Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1907 — A DESERTATION ON FOOTBALL [ARTICLE]

A DESERTATION ON FOOTBALL

An attorney at Kankakee, HI., evidently of the sort who have no legitimate business and undertake to bolster up a big name by doing something sensational, has just received a quietus on his application for an injunction to restrain the board of education of that city from permitting “prize fighting” in the public schools. This lawyer’s name is Moore and his aim was to prohibit tootball playing which he dubbed “prize fighting” The judge decided that boards of education have no right to interfe-e with the pleasure and training of school children after school hours and that a private citizen has no right to interfere in such matters unless he has sustained some pecuniary injury. It is probable this upstart of a lawyer never saw a football game, for he undertook to convince the judge that all football games were in reality prize fights and he called them brutal, violent and uncivilized and>lhen he dwelt at considerable length on the horrible habit of “rooting,” evidently imagining that the participants in the game devote some time to nosing up the ground. Probably he never saw a crowd of young girls and boys gaily bedecked in their partisan colors standing along the side lines and singing their “rah, rah, rahs” while their bright eyes glistened and their hearts ran warm with the most commendable blood of health and happiness. Bah, Moore, it you could speak as eloquently to the judge and jury as these young girls and these lusty-lunged boys do to the heroes on the girdiron.

when they ‘'root” from the side lines or bleachers or tally-hos, you would find plenty of legitimate business worthy the ambitions ol a man, and not devote your sparse talent to an effort to destroy by injunction a sport that has stood the test of years and wanes not in popularity. No oce will deny the danger in football. There is the possibility of serious accident in every contest and yet the percent of danger is greatly overestimated. Pick up any day’s paper and read of the accidents from hunting, from boating and other pleasures and compare the records of deaths and injuries, and tackle larger game by trying to'make it a crime by injunction to own a shot gun. Football opponents are friendly contestants for the most part and there is no anger between opposing players. Anger is a strength re ducer and cuts little ice in football, just as Moore would be weakened if he became angered at an oppos ing lawyer. Football is essentially a game of good cheer and hard bumps that help to build up strong bodies and strong hearts. And the “rooters,” God bless them, are the silverthroated orators ot the day.