[to be continued.]

The All-Connecticut Interscholastic Football Team for 1896 is as follows:

J. B. Porter, New Britain High-Schoolend.
P. F. McDonough, New Britain High-Schooltackle.
Paul Thompson, Hillhouse H.-S.guard.
E. W. Smith, Hartford H.-S.centre.
R. B. Hixon, Hotchkiss Schoolguard.
T. L. Montague, Hotchkiss Schooltackle.
Norman Gillette, Hartford H.-S.end.
F. R. Sturtevant, Hart. H.-S.quarter-back.
E. A. Strong, Hartford H.-S.half-back.
H. C. Lane, Meriden H.-S.half-back.
Peter O'Donnell, New Brit. H.-S.full-back.

The substitutes are: J. R. Smith, Norwich Free Academy, end; T. F. Flannery, New Britain H.-S., tackle; F. A. Wheeler, Bridgeport H.-S., guard; Ernest Towers, New Britain H.-S., centre; J. E. Meehan, New Britain H.-S., quarter-back; Godfrey Brinley, New Britain H.-S., half-back; J. D. Lucas, Norwich Free Academy, full-back.

NORMAN GILLETTE, End.

P. F. McDONOUGH, Tackle.

E. W. SMITH, Centre.

T. L. MONTAGUE, Tackle.

J. B. PORTER, End.

R. B. HIXON, Guard and Captain.

PAUL THOMPSON, Guard.

F. R. STURTEVANT, Quarter-back.

H. C. LANE, Half-back.

E. A. STRONG, Half-back.

PETER O'DONNELL, Full-back.

In selecting these players care has been taken to look over very carefully the work of the men on the weaker teams. The requirements of each man are "sand," experience, and physical endurance.

For centre, E. W. Smith, of Hartford, is undoubtedly the best man playing at that position among the schools of Connecticut. He plays a very fast game, is good at making holes, tackles well, and follows the ball every time. R. B. Hixon, of the Hotchkiss School, is beyond doubt the best guard of the schools. He has played every year since he has been in school. He understands the game thoroughly, and has a magnificent physique, which virtually makes him a "stone wall." Thompson of Hillhouse H.-S. is better than Wheeler of Bridgeport, because he is more strategic and quicker on his feet. He can get through the line very nearly every time, and gets in a great many tackles. He is also very good on the defence.

T. L. Montague, of Hotchkiss School, and P. F. McDonough, of New Britain, are easily chosen for tackles. Both run well with the ball, hold their man well, and are good in getting through and making tackles. Flannery of New Britain runs well with the ball and holds his man, but is not so good at tackling as either Montague or McDonough.

J. B. Porter, of New Britain, is beyond doubt the best among the ends. He is an almost sure tackler, and is down the field every time on a punt. Norman Gillette, of Hartford, has been chosen for the other end, because he breaks up interference well and gets hold of his man nearly every time. J. R. Smith is good, but too often lets his man go after making a tackle.

For quarter-back it is hard to choose between F. R. Sturtevant, of Hartford, and J. E. Meehan, of New Britain. Both play the game for all it is worth. In passing and tackling Sturtevant surpasses Meehan, but Meehan gets into the interference a great deal better than Sturtevant. On the whole, however, taking in the important points of strategy and command of men, Sturtevant may be ranked as the better player.

It is extremely difficult to pick out the half-backs. H. C. Lane, of Meriden, is one of the finest players that ever played in the League. He runs extremely hard and fast, and tackles superbly. The difficulty came in choosing the other half-back. For this position E. A. Strong, of Hartford, and Godfrey Brinley, of New Britain, are the best men. Brinley runs very fast around the end and displays a great deal of "sand," but he has always been assisted with first-class interference. Strong, on the other hand, has as much, if not more, "sand" as Brinley. He runs fast, and knows how to interfere with his hands, and if he had had such good interference as Brinley did, I think his runs would have been as long.

For full-back the choice lies between Peter O'Donnell, of New Britain, and J. D. Lucas, of Norwich. Lucas does not hit the line as hard as O'Donnell, but fully equals him in tackling and punting. O'Donnell has a better knowledge of the game.

