The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-19

the Canadian army, Complains that ne
is unable to get enough sport news
him. He says things must be pretty
dead here.
And so they are, in a sport way. 1t
must be admitted that just at present
Topeka is not experiencing a swirl of
div sport activities. The winter
baseball stove league has a fuel fam
inc. there is no basketball other than
what the churches and the Z. NJ C
A. afford and the town hasn't turned
out heavyweight contender for Will
lard's crown since Jack Mcclure went
into the army to take his training.
OF course. the war can be blamed
for the lack of sport activities and
Door old Mars will have to grin and
bear this blame. But it must be adj
mftted tnat there is something pecu-
liar about the situation War has not
forced schools like Cooper college, the
Emporia Normal school. Midland col
lege and Baker university to abandon
basketball and every one of these
schools is located in a town much
smaller than Topeka Most of them
are smaller schools than Washburn.
Nor has the war forced Joplin. Mo-.
Wichita, Hutchinson and St Joseph
to give up all interest in baseball.
These towns are little larger than To-
peka. some of them not as large, yet
they are holding on to their baseball
franchises and are finding time be-
tween liberty loan campaigns, Red
Cross contributions and recruiting tC
cherish championship ambitions for
next summer when the Western
league opens. But, Topeka despite
the fact that she could get into the
league again with very little trouble,
is making no effort to do so, and no
one seems to be grieving because
there are no boosters who are willing
to try to put over a deal that will
bring a club here.
The only way to explain the grave
yard quietness of the local atmosphere
is by admitting that Topeka is under
going one of the periodical spells that
come to all communities when the red
blood runs sluggish and the relish for
real amusement refuses to assert it
self. An evidence of the absolute lack
of interest in things athletic is the
failure Of Lewis Hoffman to try to
stage wrestling mach. When Lewis
lays off 1t is a lead pipe cinch there
| isn't spark of interest smouldering
even among the North Topeka mat
fans.
| However. there is a slight indfca-
ton that an effort is to be made to
| wake up the sport lovers in the action
of c. L Mitchell. Mayor House. Com
! missioner Porter and Fred Voiland in
getting behind the Jack Johnson-Todd
eILortS 10 organize a club at which
there will be mat and glove anuse-
/ ments and attractions that will appeal
/ to the young men who have surplus
| energies to dispose of. And the action
! or these men, prominent in the cfty's
+; affairs, shows that they realize a
wake up is needed
Also, there is an indication the
! Washburn students intend to show the
! tacuIty they do not propose to allow
Ichabod sports to die without a kick
They have already shown that they
disapprove Of the plan to drop basket
/ ball, and if they make their sentiments
known in the right way there is moth
/ ing for the faculty. to do but keep
: the sport going, even if money that
( could be used for other purposes ha :
I to be spent for athletics Washburu
| cannot afford to get the reputation OF
1 being the sportIess school of SportIess-
Vile.
me withdrawal of students now in
/ school because of the lack of athletic
/ announcement is not desira BILE
thing but its effect is small compared
with the effect of reputation of be-
ing dead in sport way Such a
reputation would keep hundreds OF
their advanced education. The ma.
Jorlty of ex-Washburnites who want tc
! see the school progress undoubtedly
would willingly dig down in their
/ pockets rather than see the schoo
drop completely out of athletics But
many or them believe this should be
unnecessary and that the school auth
| critics should spend money other thar
tnat belonging to the athletic asso.
cation to keep things going.
] Just what is to be done regardius
tHe naming OF a successor to Dr. Ken
nedy Is matter of speculation
whether or not his failure to make
good by producing a football winner
had anything to do with his resiguine
is something that the authorities prob
ably VIII not let the world know. But
II this did have anything to do with
it, it is almost certain that an effort
will be made to get some one else tt
tackle the problem of building VI
sports at the college
Those who are close to Presideu
Womer assert he is strongly in favor
or athletics and that he personally has
no desire to see the sports curtaiIet
or cut off They believe he will con
tinue to try to get a man who will de.
liver the goods and that he will give
athletics every kind of backing he can
Personally he gave Dr. Kennedy al
the assistance he could. but. unfor
tunately, he was not in Topeka at ali
+ times when his assistance was need &c
and was unable to untangIe some O
the many entan and Vexins
problems the doctor had to contend
7 with.