New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-03

Now comes the darker side. and one
,,bf.b must not he overlooked IN COM
Meeting on the incident The Amateur
Athletic Union has been criticised ana
blamed by many unthinkinS persons ior
making such q condition possible. Such
criticism is not deserved. If the past OF
every athlete who applied for reslstra-
don called for rigid personal investiga-
ron the Amateur Athletic Union would
have 10 he backed by the resources OF
Rockefeller. The registration blank is
clear and specific The questions which
must be answered are concise and TO the
point. To- the poor Indian, whose I'M
tutored mind" cannot be urged In FAVOR
of Tborpe. as the blank of the Amateur
Athletic Union demands little tutoring 10
he understood. Thorpe's one excuse In
this respect may lie in the fact that among
the many sports mentioned In one or the
direct questions baseball is not includeo'
Further than that, Thorpe may have peefl
honest 10 himself in interpreting the
money clause 70 mean "for living" H.
as he saws. he played for fun. and that
the money received was purely incidental.
II is hard. however, to believe that ne
could read without understanding the Ioi-
lowing definition OF an amateur, which is
a mart OF the registration blank:
No person shall be eligible to compete
in any athletic meeting, game or enter
fsinmeDt given or sanctioned Dy TINS
union who has % received or competed
for compensation or reward, IN any iorin,
FOR the display. exercise or exdinp,e oi NE
L IaHp nf
orcise or for rendering personal service
of any kind to any athletic organization,
ror for becoming or continuing MEMBER
OF any athletic organization, or received
ar accented any prize or reward for an
exhibition, or otherwise than In recoB-
iized competition; .or ~ has entered any
competition under name other than ms
own, or from club of which he was not
AT that time a member in good standing;
or 90 has knowingly entered any compe-
tition open TO any professional or pro-
fessionals, or has knowingly competed
with any professional for any prize OF
Both sides have been presented, and be-
fore going any further 1t must be ad-
rnitted that Thorpe played the manly
part at least in boldly facing the conse-
ouences and offering to make such resu-
tuition as is possible in a letter that con-
pentance. II must be admitted further
that Gustavus T. Kirby, James r. Sulli-
van and others who at this time control
the destinies of the Amateur Athletic
Union did their part by Offering public
apology TO the nations of the world and
by showing a quick willingness 10 do
everything In their power to correct the
wrong. Surely some good must come out
of IL all, If in no other way than by the
moral 1t points or the lesson it teaches
Before taking I'D the question OF what
good may result from horrible ex-
amples." a word may be said for the fell
low named Charles c. A. Clancy, who
was silent when a word would have saved
this country from an unfortunate situa-
ton and Thorpe from some disgrace, and
who spoke out at a time when his words
scared and burned the deepest. do not
mean TO imply that his silence in cover
ing up a wrong could be condoned to save
the washing OF much dirty linen to hang
on the clotheslnes of Europe, as was sug-
pested editorially in The Tribune few
DAYS ago but do insist that man who
withholds his knowledge until such time
As il will do most harm is beneath con-
tempt
foro;lfor aIrnnpition-flet him now