Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-04
STANFORD Will
NOT RETURN TO
CR|D|RON GAME
President of the University
Puts an End to Talk of
Adopting American Foot
ball.

San Francisco. Nov. 4.-President
Ray Wilbur, of Leland Stanford, Jr.,
university, in recent statement put
an end to any hopes that the adher-
ents of the American intercollegiate
football at that institution may have
had that the Palo Altans would re-
turn to- the national gridiron game.
DIR. Wilbur's edict is that his students
must adhere to the British game of
Rugby or discontinue football.
At present there are as many as
eight games on Saturdays at the
Stanford farm" DIR. Wilbur's state
ment made it clear that general parti-
cipation rather than concentration on
IL men is what he seeks, and that his
objection to coaches is not because
they are paid, the Stamford rugby
coaches having been paid for years,
but because he considers that in the
American game the coach works for
the development of the few, rather
than the many.
Advocates and opponents of Rugby
on the campus-and they are said to
be about evenly divided-seem to
agree that Stanford is out of the run
ming as an intercollegiate football
factor, the more that her only consid-
Santa Clara is reported to be waver-
ing toward the American game.
Whether more general participation of
the student body will offset whatever
disadvantage this entails remains to
be seen. With the scholastic require
ments advancing by jumps, many stu
dents express doubts as to the ability
of the student body to keep up and still
break into the American game as a
powerful factor. This is particularly
true in the far west because of the ire
mendous distances--thousands of miles
--traversed by intercollegiate teams,
to play a single game. Three or four
such trips in a season make q hole in
the treasury.
PRESIDENTS STATEMENT.
Dr.. Wilbur's statement in part is as
follows:
Having set standard after care
full survey Of the past present and
probable future, Stanford cannot and
will not vacillate. The soundness of
this position will become increasingly
evident as time goes by.
There Has been a rapid growth in
the resentment felt by many university
men and university faculties towards
intercollegiate athletics largely 1t
seems to me because of the extraneous
coach ana the by-products that go
with him. professionalism, anything
for victory, secret practice in football,
failure to keep from interfering with
the university work of players, and so
on. American football we'll known as
coach's game, is the greatest menace
TO intercollegiate athletics. Those of
us who believe in friendly athletic re-
lations between neighboring universi-
ties, and in the fine spirit of emula-
ton and in the breadth of acquaint-
ance thus developed, look with much
concern to the future.
Some years ago the University of
California and Stanford, fully cogniZ-
ant of the evils Of the American game
as it had developed decided to change
to Rugby In it they found satisfy
ing substitute which left nothing to be
desired either in the way of a sport or
q spectacle Proper instruction in this
game is desirable and possible but 1t
does not lend itself to becoming a
coach's contest. Various types of
physique, strong individual possibili-
ties and team work all come into it.
1t can be played alike by boys and
middle aged men,"
Free tickets to the Strand with all
purchases. Con w. Hesse. The Jewel