For captain of this team R. B. Hixon, of Hotchkiss, should have the honor. The team he was captain of is one of the best teams playing football among the schools this year. He has plenty of experience, and a good control over his men.

The financial side of the Interscholastic football season in Connecticut seems to have been very successful this year, for the statement of receipts and expenditures as made out by the treasurer shows that there is $400 in the treasury. This does not include the total profit from all the games, as the managers of the Association hold back each year $100, for incidental expenses the next season.

The profits of this year—that is, the $400—are to be divided among the eight elevens that made up the membership of the Association, each school to receive $50. I have gone into this detail in order that I might introduce a rather startling quotation from the Meriden Journal. It is to be hoped that this paper does not represent the Connecticut idea of sportsmanship. At any rate, the Meriden Journal avers that the division of the spoils is not quite just. It argues that Meriden and New Britain, having played for the championship at New Haven, deserve to receive more money than the other teams of the League. It cannot understand why Suffield, who was only admitted to the Association this year, and forfeited its scheduled match against Norwich, should have the same amount of cash as any other team.

As a remedy for this state of affairs the Journal suggests that the two elevens which came together for the final championship contest divide fifty per cent. of the net receipts for the season, the elevens in the semi-finals thirty per cent., and the elevens which figured in the opening games only, twenty per cent. If this is not advocating the playing of football for money, and is not thus a direct propaganda of professionalism, I don't know what is. If the editor of the Meriden Journal believes that the schoolboys in his neighborhood are playing football for the prize-money to be divided at the end of the year I am sure he is very much mistaken in his men.

Nevertheless, any such statement as this, especially when given currency in the city of the team that stood second in the League, is exceedingly injurious not only to the reputation of that team and school but to the entire Connecticut Association. Many persons who read this, and who do not know that the Journal is discussing a subject in which its ignorance is made evident by what it says, will believe that interscholastic sport is being carried forward on a money basis.

Everybody knows, of course, that no enterprise, not even sport in the truest amateur spirit, can be carried on without the expenditure of some money. The railroads will not carry amateurs free of charge, nor will tailors furnish them with football suits for nothing. Therefore it is necessary that the Association have some revenue. This is usually obtained in one of two ways, either by subscriptions levied in the various schools or by charging admission-fees at the more important games. The latter is in many respects the better, because it distributes the taxation over a greater number of people.

If, however, at the end of the year it is found that the revenues are greater than the expenses, the treasurer of the Association should profit by this knowledge to do away with certain features of taxation the next year; for his endeavor should be to collect only just the amount of money that is needed to defray the legitimate expenses of the several football teams under his care.

The very fact of dividing up money at all savors of professionalism, but when you come to dispose of it in proportion to the success of the teams, the offence is made even worse. Any of these elevens in question that accepts a dividend makes itself liable to charges of professionalism, and a strict interpretation of the ethics of sport would find it guilty. It is to be hoped that the Connecticut Association will recognize this fact as soon as it is pointed out to them, and reconsider the proposition of sending $50 to each team. If the money were left in the treasury of the Association it would be a different affair entirely from dealing it out to the treasuries of the various schools that played in the League.

The simple fact that $100 is held by the Central Treasury for next year's expenses shows that the $400 is considered as a surplus or profit. Therefore any team that accepts such profit puts itself in a dangerous position, so far as its amateur standing is concerned. As I understand the case—and as it should be, if it is not—the treasurer of the Association defrays the expenses of the several teams upon requisition of the several managers. Therefore he alone should handle the moneys of the Association, and next year, when the expenses begin again, it is he who should provide what is necessary.

The $400 now standing to the account of the Connecticut Association should be devoted to the maintenance of that Association, and not to the benefit of the individuals who make up its membership. The fact that there is so much money on hand will make it very well possible for the games next year to be carried on without the charge of an admission-fee, or it will enable the managers to present this year a trophy of some kind to the winning team, or they might even go to the extravagance of presenting the eleven champions with some small souvenir, as is frequently done in the colleges, such as a gold football for a watch-charm.

