The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-12
Proselytizing in the Prepare
tory SchOOl-HOw the
Work Is Done.
SEEKING THE GOOD
AS WELL AS THE BAD


OF III. kind which II said TO be the root
OF the whole evil? There IL no oouot
that many. in fact most OF our educa-
tional Institutions. seek students. 1t 10
good business for them to do so. In
the past this was not done to such an
extent as to-day. Likewise In the
past business houses did not flood
the country with salesmen. II has
been found profitable for colleges 70
seek tuaents by various means. az II
has been found profitable for
turers and wholesalers to seek business.
The college agent In bound to meet
the youth of athletic ability. He "
bound to meet the same youth without
funds to obtain an education. lie 70
armed with a fund of knowledge to aid
the poor boy, and certainly no one can
object to scholarships and aid for the
boy who needs II. II Is his business to
get students. and nc one is COINS TO pre-
vent the graduate OF one college from
boosting his alma mater TO boys ne
knows or meets. have acted In eacn
capacity and ! can see no harm In
I have done. lie Is a poor alumnus or
field agent who does not believe his
the best. IL there to be criticism OF
this method is there TO be criticism
OF the fact that attention or the boy or
athletic ability is called 20 certain schol-
arships? is the matter all rotten II the
athlete wins a scholarship? And Ia this
p~roselytizing?
I, is long trip before YOU will md a
football coach who makes winning teams
from mediocre material. Harvard mas
had an abundance OF material since the
days OF the beginning OF football. have
heard Yale men of the time when faIe
49,. -.t..f.- $3.50. t.. ,.I ,oar mn olNs
that they would like to have the material
that was left over at Harvard after the
first team WAS picked. We said the
same at Pennsylvania. Shevlin believes
In men first. Iost unquestionably made
his record when he had the material. For
son,e YEARS Michigan has put on the
brakes and the result can be found In
any football guide Yost sent for Dad
kTebs, an old teammate. now an engineer
at Charleston. W. Va. one year when
he was coaching In the middle West
before has days at Michigan. and Dad
responded and won for him. Those
thirgs went In the old days at some In
stitutions. but TODAY they are not stood
for except in remote instances. Ma
terial was the cry.
Played In One Game.
I am not giving away anything IN the
way OF confidence when I emphasize
my point by telling the story OF how a
certain West Virginia coach in 1903 had
a hacker Of the team finance the i'm
porting Of Teas, a former Pennsylvania
guard. to play against Washington and
Jefferson for one game only. IL Is a
matter os history. Teas received 500
and expenses. and the story OF thai
game proves he delivered. Fortunately
those DAYS are over. have long passed
Nl ~ ,l,.n ina ipnttNr. have
long since been taken In hand. The
student is now pla ytng the game.
With material necessary for a win
ming team and the situation put up &c
the coach TO win or presto a now
man on the job whose name thrills
the sclloolboy. are We not creating q
situation. a problem In our athletics
10 ". not create a system which de
nands prospective athletes Of ability
DO We not force our coaches 10 create
a system Of proselytizing preparatory
students? Should We blame the coach
for his interest in tho matter Can W q
find harm, lasting harm. IN what he
sometimes does
! know that p~roselytizing Ia done. and
! mean by that the kind that offers
financial aid in one way or another e
the s%choolboy athlete because lie is ar
athlete. The coach IL not always back
Of it. \ substitute on our team this
fail VAS at Swarthmore Preparatory
School last year. ! met him last sum
mer ard did what I could 20 persuade
him to enter his state university. liz
came "a us and afterwarl told me thai
he chose this particular institution he
; cause WAS the first coach he had ne'
VINO had not offered him aid in one way
or another. other boys on my team
, toll similar tales.
Did Assist One Ho,.
= I'D Offer AID to one boy last wear
, This boy. vino wished an education ,tnt
= who had no football ability. wanted I,
= enter the university. He obtained :
: jol' as iauitor ~ the college. hard. menia
work. He came out for the team anC
I'm a year cor two would have made ii
West Virginia il . land grant college
Certain Of its students must take i've
yrars % military science, The com
nlauiint OF cadets. an officer In tn,
United states army. Informed me- tina
'uc rule cScuring students from drill
\ who were employed in other work pro
hibited them from participating in atli
4 letics. Lest ! be criticised in aiding NJ
= athlete IN embroyo | would say tina
this boy, now not an athlete. is still !
y %lauitor, Does the poor student hav'
= troubles" Are We not building up a;
g athletic aristoCracy IN the tendency q
: limit competition to boys who nave tn
: money to educate themselves?
4 Al aiuInnus whose name and who's,
colleG. am not nj liberty to give bu
whose college has been on the football
: mai, with a vengeanCc in the last few
: years has this TO say II was helped
Il financially because Of my football abil
I ity, and / can see no harm in IL. |
l. gave me an education which | could no
otherwise have obtained. and thus pu
5 me in my present condition. con
e tribute to a similar fund ilow. The dif
ference is We admit doing II. nut tn
big fellows We play and who do
Z also charge us with professionalism
}, Let me ask You." he concluded. "are col
u lego athletics to be limited to rich men
Y song"
There ~ the system exposed. What /
- to lie done about il? Is his Wow RICH
n or wrong" Should we adopt a hig
Il THEA plane for our college sports or lie
Is the matter rest as II Is ON the grOun,
e that there is no harm In proselyti2ins. ac
y curdinc 20 one who has been pr,,selytizep
- and is engaged in II to-day? Drawn
II the ines nrtween what IL right an
wrong 90 this game of the colleges
" certainly n problem, How Is il to b
answered" Perhaps there are two side
TO II after all is said and done.
3 There Is a case in my home town.
y il based purely on assumption, and 70
II | will not give the name of the hoy @