he young mar and the young woman
IS football, that can produce heroes
ike }. 4. Miller, is expressing some
vent of the energy of youth.
J m ~ "a ,~ f~ -