Evening star., 1932-08-14
Capital Sidelights
By WILL p. KENNEDY.

The presence of Mrs. Theodore Roose-
welt, widow of the former Rough Rider"
President, as guest of particular honor
and the participation of women who
hold high Office in the Republican party
organization at the notification cere-
monies during the past week EN-
phasizeS the progress the women OF this
land have made in political recognition
in the past 20 years.
1t was on February %, 1911, that
Mrs. RooSevelt's illuStrious husband, by
his GOODNESS in declaring for woman's
suffrage. saved an awkward situation at
meeting in Chicago. The colonels
facility in handling intruders and his
presence of mind in emergencies were
put to the test twice on that day, and
on each instance he averted with
dexterity that brought applause what
looked like decidedly embarrassing situ-
ationS.
The meeting was designed primarily
as a word of counsel for foreign-born
citizens. The former President took
the occasion, incidentally, to announce
himself as an advocate Of woman's Suf-
frage, perhaps In compliment to Miss
Jane Addams, who sat beside him on
the speakers platform, and who took
an active part in hearings before the
Platform Committee at the recent ma
tional convention. But the language
the colonel used was unequivocal: L
am in favor of giving the franchise to
all citizens, irrespective of sex"
When Col Roosevelt had finished his
speech and A. A. Mccormick. who was
presiding, had arisen to make an an
nouncement, an old man with flowing
beard stood up in the front Of the
auditorium, walked toward the plat
form extending his hand, HOW are
YOU, colonel?" he asked, I'm an old
soldier from Wisconsin. Just stop the
program a minute, will you? I want
to say a word or two to this audience"
The colonel looked him over and de-
cided he was harmless and gave him
one of his famous full-face smiles:
mo, no; not just now; come sit down
few minutes" and he made place
beside him for the old man.
Il X -
The fact that Mrs. Roosevelt came
to the notification ceremonies by air
plane also calls attention to a notable
advance in the science of aviation.
october IA, 1910, Washington witnessed
spectacle that has since been tremen-
dously discounted when Claude Gra-
l. lne-White. the English aviator, flew
from Benning race track to Washing
ton, a distance Of miles, and made a
successful landing in Executive avenue,
between the White House and the State,
War and Navy Building. The flight
was made for the purpose OF paying MS
respects to Gen. Allen, chief signal
officer of the Army Admiral Dewey
was one of the first to felicitate him.
It was the first cross-city flight by
aeroplane that Washington had ever
witnessed. The next day Grahame-
White in his old Farnam biplane went
after the worlds cross-country record
Of 104 miles, made by Archibald Hoxey
from St. Louis to prinfield-and now
they make nonstop flights across the
ocean and titney by airplane around
the world.
These days, when the youth Of the
land are turning their minds toward
foot ball training camps, an old-timer-
one Representative Dan Reed OF Dun
kirk, NJ Y, who in his day on the grid
iron was q famous tackler for Cor
nell-recalls his classical lore to point
out that foot ball was played In more
primitive form by the 1sraelites, the
ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans,
1CuOOllOb 1dOAo, SSAeo shAAN% ~'S~> ~-~~
AZtecs Of our own continent.
Foot ball as a game was the subject
of stern repressive laws as far back as
the time of the Black Prince-aye, and
even earlier, in the days OF which
Homer wrote. The people OF Israel as
far back as the year 750 BIC. played q
game with a ball to be thrown, kicked
or otherwise propelled by players, as
witness the twenty-second chapter Of
Isaiah, In which the prophet said: He
will turn and toss thee like bal" :"
That this game Of ball was brought by
the children Of Israel from the land OF
Egypt is indicated by Inscriptions carved
on monuments beside the Nile. And
this written word of Isaiah takes the
beginning Of the game back q clear
1000 years and more.
In the sixth book Of the Odyssey
Homer writes Of Nausicaa and her
maidens: Then, having bathed and
anointed well with oil, they took their
midday meal upon the river bank, and
anon, when satisfied with food, they
played a game of ball." 1t Is probable
that this was game in which the ball
was tossed from hand to hand as part
of a dance and that there YVES in it
no system and no effort to kick goals,
execute end runs or the like
Bringing our ancient history 1ew
centuries closer to these, our own days,
We find the Spartans played game
called "harpaston," on a rectangular
field, bounded by sidelines and goal
lines, with a center line. There was
no limit to the number of players. An
equal number were chosen and the ball
was put in play on the center line. The
object was to kick, throw, carry or In
anv way possible get the ball across
the goal line Of the opposing team.
The "harpaston" of the Spartans
was later Romanized into "harpastum'
and carried to Rome, where 1t was
played long before Cleopatra made a
| mock Of Antony. When Augustus
Caesar succeeded his uncle, Caius
julius Caesar as Emperor of the Ro-
mans in the year % BIC, one OF his
first official acts was to demand re-
vision of the foot ball rules. He ap-
pointed q philosopher to write the new
rules. This foot ball code Of Augustus
Caesar survives to this day-surviving
the fall of the Roman Empire