The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-12

Boston, Feb. 1.-THE contagion Of
epidemic of malady, will result not
only in the curtailment of expenses
for college teams this spring, but in
the Authorization of the playing sea-
son. The period when the college
teams will be let loose against one
another will not exceed six weeks, &C
cording to current calculations, and
by June 1 most of the climax games
will have been played
The shortened span between the
opening of the college season and the
fall of the asbestos curtain on varsity
sports will result from a variety of
causes, all Of which are rooted in the
necessity for trimming all excuses to
the minimum Not the least dominant
reason is that many of the New Eng
land institutions will bring their terms
to a close on or before the first of
June, thereby cutting off automati-
cally the competition of their varsity
teams
Dartmouth and Brown are the lead
ers in the movement for this section,
but the pressure of war requirements
will doubtless cause more of them to
flop in line. Dartmouth has recently
decided to forego a spring recess and
to telescope the final examination pc
RODS in order that it's students may
be finished with their academic tasks
by June 1. Brown some time ago vot-
ed to chop three weeks off it's usual
schedule and bring commencement
forward.
The action of Brown and Dartmouth
is all the more effective this season
because of the decision that college
teams in New England shall play
most or all of their games with rivals
inside their own territory. This re-
strictive legislation was passed in Or
der TO save railroad fares and ex-
penses incidental to de luxe travel
ling, such as college athletes always
enjoy.
Other colleges are about to cut
down their terms, and even at this
early date it is ajbvious that there will
be little doing in collegiate athletics
after the first of June. In other years
the rivalry of the big colleges was
| just getting warmed up at that pc
Rod, and the first three weeks of the
bridal month were the ones when the
| decisive matches were carded.
Harvard and Yale have subscribed
to no early closing agreement, but
their attitude on college sports in war
time will serve to make the June first
closing effective just the same. The
two leading rivals of New England
have already decided to hold their
commencement programs as originally
billed late in June, but their athletic
authorities have forestalled any ath-
letic climax for the final week by
browning publicly on spectacular ath-
letic events.
There may or may not he a Har-
ward Yale'varsity baseball series this
spring, but if one is arranged, it is
certain that none of the games viii
be played during commencement week
at either Cambridge or New Haven
Yale has already read into its records
an ultimatum that commencement
this year will be celebrated with
events appropriate to the time; anG
that means the elimination of spectac
ular athletics. The activities at YALE
will be, rather, a festival in khaki
with sports assuming an incidenta
role.
Harvard has also spoken in decisive
terms against any wish to put on bis
college ball games in war-times. TIL,
! chief objection that Harvard raise
against a resumption of intercollegi
ate sports, in fact, is the fear tina
the recurrence of the former evils o
athletics would come with the return
of Harvard Yale battles. If it wer
= agreed on now that Yale and Har
ward were not to meet in baseball
this year. most of the weight of tn
Crimson obstructionists would ID
!, withdrawn Immediately. For reason
that are quite apparent, Harvard i
afraid that a return to the Harvard
, Yale baseball series in year of wa
= like the present one would amount t.
; an impropriety. especially if the usua
trappings of these contests were to b
. had.
, With the Harvard-Yale baseball
: games out of the question as com
= mencement attraction, 1t Is certain
that they must be played earlier il
the season if they are to be played a
ALL Just now there is no disposition
of the Harvard and Yale authorize
o to enthuse over such series
IL games at all, but if they finally ar
: played, the attendant hullabaloo wi
e be immeasurably subdued in the inter
= est of what Harvard considers 800
taste