Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 December 1905 — Page 2

SUICIDAL RIVALRY

Prof. Michael Writes Scathing Letter To President of Lake Forest University on Football. HIS SON IS INJURED IN A GAME. Combats of the Gladiators Were Commendable in Comparison With Brutal College Sport. Lafayette Morning Journal: Hon. George VV. Michael, of Highland Park, has addressed a letter to President Smith, of Lake Forest University, in which he expresses hie opinion of football. Mr. Michael’s eon is a student at Lake Forest and was a member of the football team that represented the university on the gridiron this fall. Young Michael had one of his knees badly wrenched and the injury will probably be permanent. Mr. Michael was once a college president and was quite prominent in politics in Cass county before corniug to Lafayette. He is a man of means and influence. He is a man of broad caliber, progressive views and the position taken by him on any subject has great value and is worthy of consideration. The letter addressed to President Smith is as follows: "Lafayetter lud., Dec. 11, 1905, “Mr. Delavan Smith, President of the Lake Forest University, Lake Forest, 111. “My Dear Sir: I regard the cause about to be submitted to you as the most stupendous that can possibly be submitted to presidents and professors of colleges at the present time. The interests involved and the consequences to be anticipated from the trials and nature of this one is certainly of a magnitude that can not pertain to any other, and that is the building up of young manhood and womanhood in our colleges, that they best be fitted to fight life’s battles; that each pupil should be filled with thedesire and determination, it matters not what his or her pursuit may be, to sustain and foster the lawful objects of human efforts, as they are but means of higher results and nobler ends; “1 want to ask you in all candor, will the suicidal rivalry in the brutal football games in this particular help your pupils? “My son, George Edward, is now in your school. I just received word that he was iu your college team and was seriously injured in a game, that he sprained 1 1 is knee, and that he now had watered joint ‘kneed This news of my son doubtless prompted me to write you. “1 am informed that just recently one of your pupils was killed in a game of football, I am puzzled to know of the value you put upon the life of your pupils. You could have come to some conclusion as to their value had you attended the funeral of your pupil who was killed in the damnable game. The parents ami friends mourned, and doubtless, way down in their hearts, held you responsible, as you should be for the untimely death of your pupil. “Your pupils were sent to you to be bettered mentally, physically and morally. The cursed game, football, of which you and your faculty has supported and seem” ingly prized highly, detracts in the above named elements. The thumping and butting with their heads destroys their brains and mental faculties; their over effort iu muscular action and sprains in a thousand ways destroys their physical condition, and instead of developing them morally, you are making them brutal and indifferent loafers of brag and bully natures.

“The brutality of the football game is teu to oue worse than the sword fights by the gladiators in the arenas of Rome. There, man had an equal chance for his life. In football, two to eleven, in many instances, has combined to disable or kill one of their antagonists. Football is many more times brutal than bull fighting in Spain and Mexico. “The Roman gladiators’ sword fights and the Spain and Mexico bull fights, have been condemned and pronounced brutal by every civilized nation of the world, and yet they are not to be compared in brutality with the game, ‘football.’ “How much more manly it would be for two brave men to step in the arena in the presence of a multitude, each with a shining sword and battle to the death, than for six or eight to combine and kill one as is common in the football game. “The gladiator, who plunged

bis sword to the hilt and caused the blood to flow and killed, received applauds. The football team that kills, receives applauds, and this alone makes it brutal. “The game, football, would not have been tolerated by the Romans, as it was the pride of the Romans to be square, man to man, in a civil combat for life. “Mr. President, I did not think for a moment, that when my son started to your school that I was buying your college grounds and oollege building and paying the salaries of you and your faculty with my boy’s injured limb. I would not have had his knee hurt as it was, for your college outflt and all the salaries paid you and your faculty. “While president of the Smithson college, in 1896, my pupils organized a football team and sent to Philadelphia and got their coacher, and purchased a fine football suit and had built up quite a name, as they contested with different tea,ms, and were frequently successful in defeating their antagonists, but it was not long until I could see a loungy, sleepy, dead like expression of the different members of the team and that many were physically injured. I observed that the team was made up of the coarser element of my school, and that it not only demoralized those ip the team in their studies, but that it had a demoralizing effect upon many others, and after I was fully convinced that the game was detrimental to about all concerned, that many were injured for life. I felt condemned to not stop the game and declared that it should not be played on the college grounds, and that none should play the game while pupils of mine. I would much prefer to be called a "crank” for this declaration of mine, to stop the game, than to be called a heartless pedagogue.

