The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-29

way. justified tho broad foundations
which were laid down at the first meet
ing in 1905. No less than 1853 colleges
and universities we're represented by
delegates at this meeting. and they dealt
with the evils facing the colleges In q
general but rank manner. Professors
and physical educators. who are the men
engaged In solving the intercollegiate
athletic problems. exchanged views and
opinions and offered remedies, but there
was little done In the way Of adopting a
standard eligibility code. for the reason
that zach section and Zach institution in
each section has its " peculiar and
widely different problems.
The purpose Of the meeting was edu-
cational, that Ia that the delegates
hould enlighten each other. which they
did from the time Dean lie Baron X.
Briggs Of Harvard made the opening ad-
dress In the morning. stating that college
athletics had evils. down TO the speech
on college Athletics'' by former Presi-
lent William Howard Taft In the eve-
ming. From first to last the discussions
were Of a high and ethical nature and as
a result many ideas Of value were ex-
changed.
Dean Briggs. who is president OF the
association. got to the purpose or the
meeting at the start when he said:
"Intercollegiate athletics are under
| constant attack. and deservedly so. In
tramural athletics receive constant
praise. and deservedly. Yet neither the
merited ~disapproval OF the one nor the
merited praise of the other makes clear
that the one should he abandoned and
the other should be all in all"
Then he stated that the discussion was
to be confined to intercollegiate ath-
letics and their betterment. not their
abolition. Dean Briggs said that the
great evil was mutual distrust and that
We were prone to be slow in affirming
our own records. rather inclined to sus-
pect others.
Even as I am speaking" he added.
"you are thinking of Harvard as II col
lege that tolls great athletes away from
other colleges at the last moment, sur
fers them to receive vast sums for
nominal labor and meantime gives pub
Idle thanks that she is not as other col
leges are
He spoke OF the r,imors about Mahan
and the anonymous and polyonymous
letters he and Mahan had received as
significant of this spirit OF distrust. He
was Arm In the belief hat when these
trouble makers proved their assertions
that the days of the professional atm
lete were over. And his final cure was
to Let our colleges keen at the head
of their athletics men who tried to De
honest. let these men trust caci othcr
down to The ground and half the evils
Of intercollegiate athletics Will die IL
natural DEATH
prof. Robert y. corwin OF Yale, III
his address on college Ideals and Attn
Ietics'' placed the burden OF the evil on
the faculties. After stating that a un'-
versity existed primarily for the purpose
of preparing young men for service ana
that most faculties thought athletics
were a menace to this purpose. he pro-
ceeded to prove they were not. fr"t
Corwin compared the athletic situation
to that of a house divided against itsrii
the students and alumni opposing the
faculty. lie believes the remedy Is a
proper faculty control for the reason
that athletics are a laboratory in The
art of living to which no other feature
of the university contributes. In taCt
lie said that ST. Paul knew WHEREOF hs
spoke when he compared life TO a iona
distance run. adding that he'd he know
football he would have used a moro
striking example.
Prof Corwdu struck at professionalism
Il az n lDlnt n II i'N NlIi NV w ''S $3.50
said that our point of view is uncollegi'
ate and uueducational, and that 1t klll'
the spirit of play and recreation an,
physical development that should hf
back OF our sport. In specific Instances
he said, these evils lead to undue featur'
ing OF players in The newspapers ana dis
torted views. He took "A rap at the en-
ployment of high salaried coaches
|, which results in rcwarding men out o
,n-1..t,,, tn fhair gprNirpS He nl1ccf
the whole evil at the doors OF the coach
his Prussia izcd assistants and thel
bureau OF Information. This man, h
, stated, was engaged ito put il over an'
| this was the cause of all the trouble II
eligibility matters.
l Dean Howard McClenahan of Prime
3 ton talked on athletic standards, ant
; added some hunor to the weighty prob
, lens before the delegates. lie even sai'
that Princeton had sometimes adhered Il
, these standards enthusiastically ant
I sometimes in spots He fiayed the col
eye creed OF Never give up playing
. team which has beaten you until yo'
: rave beaten t. on the grounds that /
placed too much emphasis on winning
= Next he discussed the slogan OF "Smitl
: College never protests stating that In
term Smith was used in a family sens
c and not in a particular sense. lie sal
= that while such a belief was A coura
geous one and was due To CONSCIOUSNESS
in ones own rectitude and confidence !
e ones competitors il was dangerous i
i that it permitted the INSCRIPTIONS man
ager to gather a winning team together
e Knowing he would not be criticised. II
e thought II better to protest. although h
believed the ideal way was to get to
gether as had Yale. Harvard and Prince
ton.
Dean McClenahan wound up his dis
cussion with his dissent to the belle
among college students that the facult
9 should not limit a boy to competition !
two branches of sport IL he passed hi
e. denominations. He said that at Prince
Z ton this rule was in force because 1t per
mitted the students to do much readin
n and that extensive reading was "A re
a auirement, Some Princeton athletes ha
even asked him to d%isqualify them, a
v the undergraduates were pressing ther
s to play on more than two teams when b
doing so they did not have time to d
this reading. This rule, he said, wa
4 not to help the poor student so much Il
v to permit the boy OF scholastic abilit
to fulfil his purpose.
He discussed the views held by Pres
dent Wilson, who when president G
Princeton University declared that II
tercollegiate sports should be limited I
U the four major branches. Presider
Wilson. he declared, had overlooked tn
amazing decrease in drinking and in
morality which had accompanied til
growth of midwinter sports.
n Dean McClenahan thinks that spoi
should be in control of the faculty fc
'e more reasons han one, although h
l. chief one was that II brought the facult
le into close association with the "ver
al lnuah1a yarN interegtjnD and gpn,atin,.