The Washington times., 1914-08-03


In their early days students, unaided
by higher authorities. formulated their
own codes of eligibility, when such
codes existed at all. directed the policies
of the sport as it was related to inter-
collegiate life, and made out their own
schedule of games, both as to time and
place. But as the Importance of the
game itself and its opportunities for
educational service became manifest and
was recognized by school authorities, its
conduct and management became more
and more vested in the faculties In
State universities and, to some extent,
in independent schools, faculty COM
mfttees are not only becoming promi-
nent but paramount, as to eligibility of
players and also in the schedule max
ing; in other words, from complete and
unaided student control, the government
Of athletics is becoming faculty gov
eminent with student initiative only
Along with this development of the
control of the game, increased study
and interest in its higher usefulness has
brought to light the fact that If the
game is to be preserved il must no long
er be looked upon as only great spec
tacle with which the college world and
popuiace is to be thrilled and excited
in the same manner as by a bull fight,
but that games should be arranged he
tween institutions whose alumni are, by
the nature of their training, filed with
kindred spirits. Under these conditions
the contest is one of great pleasure, in
terest and tenefit to the participants
and to the spectators. preparatory
school would get small comfort by de-
feating a great university team, II IL
were defeated by its own rival prepara-
tory school.
Games must be arranged which are
based upon principles of genuine friend
ly rivalry and not upon the principle Of
settling an argument as to which par
tcular team is the stronger. Such
considerations quickly cause the con-
tests to degenerate into coarseness and
brutality, and viciousness and i'll feel
ing take the place of gentlemanly cour-
tesy and fine conduct 1t is in recog-
milton of these principles that we see
slowly but surely crystallizing a tend
ency of institutions to group themselves
together-State universities in one group,
agricultural and mechanical colleges in
another group. and separately endowed
institutions, etc, in still another group
but should be a recognized principle
that neither team should sacrifice its
talents powers or resources which are
needed for their own specific and &C
cepted duty.
The game last season, as it devel-
situations. was characterized by a
more perfect developments Of the for
ward pass and the open game gener-
ally. The rushing feature held its
own with the season of 1872, particu-
larry at North Carolina Agricultural
and Mechanical and at Washington
ara Lee. The defensive feature has
always been a weakness In Southern
football and ii continued so during
all of last season If we are to meas
success in doing that which they un-
dertaI;e to do. the Alabama Polytech-
mic Institute team must be given first
place. for II did well and c"nclusively
the work the schedule makers laid out
for IL. For several years Alakama
fought contest In that section Van
dcrbilt for the hOnors of the South
ern intercollegiate Association. and
.'CommodOres'' in a hard but well
fought contest In that section Van
deTbilt ranks second. with Georgia
third. Vanderbilt opened an uphill
Grams. two of the best of which were
lost through injuries-Brown, one
OF the best Of Southern tackles,
injured in the Michigan game,
and Morgan, certainly the best
Southern center, injured in the Vir-
Einia game. Georgia. with the re-
appearance of much old material and
a large influx of new but experienced
men. built up n team with which II
easily conquered the Georgia Techs.
Vanderbilt, made good its demands for
recognition as an element in Southern
football.
In the South Atlantic division the
scores Of games make it impossible to
give a satisfactory rating. for each of
the leading contestants were defeated
by some other team IN the division.
IL first place must be given II should
probably go to Georgetown, for that
team defeated Virginia by one point in
a crucial game. Georgetown was de-
feated in an early season game by the
strong North Carolina A. and NJ. Yet
IL must be said that the team which
played against A. and NJ. was not the
team which played against Virginia
Georgetown opened its season with many
stars absent from the lineup. College
pride and college pressure, however,
wac strong enough to rout them from
ended.
Virginia's position in second place can
hardly be questioned. having won from
three Southern State universities and
Vanderbilt Moreover. but for an IN
fortunate mishap in the last second Of
play. which gave Georgetown a safety.
Virginia would have been the winner
in that contest Teams Of this section
which were notably successful were
Washington and Lee, Virginia Military
Institute, and North Carolina Agricul-
turaI and Mechanical
Many authorities have attempted to
rate these teams, with no more salts
faction to themselves than the writer
takes in the provisional judgment.
Concerning the selection OF the eleven
best men from the entire section. who
deserve places on the All-Southern elev-
en-. the task is much easier. AS to the
center there were no competitors. Muir
&C., Of Vanderbilt, was not only the
best center playing in the South, but
was in the class with the best centers
playing the game anywhere. Big, far,
heady and ferociously aggressive, long
armed and powerfully knit together, he