The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-01-20
LOWELL CALLS
 FOOTBALL ROUGH
Harvard President Declares Public Interest Has Given
 Too Much Importance To Gridiron Sport.

Cambridge, Mass, Jan. 20.-COn- tending that public interest in foot bali has tended to give excessive inn portance to college athletic contests and that like many other questions touching the direction of undergrad uate life, this is one that affects all American colleges President A. Law renee Lowell of Harvard University in his annual report to the Overseers made public yesterday, urges that ''it would be well for faculties, admins trators and governing bodies to con slider afreSh the proper place of pub lie Intercollegiate athletic contests in the scheme of education.'
 In his discussion of college athletics President Lowell reports that the Harvard Faculty. anxious about the amount of time consumed in the prac- tice for intercollegiate games, recent ly appointed a committee to inquire Into the matter.
 After a very careful investigation" he said 'it reported that the rrac- cupied or by the standing of the play CTS, was not such as to interefere seriously with the acadmic work of men training for the teams, but that managers, and still more Of the can didates for such positions The amount of time spent by them in this way was obviously excessive and un- necessary, and steps have been taken by the athletic authorities to reduce it in future.
 "A more difficult question is raised by the nature of the intercollegiate football games. The public interest which was formerly concentrated on the Yale game in greater degree than it is now, has extended to those with other colleges; and this year the attendance at the whole series has been larger than ever before. AL though the severity of the injuries suffered and especially the danger to life, have been materially dimin- ished by the changes in the rules made a dozen years ago. football re- mains a rough and strenuous sport in impair the efficiency of the players for couple of weeks or more.
 Criticism has been directed also to our refusal to play games off our own field except with Princeton and Yale. Such a policy has been alleged to be exclusive if not arrogant. Based upon the same feeling is the demand that Harvard ought to play with more try and at it's last meeting the As- sociated Harvard Clubs assed a vote urging that our eleven should play with one of the great colleges of the the Stadium and on the field of that college. :,
 If, like the professional baseball leagues. the object of the college football teams is to carry on a contest for national championship it is not quite lear how these demands can be proved unreasonable. But tne Faculty, assuming that education IS the prime object of the college, is of opinion that the members of the team, their substitutes, managers, etc., cannot be absent from Cambridge more than they are now without de- triment to their studies.'
 Princeton, N. J., Jan- 19-Ihe faculty of Princeton University is al most entirely in accord with the sen tinaent expressed by President Lowell of Harvard today that t.it woul@ be well for faculties, administrators ana the proper place of puFlic intercol- legiate athletic contests in the scheme of education.'
 '"The members of the faculty here are in general agreement on the sub feet" said Professor Christian Gauss, head of the Department of Modern Languages and Director of Public Re lations. "Of course, it is exceeding lv difficult to get a unanimous op1n- ion in the question, but as far as IS known, the idea of President Lowell is generally considered a correct one that merits a great deal of attention.