“I can not comprehend the stupidity of our college presidents and professors in tolerating the game. If they could see for a moment the inside of man, and see his fine tissue, entrails and membranes, they would wonder at so few deaths from the game. God never intended man to play such a game; if he had, he would have made his stomach out of steel and packed and covered his brain with steel plate and supplied him with a dozen joints, to where he has but one now, saying nothing about his nose, teeth and eyes. “I would love to see the caliber of a college president or college professor, who tolerates the game and who does not know the game to be simply damnable. I imagine I see his brain covered with moral cowardice and interwoven with intrigue and selfish flippancy. “Has our college presidents and professors assumed the role of policy instead of the old time principles, and are they not doing more than the politicians of today in encouraging grafting and the pollution of character? “Mr. President, think of it, thirty-six lives lost and upwards of three hundred seriously hurt this year in the game, and not only but it being an out door game and continued until December, many lost their lives and thousands made sick by standing and sitting in the cold at various games. “Being in the college work myself for thirty years and assuming to be one of the fraternity of college workers, (recently retired), l advise you to break up your football team, stop their playing or resign arid let a man with force of character and the good of each pupil at heart take yoor place who will stop the game. “Mr. President, I have no hesitancy in sending you this letter, 1 care but little whether it offends or not. Your offense to me in crippling my son for life, is much greater. The blame, from my standpoint of reasoning, is laid at your door.

"Now, dear sir, while writing you with this tone of discontent, I have in mind thousands of parents who have sons iu colleges who are mourning and are restless und are praying that their sons may be spared from the heartless and most perverted brutal game. “I said I laid the blame for my son’s injured knee at your door. Where else would I lay it? When a railroad wreck occurs and people are killed, a search is made for the man who is to v blame. The blame should rest with the party or persons in control, and if one is injured or killed through his negligence, he is to blame. If you do not wish to be an accessory to crime, break up your team or resign; if you do not do it, I believe the time is pot far distant when the people will legislate it out and to your shame, and to the shame of all who are in authority in our colleges. “I would advise you and all in authority of colleges to make more of a study of the brain of men,

learn its location aod study the use of the several flue membranes surrounding it. It is highly important that you should know that the brain of man is covered and protected by several tine transparent tissue membranes, and that they are easily injured, and that they are put there to absorb and secrete surplus fluids. “You and your faculty butt your beads against a lamp post, or a stone wall or butt each other iu the head, sheep like, as hard as they do in the football game, and you will observe the dull and dizzy effect upon the brain. Do not butt your heads against a soft pillow. Go at it like brave men and butt until you fall over apparently dead, as is common in the game, football. Not only that, but you can tire the brain to excess, and injure it by excessive lifting and continuous muscular contest as is frequently seon in the game. "The derangement of those fine membranes around the brain causes brain trouble. Sometimes a sudden jar is deleterious to the brain. When I see the woeful indifference of college presidents, I think it probable that they were struck on the head when young, and that they have had brain trouble ever since. “Remember, dear president, that God gave you and each of your pupils a brain and the whole world knows nothing more magnificent and sublime than the brain of man. With its broad foundation of physical science, broad as the earth and deep down as the granite ages, it lifts for walls and colonizes the massive fbrmulas of the mathematical and deductive knowledge, marked with the line of a world measuring geometry and decked with the stars of a heaven scalding astronomy and stretching over all a fitting doom. Think of its power. Yes, dear president,the metaphysical science point to the topmost spires for which they forever seek, but never reach. Without and within, over every pillar and every form of learning, literature spreads its rich guilding and carving, crowning with a fresh beauty the solid truth and working up into many a thousand grand and graceful shapes the substantial facts of science. “Yes, that brain should be held as a pleasant shrine, and kept as something sacred, for through its centers eloquence and philology builds its vaulted and echoing I easels, and the lofty choir sits and tunes its subtle science of melody and time and theology builds its altar to the unhewn stones of a divine revelation. All things are quite possible to cultured brain 6, they multiply their powers by the infant factor of time. “In conclusion will say, he who encourages the game, football, encourages the decaying of the brain and the mental faculties of man. “If this be true, dear president, in the name of God and all that is good, protect your pupils from violence and thus help to sustain and give your pupils a healthy and cultured brain, instead of one debauched, drowsy and demoralized. “Sincerely yours,

“G. W. MICHAEL.”

