Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-20

'SNHaMA Eth is tHe ldtest tspe
~ Of athlete discovered abroad. ac-
cording to a London dispatch published
in the New York Herald.
A shamateur is "the amateur who
steps across the thin ice Of technicality
by accepting huge expense accounts and
soft jobs. so he can live comfortably
and still be an amateur"
Gordon isockhard. the we'll known
British golfer. has just announced the
abandonment of his amateur status
abroad to turn professional. The Brit
ish journals right now are taking n
whirl at commentator of such ath
lctes as Lockhard. who take stand
on one side of the fence or the other
who admit they are in the game for
what they get out of il. and rightfully
earn classification either as pro or an
amateur.
Latest Scandal
a scandal abroad equaling our recent
baseball unpleasantness promises to de-
velop in the assertions recently of the
Globe. which attacks the crude meth
DDS by which ''amateur" cricket play
ers find five pound notes under their
cups at teatime and 'ask no ques-
tions."
Says the Globe:
Ihere have been amateurs more eX =
acting than professionals in the arrange
ment of terms 1t asked how the ten =
MS players manage to travel great dis
tances. from country to country and
staying at the best hotels, and insists
that it is the business of some one in
authority to find out. ''Is it anything
like true amateurism for syndicates to
be got up to finance a prominent plryer
through campaign" it asks. 1t adds 4:
The thing is more scandalous be =
cause there is no disgrace nowadays
rather the contrary-in the status of
professional. His conscience is clear
SPORTS his trade he makes what he
can out Of it. and he stands deservedly
high in public estimation. The shama-
teur is the third class-the hcrmaphro-
dite of sport-suspccted by amateurs,
despised by professionals. Perhaps we
cannot stamp out the shamateur. but
it is the urgent duty of all sports to
make the attempt"
Simon Pure
Fortunately. there is little need of
any movement to stamp out" this sort
of thing in golf. where the standards of
amatcurism are pretty well set forth
by rule and tradition.
Golf is probably n game Of honor
more than most other sports. If you
can put one over on the ump" in
football or baseball, there is n howl of
approval from the rOoters for your team.
Nobody thinks any the less of you.
The ump gets all the blame.
In golf it's different. You're on
your honor. There's nobody to watch
you but yourself. Man has always
rather enjoyed putting something over
on the person watching him, just as he
doesn I exactly like TO cheat himself.
Cricket is supposed to be game of
honor almost as much as golf. Gosh
II cricket amateurs are finding five
pound notes under their teacups, what
next?
Enough cannot be preached against n
possible outcrop of "shamateurs, who
desire to make the game business. vet
persist contra rule and honor that
they're amateurs.
John Fox, the Philadelphia putting
mend. came near throwing monkey
wrench in the play for the champion
ship of the Frankford Golf Club over
the week end, when he carried Morris
+. Jones to the thirty fifth hole before
bowling himself out. James won, . and
l. but only after playing like Il scared
rabbit against the soul wrecking putt
shots OF the said John Fox.
Something ought to be done about