The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-22

- =: = = :! > :
New York, N. Y, Nov. 22-There
will be no break in football rela-
tons between Harvard and Prince
ton. The classic Big Three, of
eastern intercollegiate sport, will
remain intact, will be stronger and
more closely knit as an organiza-
ton than it shas ever been before
This statement is made as re-
suit of thorough canvass of the
situation that has existed between
Harvard and Princeton under the
surface ever since the football
game of 1920. 1t remained sub
merged, so far as anything Of Off
cial, or semi-official. nature was
concerned until Lothrop Withing-
ton, of the Harvard football COM
mittee, made his now famous
speech at the mass meeting of the
Princeton alumni Of New England,
held in Boston the night before the
game between the Tigers and the
Crimson.
1t will be recalled that Withing-
ton, among other things, stated
that if the seven game agreement
made by presidents of the Big
Three universities held, Harvard
would be obliged to drop Princeton
from her schedule or else make of
this classic contest an early October
game. The speech was unfortunate
in many respects. For one thing,
according to Bill Roper's estimate,
it helped the Tigers about twenty
, percent when they faced their
Cambridge rivals next day. And
everywhere the reaction of Har-
ward men was strong against MIR.
Withington's speech. They re-
| garded it as ill-timed even as an
expression of personal opinion. al
so in bad taste and finally inaccur-
ate. ~.
Harvard university repudiated it
in a public statement and this week
the Harvard Alumni bulletin. the
official organ of graduate opinion,
takes similar stand. But when ali
is said and done the net results Of
Mr.. Withington's speech have been
distinctly valuable inasmuch as it
served to erect something tangible
which Harvard and Princeton men
could meet and combat. 1t came as
a refreshing contrast to the sub
merged currents of innuendo
charge and counter-charge, threat
and counter-threat that have been
going the rounds for more than a
year. /,
i 1t showed pointedIy where this
Big Three organization as an or.
ganization was drifting and brough,
to light hidden activities OF certain
groups that in time would have leG
J inevitably to war. Stories of the
, most absurd sort were brought tt
: light and their malicious spurious.
ness exposed. As for instance thu
yarn whispered in Boston tina,
: Princeton had planted a Nassau
graduate in the Harvard law schoo
whose sole duty it was to report t.
Roper the exact location and natur,
,of every injury that occurred to ;
. Harvard player and that Ropel
kept this data in card index; tina
Buell. had been put out of the Har
ard-Princeton game by deliberat,
intent, SO on and SO forth. Their,
were also tales that Harvard ha,
applied to Chicago for a Homeland
home game to replace the Princeto,
contest and that Yale had beef
, tempered with in an effort = in
|, fluence her against the Tigers.
All false. The returns are /,
from Harvard and while in tn
past there have been misunder
standings and irritations after see
ing both sides there may now b
no doubt that. a vast majority O
Harvard men do not desire an
break with Princeton and that fur
Their talk in this respect will no
be tolerated. 1t Is recognized. Har
! ward and Yale and Princeton wit
t their wealth OF tradition-they hay
been engaged in athletic contest
> going on fifty years-their scho
l lastic requirements, their ideals q
: the relations between sport and es
; sential university work can be eve
) more influential than it has, bee
in the past. ThoQe is valuable wor
3 to be done in college athletics an
! the Big Three intend to lead tn
D way. Sentiment, as we'll as neces
. sity, indicate no other course.
ii In brief, the relations betwee
4 Harvard and Princeton at the pres
;, ent time have never been NOR
+ heakhful or more rife with cor
J structive possibilities. This state
( ment is based on facts gathere
, from responsible sources.
n New York. Nov. 22.-Willia,
l pr0uf YauraSnNfiuU Tho Naur r..