"I see it," cried Ducardanoy. "Fly! fly!"
The Arabs rushed wildly to their steeds. Bouchardy and Ducardanoy sprang upon Sunlight and Moonlight and spurred away to the north, and the Arabs rushed away to the west, and the hum of the approaching Singing Sands, if it was still sounding, was drowned in the confusion. It was not until they had ridden half an hour that Bouchardy and Ducardanoy saw the Arabs pause in their flight and finally turn northward.
"They have begun to suspect that we outwitted them, and are after us,"
said Ducardanoy.
"Let them come," said Bouchardy. "There is not a horse in Africa that can catch us."
W. A. CURTIS.
[Ill.u.s.tration: INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORT]
It is to be regretted that the New York I.S.A.A., at its meeting two weeks ago, failed to take any decisive action in regard to the formation of a National Interscholastic a.s.sociation, for an enterprise of this nature requires much time and thought to ensure success, and in order to hold a creditable field day next June preparations for the gathering should be begun at once. We may confidently count, however, on definite action being taken at the meeting to be held a fortnight hence, and then the work will be pushed along rapidly, and the plans. .h.i.therto merely talked of will be crystallized into permanent form. That the various scholastic a.s.sociations all over the country are anxious to have the scheme put through there is no doubt. The Maine and the California a.s.sociations have already given notice, through their secretaries, of their desire to join a National a.s.sociation, and similar informal notifications have come from the New England, the Pennsylvania, the Connecticut, and the Iowa a.s.sociations. I would suggest that all other interscholastic a.s.sociations whose sentiments lean in this direction communicate informally with this Department, giving the name and address of some member with whom the N.Y.I.S.A.A. committee on preliminary organization may correspond as soon as they organize, and these communications will be submitted to the proper officers of the N.Y.I.S.A.A. in due time.
One of the questions that must come up at the outset, and that as a matter of fact has already come up in the informal discussions of the subject, is whether membership in the proposed National a.s.sociation shall be restricted to State and city I.S.A.A."s, or open, as well, to individual schools. It were better at first, I think, that membership be restricted to a.s.sociations; that is, that the larger body be made up of smaller organizations, which in turn are composed of individual inst.i.tutions. Then the compet.i.tors at the national meeting would represent the best and strongest athletic talent of the State and city leagues--men who had earned their right to compete by having won in their event at their own State or city contest.
Some sort of exception could be made in favor of large schools that do not belong to any a.s.sociation, or whose a.s.sociation, should they be members of one, could not for some reason send a team to the national meeting. The question will come up for decision in the case of the Oakland High-School of California. This school belongs to the Academic Athletic League of the Pacific Coast, and is imbued with sufficient sporting spirit to wish to come East, and enter the National Interscholastic lists. The A.A.L. might hesitate at undertaking to send a team to New York on account of the expense; but because the A.A.L.
cannot send a representative team is no reason why the O.H.-S. should not be allowed to compete. As a matter of fact any team representative of the A.A.L. would be largely made up of O.H.-S. athletes. It is very probable, however, that the A.A.L. will be perfectly willing, and even anxious, to have the O.H.-S. team come East (at its own expense), as the representative not only of the Oakland School, but of the entire Academic League. It could place its reputation in much worse hands. But whatever the A.A.L."s inclination may be, the organizers of the National a.s.sociation must formulate some rule that shall cover this and similar cases, or they will find themselves constantly called upon to solve knotty and complicated questions.
The New York interscholastic football season is more backward this year than ever before. There seems to be almost no interest in the game except here and there, and several schools have announced that they will not even put teams in the field. Harvard School is one of those. The reason given is that the princ.i.p.al considers the game as played now too rough for his pupils. A member of the school, however, a.s.serts that the true reason is that the Harvard scholars are not good enough at the game for the school to stand any chance in the league contests, should it enter. There is a good deal too much of the desire to win "prizes" in most of our local scholastic athletics which ought to be strongly discouraged. It is regrettable to have to admit it, but I am persuaded that if it should be announced that only ribbons would be given as prizes at all future track-athletic games, five-eighths of those who go into the games at present would cease to take any interest in the sports. As a purifier of athletics I think the ribbon system might be a good thing to try.
The Long Island a.s.sociation, like its cousin on this side of the river, has decided to adopt the Yale-Princeton football rules. This is fortunate, because it will save considerable trouble in view of the Inter-City games, and we should always be glad when we can get rid of an element of dispute. For the Fates only know that there are enough squabbles in athletics already without borrowing any from the colleges or anywhere else. And, besides, the Yale-Princeton rules are the most suitable for the schools in this section. In New England it is different, for the presence and influence of Harvard there enter into the question.