THAT LOTTERY RULING.

White County Democrat: It is said that according to a new ruling of the postofhee department a newspaper mentioning euchre clubs where cards are played for prizes, or publishing a list of prize wiuners at such contests cau be excluded from the mails; and according to the same antilottery law the postmaster who buys a ticket in any sort of a guessing contest may be removed from oflied for such offense. Now, to be consistent, why not exclude from the mails all daily and weekly papers giving an account of the annuul lottery at Washington in which the natiou’s lawmakers are allotted seats through the medium of a blindfolded page? No bigger game of chance nor one with more possibly far reaching consequences is played anywhere than that which takes place in the National Capitol at the beginning of each session of Congress.

FOR SALE OK TRADE. Horses for sale or trade for oattle or bogs. Apply at Springer Ranch, Kniman, Ind. Mark Ott, Foreman. CATTLE! CATTLE! For Sale:—22 Shorthorn and Hereford feeders, wt. better than 1100 lbs.; also Ifi Shorthorn yearlings. L. H. Myers, City, or S. W. Myers, Monticello, Ind. Now is the time to subscribe for your winter’s reading. Subscription taken for all papers and magazines at J. H. Cox’s news stand. Remember The Democrat offioe for job printing.

™ IA S3OO Chase Piaii I F REE !— —1 «j> <3» § It will go to the most popular Church, Sunday <a •> School, Lodge or Club in Jasper County. § ITo De Presenieil If Tie Jasper Coonly Uentocfal I (• 8 —<2 •) The Democrat wants to know which Church, Sunday School, Lodge or Club in •) (• Jasper County has the most friends. To gain this interesting information we have (• •) planned a voting contest in which everybody mav participate. The contest opened •) (• July U On December 22 The Democrat will present to the winner, entirely free of cost (• (• A Magnificent Chase Piano Valued at $300.00 Now § S on Display at Rowles & Parker’s Dry Goods Store 2 •) This fine instrument is one of the best known and most popular makes on the •) (_• market. The name, CHASE, on a piano has long stood for quality of a superior •) kind. The cut that you see below hardly does justice to the artistic appearance of %) V* this piano. Its perfect tone, quality and durability are vouched for by (!• II ♦ THE STARR PIANO CO.,' OF INDIANAPLOIS * f •) (• From whom it was purchased by us. The Starr Piano Co., are manufacturers and (• •) large dealers of high grade instruments, and their guarantee of quality means much. •) <P 3 •) —.l 1 'Airs—ia WfcM Ml ... jyjj ' 1 - 1 1 (• I j* ■ (• 11 How You May Help Win This Costly Prize 1j 5 This is a case where you can bring down two birds with one shot. *1 he plan of A the contest is to allow the privilege of voting to all new subscribers to this paper, and A to all present subscribers who extend then subscriptions during the months of July, V, A August, September, October. November and December. Thus by simply paying the A usual low subscription price of The Democrat, you not only’ get the brightest and best A newspaper in this part of the State delivered to you every week, but you add the A weight of .your vote in favor of your Church, Sunday School, Lodge or Club—whichA ever you choose to vote for. Voles will be credited as follows: A •) €) (• WTH EACH NEW SUBSCRIPTION PAID IN ADVANCE (• §) For 6 Months, 50 Cents sVotss For 2 Yesrs.s2 OO 50 Votes 0) For 1 Year, SI.OO 20Votss For every dollar paid on old subscriptions 10 Votes •) 7 •) (• Subscriptions may be paid at the office of The Democrat or to any of our agents (• •) or accredited solicitors, or be sent in by mail. In the latter case be sure to give the •) (m name of the organization you wish your vote to be cast. (# The votes will be counted every week, and a statement of the progress of the fP v* contest will he published in the columns of The Democrat from week to week. In the *P event of a tie for the prize offered, the value thereof will be equally divided between the organizations so tying. S Get busy. We mean exactly what we say. We intend to give this piano to some A organization December 22, 1905. If your organization needs a piano here is a chance A to get one free of cost. (j§ 1 come im am) Vote jvowl 3 g f) Send All Votes to § | THE JASPER COUNTY DEMOCRAT, f •) 'REfiSSELAEU. IJTD. §