Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-09-20
pAMoERoua SPORTS.

The football season has all but COM
menoed and before long the news
papers of the Land will be chronicltng
the usual number of injuries and pos
sibly deaths that attend the playing
Of this strenuous fall sport. The time
Is also about ripe for the appearance
of scathing articles denouncing the
game and calling It brutal. Doubt
less, however, It will continue to be
played In the biggest colleges and uni
yerstt1es IN the Land and In countless
minor schools and colleges as we'll as
on the town lots.
The question naturally arises, is the
criticism Of the game warranted, 10
there reason why 1t, should be abol-
ished?
Those who have engaged in the
sport, or any other strenuous game for
that matter, are loudest in Its defense.
And It does seem that these are the
ones who are best capable Of judging
the danger that attends the game.
They point to the fact that baseball
annually claims many times the num-
Der of victims that does football, that
hunting is away ahead, that auto rae
ing Is far ahead Of either and that as
a matter OF fact, statistics show that
football is pretty low on the list of
dangerous sports. We are prone TO
think otherwise however, the defend
ers Of the game say. because OF the
prominence that Ia given the notice OF
football fatality. Tuesday q young
man at Winnebago, MINI, died from
Injuries received in a baseball game,
and such cases were not 1nfrequent
during the past season, but neverthe-
less little attention was given them In
the public print. Should baseball be
abolished because it resulted in sew
eral deaths7
II we are to avoid or abolish every
game or habit that entails danger, then
we might asewell quit trying to i've.
It is dangerous to walk down town
for many people who do so are killed
BY autos, street cars, falling electric
wires or countless other means.
It is dangerous to ride down town
for either by runaway or wreck one
might lose his life.
It is dangerous to stay at home for
cyclones or stores claim many lives
each year from among people who are
in their own houses.
It is very dangerous to work.
It is dangerous to eat for poisoning
often follows. s
AS a matter Of fact there is danger
everything we do. To stop youth
a indulging in athletic games be-
he there Is an element Of danger
,ing him wrong for he needs just
sort OF exercise to bring out his
rage and self-reliance and to de-
,lop him physically for the bigger
,truggle Of life.
Football is no gentle game and
should not be played by those who
are physically unfit, but it will not
hurt that great body Of American
youths who are hunting for an excit-
ing pastime and who had far better be
renting their excess energy on the
srfdiron than in less physically but
lore morally dangerous ways.
The London chamber OF commerce
as Endorsed the proposal to tunnel
le English channel The tunnel
jould be thirty miles long and seven
ears would be occupied in its con-
btruction. It sounds almost too absurd
FOR utterance, yet it ia true that but
for British fear that Germany one
day would be able to send troops
through the tunnel and invade Eng
land, it would have been built long
400 s.5H4Ls &. 80 ~