The St. Mark"s eleven is making every effort to get into form for the game with its old rival, Groton, and in its preliminary games thus far the men have shown up well. White is a veteran, and is playing again at full-back, where he did good work last year. The previous season he was at quarter-back, but his punting makes him a more desirable man further back. Nash is playing right half-back, and Captain Mills will probably play left half. Nash is a new man on the team, but has improved greatly since the beginning of the season. Hatch is another novice on the first eleven, but had some practice at quarter-back on the second last year which position he will fill on the first this year. In the line, Watson, right tackle, Hare, left tackle, and Davis, right end, filled the same positions last year. The new men, Watson, Egbert, and Humphreys are all improving fast under good coaching, and there is no reason why the team should not develop into a strong one at the end of the season.
The Connecticut League has been reorganized, and now consists of the following schools: Hillhouse H.-S. and Hopkins Grammar, of New Haven; Hartford, Bridgeport, New Britain, and Waterbury high-schools; and Norwich and Suffield academies. The schedule of championship games begins on October 26th, when Hartford meets New Britain, Suffield meets Norwich, Hillhouse meets Bridgeport, and Hopkins Grammar meets Waterbury. The winners of these matches will play on November 2d, and the championship will be decided on the Yale Field a week later.
All the teams of the league have been getting good practice, and have played a number of smaller games. The Hartford H.-S. team seems to offer the greatest promise at present; but since their defeat by the Springfield H.-S. there has been a notable shake-up. Bryant is playing at tackle again, and Smith, last year"s centre, is in his old place.
Grant, a new man, is playing guard in Lyman"s place, while Lyman has moved up one to tackle. Goodell has dropped back of the line, taking Jenkins" place, who is laid off. Morc.u.m is holding down right end, vice Twitch.e.l.l. This new arrangement will probably be in effect when Hartford lines up against Hillhouse on the 2d of next month.
For some years past there have been rumors, more or less well-founded, that certain players on teams of the Connecticut League had no business playing, and hints of pecuniary recompense were not whispered in low tones, but called out loudly. New Britain came in for a generous share of these aspersions, and from all I am able to learn richly deserved them two or three years ago. I believe, however, that a better appreciation of sportsmanship prevails there at present, and I doubt if the other schools in the league will find it necessary to protest any of the New Britain players this year.
Complaints have been made, to be sure, but upon investigation I find that the trouble arises out of the fact that the New Britain Captain has allowed two or three outsiders to play on his team in practice games (notably in the recent contest at Waterbury), rather than to jeopard his chances of victory by using weak subst.i.tutes. I am a.s.sured, however, that no such tricks will be played in any championship match. The method ought not to have been adopted even in practice. It is not sportsmanlike, and is cowardly in that the New Britain men are knowingly and unfairly taking advantage of their opponents if they allow players on their eleven who are not in regular attendance at the New Britain High-School.
By doing anything of this kind a captain not only attempts to conquer his opponents by unfair means and false representations, but he stultifies himself. He admits that he has not men good enough, or is incapable to training players who shall be strong enough, to defeat the eleven with whom he has agreed to play. He therefore secures a few good-natured, able-bodied outsiders, who are the means of earning a victory; but it is not the High-School team that has won. It is a team made up of a few High-School players and a few others. All this sounds harsh when put into cold type. The case seems so different when smoothed over with pleasant words. It is good for sport to have facts put in plain English occasionally. So far there has been no great harm done at New Britain this year, and I hope the players there will soon see the justness of restricting membership on their team to _bona fide_ scholars. And, in pa.s.sing, let me add that there are a number of other captains who may read the foregoing paragraphs to their great advantage, for this criticism is by no means intended to be particular, but general.
Next Sat.u.r.day the New Britain team will play the Hillhouse High-School eleven on the Yale Field at New Haven. The game should be of interest not only because both teams are good ones, but because these two schools have not met since the championship game played in the fall of 1893, when New Britain succeeded in defeating the New Haven eleven for the championship of the League. At the time a protest was entered against a player named Wheeler, of the New Britain team, who was charged with being a professional athlete. There is little doubt that Wheeler was a professional, but the charges were not sustained at a later meeting, and the trophy went to the New Britain team.
The biggest score at football that the Harvard Varsity ever made against Exeter was 158 to 0. That was in 1886, I believe, and unless I am mistaken it is the record for big scores in a game between two regularly organized and trained elevens. Nevertheless, the P.E.A. team that was vanquished by this enormous score went down to Andover and defeated their rivals 26 to 0. This year Harvard"s score against Exeter was 42 to 0, and yet there is little doubt that Andover could easily take Exeter into camp if the two schools should meet. This shows how little teams can be judged by comparing scores. The Exeter eleven this year is not a good one, and yet the figures of the Harvard game would seem to show that it is. When the play is a.n.a.lyzed, however, the truth is apparent.
