South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-29
URGE PHYSICAL
PREPARED
National Collegiate ASSoCla-
ton Passes Resolution
to That Effect.

NEW YORK. Dec. "a resolu-
ton endorsing physical prepared
ness in the cause of rational defense
was adopted Thursday oy the Ma
tional Collegiate Athletic Assn. Ii
was announced a substitute for one
proposed for the conference COM
mittee on national preparedness and
was reported by a committee COM
posed of Prof ii. a. Farr of Yale,
and George w. Ehler of Madison
wisconsin. The resolution follows:
Resolved. that this convention
calls upon all affiliated persons TO
give their entire support TO the
cause of the national defense TO the
end that the nation shall be assured
of immunity from invasion and that
all members be urged 10 emphasize
the necessity of physical prepared
ness on the part of each individual
Define Amateur Athlete.
An amateur athlete was decid-
ed by the convention TO be "one who
participates in competitive physical
sports only for the pleasure and the
physical. mental. moral, and social
benefits directly derived therefrom'
as suggested by the athletic research
society. The vote on this question
was "a to II.
For the first time in the history
of the association. delegates were
present Thursday from all the dis
tricts.
Dean L. p. Briggs of Harvard VINO
presided. refused TO accept another
term as president of the association
and Major Palmer f. Pierce. war
college. Washington. ID. c., former
president was again elected 10 that
office by a unanimous vote. Prof.
Samuel w. Boyer, Iowa State col
lege. was elected vice president and
Frank w. Nicholson, Wesleyan uni
versity, was reelected secretary
treasurer. The districts were increas-
ed from eight TO nine, and the fol-
lowing representatives of these dis
tricts we're elected as the executive
committee:
Prof. G. l.. MaXey, William col
ge: Prof. Erastus Palmer. College
the City of New York; r. I.
.rcrombie. Johns Hopkins uni
sity; Prof II. G. Buchanan, Uni
sity of Tennessee; c. d. COons,
.enison university; George w. Bry-
ant. Coe college; w. l.. Driver, Tex
as A. and NJ; II. G. Parmelee. Colo
RADIO School of Mines and DR.. A.
w. Brown, oregon Agricultural col
lege.
Major Pierce in his address on
college athletics as related to ma
tional preparedness. said in part:
Compulsory physical training
should be introduced into all of our
institutions of learning.
Students Looked pathetic"
How necessary. some such step
has become was made very appar-
ent 10 me at Pittsburgh last sum-
mer when l had charge of $500 col
lege students. The sight Of these
young men presented when stripped
for work was, to use the expression
of an army officer of very high
rank. pathetic and spoke volumes
of the startling inefficiency Of the
methods employed in our colleges
10 train the bodies of our students
if any are employed at all. That this
side of the training of our young
men has been very much neglected
by those to whom their education
has been entrusted, has been long
known. That it had been neglected
10 the extent eXemplihed by the rep
resentatives coming under my oh
servation at Pittsburgh. was how
ever. a revelation. And vet these
young men were drawn from insti-
tutions that rank athletically-if
turning out successful teams be CON
sidered a criterion-second to none"
summarizing a joint report made
by Chairman +. X Hall football
rules committee. and himself. Dr.
Harry L. Williams. coach Of the
University Of Minnesota football
team said:
Says Rules are Good.
1T is not too much TO say that the
present rules have given rs the best
game of football that we ever have
had and it is TO be hoped that the
rules will be allowed TO remain about
as they are"
Favorable reports also were read
on track athletics. basketball and
swimming.
DR.. Roger /. Lee Of Harvard dis
cussed the so-called athletic heart
cOntending that there was no such
thing and that il was a pastime 10
blame all heart abnOrmalities. il
possible on athletics.