The Washington herald., 1917-05-14
TRIBUTE TO ATHLETES
Who Died FOR ALLIES
Sir Theodore Cook, Sporting Editor.
Eulogizes Heroes of Field.
By JOHN L. BALDERsTON.
toOgnEht, Dl7. By the Mcclure Newspaper

CCoUrxht, U7. BY the Mcclure Newspaper
synaie-tsJ
London, April 1.-sir Theodore A Cook,
who roWed IN the same Oxford crew
with the famous coach, Guy Niekalls. and
is now editor Of The Field and Lead
ing English sporting authority as wen
as a prolific writer on the war, has pre-
pared a stirring tribute to the couege
sportsmen Of England and America VINO
have often fought so bitterly on track
field and river, and are now allies IN the
greatest and toughest game Of al.
Sir Theodore begins by paying tribute
to the American eollegians who fell Tor
the allies befors the entrance OF the
United States into the war.
"On November II. 1914" he writes "oled
George Williamson. Lieutenant In the
English army, IN Belgium He was the
first Harvard man class Of 1905, who
fought and fep for the allies in the great
European war. Forty-one Of his com
rades had served in various British regi-
ments up to September, 1915. In the Cold
stream Guards, the Sixth Dragons, the
Black Watch, the Irish Guards, the
. Grenadier Guards and other units.
Mai. Robert Emmet, class of 1888 OF the
warwickshire Territodals, became
Britain citizen. Another who did the
same was FIlley, stroke OF the Harvard
crew in the matcn against Cambridge
at Putney in 1906
Nfnsteen Harvard Men Die.
Ninetesn of the Harvard men who
served In one or other OF the allied arm
les, laid down their lives for the cause
Five more were drowned or the Lusi-
tania Another, George Perl Is Knapp,
died Of fever at Diabeklr IN ugust 1915,
after helping Armenians to escape from
the Turks.
This is a dne record for a sl-lgle Amer
IL l. n rRNl
that not a man was then fighting under
the protection Of his own flag. and
though Englishmen may think that this
war began-as it is now being fought
out-for the same principles which the
United States was founded 40 years ago
to foster and protect, we cannot but re-
member that no similar number OF Eng
Hsh university men ever dreamed OF cross
ing the Atlantic so soon after the Ameri-
can civil war had begun. war which
was fought for principles of freedom and
nationality which have been held to be
the tradition Of the British race for cen
turtles.
Let me add that the total OF Ameri-
cans who fought on our side before the
United States had declared war Is very
much larger than any that was then
imagined. By the autumn Of 1915 Mr.
James NJ. Beck was able to announce
that no less than 1900 Americans had
enlisted in our Canadian regiments and
1900 under the flag OF France. many of
them living to become the best pilots in
the corps d'eiite of French aviation"
Familiar in America.
Sir Theadore Cook refers to the deaths,
in the war, of sportsmen whose names
are almost as familiar in the United
states as here. 1t is my instinct to
think Of rowing first" he writes, 'of
NacIagan. best of all coxswainS and
bravest c the brave; Of Chapman, the
finest bIa I ever saw in anyone Of his
size; Of I'airburn, Cockerell, Bron Her
bert. lie Blanc Smith, Kirby and de
KnoOp, Of F. s. Kelly, the best amateur
who ever. sCulled the Henley course, and
one Of the finest musicians of his gen.
Grafton, one Of the most sterling, refined
and intellectual men who ever rowed for
either unIversity-and that is saying
GOOD deal
Every american knows the name OF
WiIding and remembers his tennis; he Is
zone. too; 50 are Renneth-Powen and
Nshln-ton. both from Cambridge. Foot
ball will never again see Poulton or Be-
GeII-Sivewright. Never again will Ander-
son fy his hurdles like a fash Of per-
feet motion. And there are many more.
] Eav. chosen most of these because they
,uphasiZe a point ! wish particularly to
make clear. IneF were not merely dILl-
letes and no more. Even before the test
Of war had tried them out. they had be-
como a part-in one way or another-of
u-tiuuaL endcavOr, national energy. And
they recall to me not only many things
thai are typical of the oxford and Cam
bridge they so wOrthiIy represent but
Iaany a struggle between the athletes Of
England and the American universities
which has become a part Of the life his
tory Of both nations"
Rhodes Scholars EuloEized.
The athletic achievements in America
and England Of the American Rhodes
scholars at oxford are referred to at
length, and Sir Theodore adds, Let me
say something more about the Rhodes
scholars. as the living link between the
universities Of the United States and
England, and the first thing to say about
them is that the American Rhodes schOl-
ans were never neutral They were too
close to the actual conflict to misunder-
stand It's vital issues. 1 have already