New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-16

The Big Year-A College Story
(Putnam). by Meade Minnigerode, fas-
cinates us because it is all about dear
old Yale. Somewhat after the fashion
Of Frederick O'Briens White Shadows
in the South Seas, it is enthralling in
its surprising revelations of the life of
an outlandish tribe. According to Mr.
Minnigerode the Yaleses call their yard
campus and walk about in big blue
sweaters with "Y's" on them, smoking
pipes and singing college songs under
the windows of one another. The
seniors, he informs US, come out on
summer afternoons on roller skates.
Of course, we are disposed to believe
that Mr.. Minnigerode, like ali travellers
in strange lands, is prone to color
things little more highly than exact
accuracy would sanction. We felt this
particularly when he began to write
about Yale football. There was, for in
stance, Curly Corliss, the captain of the
eleven, who is described as starting off
after punt to tear back through a
broken field thirty and forty yards
at clip, tackling an opposing back
with a deadliness which was final
never hurt, always smiling blond
head of curly hair Che never wore
headguard) flashing in and out across
the field, the hands clapping together,
the plaintive voice calling, All right,
all right, give me the ball!' when
game was going badly, and then carry
ing it alone to touchdown after touch
down"
We recognized none of that except
"the plaintive voice." although we have
seen all of Yale's recent big games.
We waited to find Mr.. Minnigerode ex-
planning that of course he. was refer
ring to the annual contest with Spring
field Training School, but he did no
such thing and went straight ahead
with the pretense that football at Yale
is romantic. To be sure, he attempts
to justify this attitude by letting us
see good deal of the doings on the
gridiron through the eyes of bull
terrier who could not we'll be expected
to be captious. Champ, named after
the Yale chess team, came by accident
to the field just as Curly Corliss was
off on one of his long runs. Yes, it
was game against the scrubs. "Some
one came tearing along and lunged at
Curly as he went by, apparently trying
to grab him about the legs. Champ cast
all caution to the winds. Interfere with
Curly, would he? Well, Champ guessed
not! Like an arrow from bow Champ
hurled himself through the air and
fastened his jaws firmly in the seat of
the offenders pants, in desperate eff
fort to prevent him from further mo-
Testing Curly"
This being the first decent piece of
interference seen on Yale field in years,
Champ was adopted by the team as a
mascot. His associate mascot was jim
my, little newsboy, who also took
football at New Haven seriously. His
romanticism, like that of Champ, was
understandable. Hadn't Curly Corliss
once saved his life? We need not tell
you that he had. Jimmy" as Mr..
Minnigerode tells the story, STARTED
to run across the street, without motto
ing the streetcar numbering around the
corner, and then before he
knew it Jimmy tripped and fell. and
the car was almost on top Of him,
grinding its brakes. Jimmy never
knew exactly what happened in the
next few seconds, but he heard people
shouting, and then something struck
him and he was dragged violently away
by the seat of the pants. When he
could think connectedly again he was