Evening star., 1924-12-18

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In rounding up men the scout nat
urally articulates, through the coach,
with the alumni and draws upon the
highly systematized mass of data and
Office machinery, built up by the
coach and the graduate manager. But
the scout must organize his own
sources of information, and he also
must keep himself closely informed
through clipping bureaus, statistical
gleanings, correspondence and chance
tips of any and all kinds.
On learning of a promising player
1t is his business instantly to lay all
the facts before the coach. If the
man is worth serious consideration,
the scout Immediately has at his dis
posal a wealth of information and
suggestions. The address of every
alumnus of the college is always in
stantly at hand, the index card Civ
Ing data as to his athletic interests,
his degree OF loyalty to the institu
tfon and his address.
Surrounded the Prospect.
IF the prospect is remote, the first
move is to CLEAN informa ton about
him. his style of playing, etc. from
the nearest alumnus. If the reports
are encouraging, the inquiry is CON
tinued, and If it is then apparent that
the boy is worth getting, the scout is
dispatched to his home town, to
watch him in action-and, inciden-
tally, to gather quickly the most ex.
haustive information concerning the
youth, his scholarship, his finances,
his personal whims and preferences,
his college plans and his fraternity
likes or dislikes.
picked up before any direct approach
Is made to the boy. 1t is possible
and this often happens-that the
drive will be dropped before it gets
TO the point OF any definite sugges-
ton to the boy.
I sometimes smile when I think Of
some OF the ingenious youngsters
who for two years have been studied
ike bugs under microscope and
know nothing about it.
I have in mind one lad, now junior
IN a Massachusetts, high school. He
IS perhaps the most alluring foot
ball prospect in America today. He
is a fine, carefree boy, who delivers
milk and does odd jobs in his spare
time, and lives in a little white-wash-
ed cottage with his mother.
I know that within the last two
years enough money has been spent
on this boy to buy his mother man
sion. Scouts from colleges all along
the Atlantic seaboard have quietly
visited his town. They have studied
minutely his every move in practice
and scheduled games. In the files OF
the big college offices there is enough
correspondence and data about this
lad to fill volumes. The boy knows
nothing about all this. He is such a
sensational prospect that the scouts
have come to a deadlock. All are
afraid of a showdown and they are
working and digging in the hope OF
setting some inescapable trap for the
boy,
Fairy Is Waiting.
This boy. struggling along and help
ing take care of his mother, does not
know 1t, but just as surely as the
sun rises the gates of a dozen big
colleges will swing open for him, two
years from now. and he will march
triumphantly into some glittering new
world Of youthful dreams. He will
find himself mysteriously invested
with scholarship honors, holding q
make believe job, enjoying fame and
personal prestige.
Furthermore, this golden highway
will lead from the college out into
the world, for the makers and men
tors of foot ball carry through. 4
few years from now, this boy will be
found comfortably placed in some big
corporation or getting a toe-hold in
the bond business in New York. He is
a clever and personable lad and he
will go long way. His mother
doesn't know it, but fairy is stand
ing by to change that whitewashed
cottage into a palace.
Suppose the boy merely had brains
instead OF legs? Well, that's the other
side of the picture, which is none OF
my business.
Fraternities play big part in
scouting activities. 1t is imperative
that good scout be a member of
q fraternity, and If it is a good fra
ternity, SO much the better. 1t hap
pens that I belong to a good frater-
nity-one Of the best. This membership
has been Invaluable to me- An alumni