For instance, at no time during the game did Exeter succeed either in advancing the ball the necessary five yards on four downs, nor were her men able to hold Harvard for four downs, or to compel the Harvard back to punt.
The Play between each touch-down was almost identical. Exeter would kick off and the ball would be punted back by one of the "varsity players. If the crimson forwards got down the field fast enough, as they frequently did, they secured the ball and proceeded with the play until they scored. If a P.E.A. man got the ball then Harvard would force the school-team to lose a few yards, and at the fourth down Williams would punt. Sometimes he would, and sometimes he would not, because the Exeter rush-line was seldom able to hold the college men. As soon as Harvard got the ball on a play of this kind a couple of runs around the end or dives through the centre would net a touch-down. It is surprising that the winning score was not twice as large. Two halves of fifteen minutes only were played. If I remember correctly the 158-0 game lasted two full-time halves, and in those days each half lasted three-quarters of an hour.
New leagues are springing up continually. A few days ago the three most prominent military schools of the West met in Chicago and organized the Northwestern Military School League, which is to consist of the Shattuck Military School, at Faribault, Minnesota; St. John"s Military Academy, at Delafield, Wisconsin; and the Michigan Military Academy of Orchard Lake, Michigan. The organization is to cover baseball, football, and track athletics. It is to be a triangular league at present, but other schools may be admitted by unanimous vote. No arrangements have yet been made for baseball or track contests, but a football schedule has been laid out as follows: Shattuck will meet St. John"s at Minneapolis or St.
Paul the Sat.u.r.day before Thanksgiving, and the winner will play Orchard Lake at Chicago the week following. This league ought to grow and prosper, for it is just the kind of thing that is needed among the schools of the Northwest to encourage and foster interscholastic sport.
The Inter-Preparatory League and the Cook County High-School F.B.
League, of Chicago, are at present the most nourishing scholastic a.s.sociations of the West. They are both strong in members, and some of the school teams are putting up good football. The Cook County H.-S.F.B.
League"s schedule is made out as follows:
At Oak Park--Oct. 19, English High and Manual Training; Nov. 2, West Division; Nov. 16, Hyde Park.
At Chicago Manual--Oct. 12, English High; Oct. 19, North Division; Nov. 16, Lake View; Nov. 23, Oak Park.
At Lake View--Oct. 12, Oak Park; Oct. 19, Hyde Park; Oct. 26, North Division; Nov. 2, Englewood.
At Englewood--Oct. 26, Oak Park; Nov. 26, West Division.
At English High--Oct. 5, Chicago Manual; Oct. 9, Lake View; Nov.
23, Englewood.
At West Division--Oct. 5, Lake View; Oct. 12, English High; Oct.
28, Manual Training; Nov. 16, North Division.
At Hyde Park--Oct. 9, Englewood; Oct. 26, English High; Nov. 20, Manual Training.
At North Division--Oct. 5, Oak Park; Nov. 2, English High; Nov. 9, Englewood; Nov. 23, Hyde Park.
The season of both the Chicago leagues began Sat.u.r.day, as the schedules show, the Inter-Preparatory A.L. arrangement of games being in this order:
Oct. 19--Princeton-Yale _vs._ University, at Lincoln Park: Harvard _vs._ South Side Academy, at Washington Park.
Oct. 26--Princeton-Yale _vs._ Harvard, at Washington Park; University _vs._ South Side, at Lincoln Park.
Nov. 2--Princeton-Yale _vs._ South Side, at Washington Park; Harvard _vs._ University, at Lincoln Park.
Nov. 9--Princeton-Yale _vs._ University, at Washington Park; Harvard _vs._ South Side, at Washington Park.
Nov. 16--University _vs._ South Side, at Washington Park; Princeton-Yale _vs._ Harvard, at Washington Park.
Nov. 23--Princeton-Yale _vs._ South Side, at Washington Park; Harvard _vs._ University at Washington Park.
The opening game of the Junior League of Boston proved a walk-over for Newton High, whose eleven defeated Roxbury High, 30-0. The Newton team has greatly improved since Brookline High forced it out of the Senior League, and will be able to give the Brooklinites a hard tussle should they meet again. The team-work, especially, in the Roxbury game was good. Every man knew his place, and played it for all he was worth, and the interference for the backs was excellent. Roxbury, on the other hand, put up a weak game, and their rush-line seemed incapable of shutting off the Newton backs. The Roxbury ends did the best work for the visitors.
THE GRADUATE.
LITTLE MARGARET. "Mamma, I jes b"lieve "twas Johnny "at broke my doll."
MAMMA. "Why, dear? What makes you think so?"
LITTLE MARGARET. ""Cause he said he _didn"t_ "thout my askin"."