Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-11-18
4 Mr. PRETTYM.AN PROTESTS.
Takes Exceptimgto Article in the Ga
,zcttc Describing Football Game. ;.

! In last Saturdays issue Of the Ga
zette there appeared ;un article IN ref
erence to the football game between
lie AleNandria High School and the
Stewards. business College. The ar r;
ticle was written by a member. OF. the
high school and published at the re-
quest of one Of the members OF the
faculty Of the school. 1t was lauda-
..;ory Of the work Of the high school
team but in the end gave as the rea-
son for the defeat Of the team the
following: when had they been
')ctter trained might have resulted in
victorious score" The entire ar
ticlc is rs follows:
Before large crowd of enthusi-
istc young people Stewards Bust
ness College Foot Ball team de-
teated the Alexandria High School
yesterday afternoon at the base bail
park by pushing the pig skin over
nc line for a touch down goal, and
safety registering eight points to the
home teams nothing. The High
School boys put up a game fight and
contesteS' every inch Of the ground
but YVES forced to give away to super
;or training and team play. Their
offensive work was very good and
their fighting spirit showed up to
advantage ON several occasions, but
rheir defense was poor, allowing
'feir opponent to open their line for
long gains at critical movements
when had they been better trained
might have resulted in victorious
score"
f. h. Prettynlan, a teacher in the
High School, has written the Gazette
:. long protest against the use Of this
sentence and proceeds not only to in
dict the Gazette but also the citi-
zons Of Alexandria He characteli.
zcs it as an "unwarrantcd slur upon
the efforts Of those trying to give the
school representative athletic teams
His letter is as follows.
Editor Of the Alexandria Gazette,
Dear Sir: AS teacher in the
Alexandria High and one interested
IN the welfare Of the school and its
want to protest against
your account of the foot ball game
played last Friday between the High
School and Stewards Business Col
!c"c. The. remarks contained there
n. as published in your Saturdays
edition, we're an unwarranted slur
upon the efforts Of those endeavorine
TO give the school representative ath-
!c.ic teams. The fact Of the matter
is that the visiting team ontweighed
our boys some Is or 20 pounds av-
erage. and were corlespondingly fast
Such handicap is indeed handi-
c; p to q TEN Of boys Of l35 pounds
and IL years old. and it was due only
to their splendid fighting spirit and
t!.air training that they kept the
score down to only eight points. The
captain Of the S. B. G. team rcm'rk
G.: 1--WE are 4 bunch Of boobS for
not beating those kids 40 to o.
Only once this season has the
team met an opponent Of equal
weight, the Fredericksburg High
School team and then they whipped
easily They defeated the heavy
Manassas team, held tho heavy r
NJ A. team to 3 to 0, the heavy Eas-
tern High School team to 6 to O.,
and during the second half Of the
game with Business outplayed that
crack team.
The school here works under num-
e!ous handicaps in its athletics. The
number Of big boys is small. Many
Of them are compelled to work CUR
ING many afternoons. There are no
teams within playing distance who
are of equal weight. The park is far
from the center of town and the
s.hoo! has no athletic grounds.
The football coach, on whom your
PAPER seems to cast blame, Is the
principal of the boys school with all
Of the attendant duties upon him, and
also attends law lectures each even
ing in Washington. Yet he goes out
to the park each afternoon in his Ell
fort to give this city a fair atheltlc
standing, and to encourage the boys
in their efforts.
It seems to me that under AL these
conditions your paper shouts compii-
ment the boys on such a game eNn-
bition and the coach on the spirit ne
has instilled into his team, rather
than endeavor to discourage their ell
forts BY remarking that they snouiu