The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-05-11
MIKE DAVENPORT is DEAD
Is the Game Worth the Price?
BY N. K. SMITH

| NOrcrOSS cleepS forever young Mike
Davenport, he was loved by his class
mates, bright happy mike" when his
people realized that it was time TO
send him off to school, an institution
of learning was selected to prepare
him for lifes' work, or possibly for
further educational, training at col
lege, happily he had loved ones adieu
expecting that with the ending of the
short term he would return and
proudly show them that their sacri-
fee and interest in his welfare had
been fully repaid by the progress he
had made in his studies. To prepare
Ihim for the serious undertakings that
confront every young man in life
was the OBJECTIVE.
When he started again to school.
on account of his brightness and en-
Iergy and physical fitness he was ELI
branch of school work classed as
athletics. Now do not for an instant
think that any one will ever oppose
clean healthy physical development
in school out of it, but when the in
sidiuus, menacing time consuming in
Intercollegiate games are considered
it will be found that then enters the
greatest danger today to all educa-
tional institutions. There is not
school or college that could not
amongst their own student body or
ganize rival teams, that would have
all that is needed to stimulate rival
ry in athletic both n the school and
in the vicinity as we'll. Mike was
eligible to the ball team and under
the direction of the highly paid
coach" great deal of time was
spent IN perfecting team, and few
weeks ago a scrub team from some
school in Atlanta went to this school
to play a series of games, during
the game one of the opposing team
ran headlong into young Mike,
head to head collision and Mike fell
to the ground, he did not rise. he
was carried to a nearby hospital, his
relatives and friends notiefd and
came, hoping that it would prove
merely a slight injury and that soon
their dear boy would be up again,
his usual bright, cherry happy self
The hours passed, days passed, and
still he lay silently like one asleep
on the snow white bed, while all the
skill of medicine was brought to his
bed side.
In the silent hours of the night,
loved ones dropped on their knees
beside his bed, and asked the Great
Savior of the world to look with
pity and mercy on their boy. At last
an operation was decided on as it
seemed that his life was slowly eb-
bing away, and an opening was made
INTO the base of the brain, it was
found that when he fell, there was
fearful conclusion, and the brain
tissue bulged and oozed from the
opening, torn, clotted, pitifully in
'ured. For time it seemed that
he would rally, for a time it seemed
that the fluttering eyelids would lift
and smile of recognition greet the
waiting, watching loved ones, but no,
slowly, softly, quietly without a strug-
gle the tiny thread of life unwound
until scarce breath could be noted,
and then, peacefully-he was gone.
In almost every college and school
OF the nation of today, there is a far
greater amount of time and money
spent in training boys to fight on
the gridiron, or the base ball dia-
mond, in contests severe, where to
win to beat the game, regardless. is
hammered into she youth by the
highly paid coach. In some col
leges the coach" training the BOYS
for intercollegiate struggles are
more highly paid thany any of the
faculty, and the time consumed from
study, in practice. The daily pap
ers would seem to man from for
elgn land In reading the sport pages.
that all the use America had for the
universities and colleges was to pro-
duce brutal, fierce, fanatical football
and basketball fiends. Rarely ever
can you read where the college stu
dents are gaining in mental work, or
preparing for the realities of life
And the result is as above so often.
Each year, there is carried from the
football field, or baseball feld.some
poor bleeding, broken young body.
ana each year there are newly made
graves covered with flowers, water
LED by tears of anguish over the blast
ed hopes, of parents, whose sole low
IN life has been snatched from them
IN moment by the fierce and useless
battles Of the intercollegiate games
| nave mad heart to heart talks with
the heads of many schools and uni
yersities, and they tell me the sad
dest story have ever heard
They tell of how class work is i'm
paired, of how bright, young minds
are diverted from all that will make
them real amongst men, and who get
INTO the games, how classes are brok-
en- by constant TRAVELLING of +aap,e 81
this kind of ball, and the glee clubs
besides, going from place to place,
away from school, a fearful number
Of times, training, training under a
coach" who cares nothing for their
mental progress, but can only hold
ms highly paid job by driving the
boys to tiercer and more fiercer strug-
giles. How teams go off to cities
where gambling creeps into and a.
round the games, where often in