The misunderstanding which has occurred in the New England Interscholastic Football League, and which was spoken of briefly in this Department last week, may be briefly stated as follows: The constitution of the Association as published in book form requires that fifteen days' notice of the eligibility of any player be given in writing to the secretary before the date of playing. At the beginning of the season the Boston Journal was voted the official organ of the Association, and on October 30 that paper published a part of the constitution, but omitted entirely any reference to the fifteen-day clause. The same article contained also the names of the various players for the schools, and was published on the first day of the games of the interscholastic series.

THE CAMBRIDGE MANUAL-TRAINING SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM.

The Cambridge Manual-Training School acknowledges the rule in the constitution which requires a fifteen-day notice, but pleads ignorance for not having complied with it in the case of one of its players, urging its belief that the fifteen-day clause had been stricken out, since it did not appear in the constitution as published by the Boston Journal, the official organ of the Association, on October 30. The donors of the cup for which the teams contest have the power to change the constitution as they wish. C.M.-T.S. thought that the donors had availed themselves of this privilege when they saw the constitution printed in the Journal without the fifteen-day clause.

The player whose name was not submitted to the committee is S. S. Merrill, who played end on the Worcester Academy team last season. This year he has been a member of the Burdett Business College of Boston, playing end on its football team until he changed to Cambridge Manual-Training School. He entered Cambridge Manual-Training School October 26, and his name was sent to the Executive Committee November 9. On November 13 Merrill played against Hopkinson's, and the game was protested by the latter school inside the allotted time for protests. In the games with Boston Latin and English High, on November 17 and November 20 respectively, Merrill also played, and while these games were protested by the two schools their claims were on different grounds than those of Hopkinson's. Boston Latin's protest related to Merrill not being a member of Cambridge Manual fifteen days before playing, which was not sustained according to statistical proof from the principal of Cambridge Manual. English High's protest was on a question of fact, and an article of the constitution settled that.

While the consequences have been serious to the Cambridge Manual-Training School, it appears that the sentiment of the entire Association was for some reason so strong against C.M.-T.S. that the officers of the Association could not allow that school to violate even one letter of the constitution. The committee accepts the statement that there was no malicious intent, and says in its decision that it feels that "Cambridge Manual has not intentionally broken the constitution, and has acted in perfect good faith."

This is an unfortunate complication, and one greatly to be deplored. Cambridge Manual seems to have suffered a penalty out of all proportion to the offence committed, and while it is just that the committee of the Interscholastic Association should enforce the constitution to the very letter, and while it seems that in the present case they have not in any way exceeded their duties, still I believe that, so long as Merrill was a bona fide student at the school, every sportsman will consider C.M.-T.S. the virtual, if not actually the pennant-holding, champion of the Senior League of the New England Interscholastic Football Association.

In especial relation to these recent occurrences, it is good news that a conference of interscholastic football authorities will be held in the latter part of next month. It is proposed at that time to go over the constitution carefully, and to add or eradicate such clauses as the conditions in Boston may seem to require.

The protest of Trinity School against De La Salle was withdrawn at the last meeting of the New York Interscholastic Association's executive committee, and the championship has been awarded to De La Salle Institute. This makes one more unpleasant incident that is put away into the past without being dragged out to an unpleasant length; and no matter what Trinity's position may have been in the case, her athletic managers have done well to drop their protest.

In addition to in-door track athletics this winter the Brooklyn schools will have a handball league, and the schedule of games has already been laid out as follows:

January 16—Pratt Institute vs. Brooklyn High, and Poly. Prep vs. Brooklyn Latin.
January 23—Pratt vs. Brooklyn Latin, and Adelphi vs. Poly. Prep.
January 30—Brooklyn High vs. Brooklyn Latin, and Pratt vs. Adelphi.
February 6—Brooklyn Latin vs. Adelphi, and Poly. Prep. vs. Pratt.
February 20—Brooklyn High vs. Pratt.
February 27—Poly. Prep. vs. Brooklyn High.

Brooklyn Latin School and Poly. Prep, will probably have the strongest teams, from present appearances, and as the game has been played by both these institutions for some seasons past, some exciting contests should result.

Unless unforeseen contingencies arise to prevent, the All-New York and the All-Chicago Interscholastic Football Teams will be announced in the next issue of this Department.