Evening star., 1932-09-04


this week make their an
nual September appearance. Foot
ball begins preparation for its Fall
sway and for some 5000 and odd
players who don uniforms and
untold other thousands who at
one time or another pay tribute to
the great college game, interna-
tional debts, so-called depression,
gang wars, political campaigns,
marriages of movie stars, and
other of the whatnot of our ma
tional life will take something of
a back pew while the really i'm
portant figures walk up front to
play their parts on the stage so
we'll described by the great Mr..
Shakespeare.
Foot ball begins this year with. in
one respect. the greatest handicap it
has ever had to overcome 1t has come
within the far-reaching fingers of the
Federal Government to be taxed In two
ways, 10 per cent on the price of ad-
mission and 10 per cent on all the
equipment that is purchased for it.
These two forms of taxes are such
hsndicap as never has been placed on
educational institutions, and just what
the result will be canEot be foretold.
All that now can be said is that those
rarnnOcihlp for 6nanainn nnllana otl,
lettcs are hoping for the best and think
ing good many things they do not
say about those responsible for it. In
cidentally, this issue may have a tre-
mendous influence in the campaign of
one prominent man who is running
again this Fall.
DUT taxes or no taxes, foot ball as a
- game will go on. and, instead of
falling by the wayside, prosper
There are those who think that the tax
burden added this year may be just
one of the additional straws of which
foot ball already carries many They
are outspoken that the game may show
a tremendous decline and head little
more rapidly for the limbo predicted
for it many times in the last few
seasons.
But hardly So The chances are that
greater crowds will attend, and GER
tainly partisan crowds, alumni, students
and others should take no less interest
in the big contests. Taxes or no taxes,
political campaigns or no political cam
paigns, the desire to watch combat be-
tween skilled adversaries is Just as keen
in the public mind today as when the
Roman Coliseum was filled to over
flowing
In other words. while foot ball still
has its burdens, to which has the Fed
eral Government added a new burden,
it is likely to retain its great popularity
as far as partisan crowds are concerned
and to increase its hold on a larger
proportion of the general public. Foot
bail this year should be bigger than
last, and next year bigger than this.
LOW the teams themselves will shape
i L up, at this time is nothing more
nor less than the same old story
One could go back over the files of
September papers for the last 80 years
and find almost the same language, only
applied in different years to different
schools. One school has everybody back
and brilliant prospects; another has
lost all and contemplates the Fall sea-
son in about the same state Of mind
that the Chinese population of Jehol
regards Japanese activities OF the next
few months.
Among the local schools it is not
dificult to state the general situation.
Georgetown, Catholic University and
George Washington look forward to
good seasons. Maryland has suffered
such losses that it looks upon the COM
ing year simply as a period Of rebuild
ing and whatever it accomplishes, if
it accomplishes anything, will be just
that much more than it expects. Gal
iaudet and American University should
have their usual elevents, maybe little
better, maybe a little worse. But, to
stay in the game at all. is an everlast-
ing tribute to these two schools, con-
sidering the handicaps under which
they labor.
George Washington is the only one
of the local schools that plans to leave
here for its preliminary training. 1t
goes to Camp Let's for three weeks
and then returns here to put on the
finishing touches for its opening game
September "a with Washington and
Lee at Lexington.
Georgetown for years has been down
at one of the Atlantic Coast resorts,
but this year elected to remain here
Catholic University and Maryland al
ways have done their preliminary work
on their own fields, as have Gallaudet
and American University.
MARYLAND will be the first in a
1v1 regular game here, being sched-
uled to meet Washington College
September "a. George Washington
plays Westminster Friday, September
80, in night game. and Georgetown
and Catholic University follow the next
day, October l. with Mount st. Mary's
here and City College of New York at
New York. respectively. Gallaudet
opens October with Washington Col
lege at Kendall Green and American
University plays its first contest with
Bridgewater College here on october IS.
George Washington already has its
squad at Camp Let's. and today will
map out plans for gradually intensi-
ned series Of practices. Maryland gets
its men on the field tomorrow morn
ing, while Georgetown plans to have its
full complement out on Tuesday. Cath
olic University is not to hold its open
ing workout until Saturday. Gallaudet
and American u. are unlikely to do
much until the opening Of school, two
or three weeks hence.
Coaching policies in all local schools
will be the same as last year Dutch
Bergman of Catholic U. has been down
and out the last two weeks with ap-
pendicitis. but now is On the mend He
expects to be on the field with his squad
for the first practice, but does not cx-
pect to 90 much active coaching fol-