IV.
From Willie himself to his Mother.
Washingtonville, July 4.
Dear Ma,—I s'pose Sis and Aunt Lou and Pa have been writing you a lot of stuff about it all, but they get scared so easy. It wasn't anything. A lot of crackers and things went off in a box, but nobody wouldn't have paid any attention to it if I hadn't happened to be down in the box on my back. I got out all right. Pa helped a little. I thought he wasn't going to mind, but just because my clothes was smouldering, and maybe blazing a little in spots, he got excited, and called in 'bout a dozen doctors, and now they've got me bundled up with more'n twenty pillows. Aunt Lou encouraged him, and of course Sis cried, or I don't think he'd have had quite so many doctors.
Anyhow, Ma, it was a rip-snorting day, and I wish Washington and those fellows had made it a week instead of a day. I tied a string to my toe and hung it out of the window for the milkman to pull, but I guess the cat or something got at it, and woke me up 'bout two or three o'clock; so I staid up, just to make sure. While I was dressing I let off a cracker or two, or maybe three, on the wood-shed roof, and I guess Aunt Lou knew it some way, as I could hear her in her room talking in her sleep. You ought to have been here, Ma, and had some fun.
I gave the milkman one or two while he was looking for the string, and his horse got nervous, and I guess he had to chase him a little 'fore he caught the cart, and I heard the cans rattle a good deal; but folks oughtn't to complain at a little rattling on the Fourth of July. Pa called out of his room that I was a nuisance, so I went down stairs and sat on the back stoop. In a little while I heard Bridget walking about the kitchen on torpedoes. She said might the Saints preserve her, and I guess they did, 'cause after a while we had breakfast. After breakfast Sis's cat went under the barn. I guess business must be good under there, 'cause she hasn't been out since.
No use of my trying to tell you of everything that happened to-day. If Tommy Snyder hadn't pushed me I wouldn't have been down in the box when those things went off. A fire-cracker or two got into his jacket pocket somehow, and exploded there, and then he pushed me. He needn't have done so, either, 'cause it didn't make much noise in his pocket. Did you ever try putting a cracker in a fellow's pocket, Ma? The noise sounds kind of smothery. Pa didn't need to pull me out of that box, 'cause I was going to get out, anyhow.
A policeman went by our house three times to-day, and every time he stopped and looked at me, I wasn't doing anything either time. Oh, I 'most forgot to tell you! You know what a nigger-chaser is, Ma? Well, Harry Austin said they wouldn't. I said they would. He said it was just a name they had. I said, how did they get the name? We had just one left. You know Uncle Eben, who takes away our ashes? Well, he came along, going to a picnic. Ma, it did! I saw Uncle Eben talking to a policeman on the corner, and then the policeman came down and looked at us awhile. We wasn't doing anything. Did you know my waist burns better than my trousers? I think there must be better stuff in it. Pa put me out with a rug.
I can't write much more to-night, 'cause they've just boosted me into bed. I could have got in myself, but Pa seemed to want to lift. Don't pay any attention to what he writes, nor Aunt Lou, or Sis. They are all scart. I think Carlo will have to gargle his throat with something, he has barked so much. I never saw a cat stick under a barn like Sis's has. I think if I was a big striped cat I could do better than stay under a dark barn on such a day as this. Aunt Lou said she wished to goodness she was small enough to get under the barn too, so I pried out another stone, and told her she could get under now, but I guess she didn't—at least I didn't miss her. I guess she was glad she didn't, too, 'cause if she had she wouldn't have seen me burn. My straw hat staid in the box, and it mostly went. Good-night. I hear the milkman and Uncle Eben talking very serious with Pa out at the gate. Guess they must be discussing politics. I must close. Don't worry about me, 'cause I'm all out and getting 'most cool.
Your dutiful son, Willie.
The delegates to the National I.S.A.A.A.A. held a meeting in the evening after the championship games, and transacted much important business. One of the most prominent subjects of discussion was as to whether next year's games should be held in New York or in some other city. The New England delegation was strongly in favor of having the 1897 meeting in Boston or Worcester, but finally accepted the arguments of the better advised; and although they voted against New York on the first ballot, the New England delegates subsequently proposed that the decision to hold the games in this city be made unanimous.
Their principal argument in favor of having next year's meeting in some other city was that the sports would take on too local a color if always held in New York, and more of a national importance if held at the headquarters of the different interscholastic leagues in turn. The A.A.U. has tried this travelling championship business, and has found it unsuccessful. I believe that in the future the A.A.U. championships will be held in New York city, which will eventually become (even if in the minds of outside residents it is not already) the metropolis of sport as well as of commerce.
There is little doubt in the minds of impartial observers that New York is in every respect the best city for any large meeting, such as that of the National I.S.A.A.A.A. New York is easier of access to most of the leagues than is Boston or Trenton or Hartford or Worcester or Philadelphia. It would be out of the question, of course, to hold a National meet in Iowa; but if the championships were made a movable event there would be no just reason why Iowa should not have a chance to welcome the teams as well as Maine or New Jersey. But how many Eastern athletes would go to Cedar Rapids or Sioux City? Very few, I believe.
The reason for this is that Eastern athletes are not compelled to travel to Iowa in order to get up a representative championship meeting, because the majority of strong school teams are in the East. With the Iowans, on the other hand, or with any of the school sportsmen of the West, it is different. If they are the strongest team in their section of the country, and believe themselves stronger than any other scholastic team, they cannot prove this by challenging or inviting those who have shown themselves to be record-makers to come to them; they must seek out the Eastern athletes, and meet them on their own grounds.
Yale and Cornell have to go to Henley to row with English crews. They may feel that they are stronger than the Englishmen, but the Britishers are very well satisfied with their own rivers, and are content to race their own crews. They welcome the Americans, and are glad to contend against them; but they never would think of coming over here to race on the Hudson. We are as young in college sports, when compared with England, as the Iowa schools are young in interscholastic sport when compared with Eastern institutions. To win at Henley means much both for Englishmen and Americans. For an English crew to win at Poughkeepsie would mean little to the English public. There would scarcely be a paragraph about such a victory in the London dailies. In the same way there would scarcely be a paragraph in the New York papers if the National games were held in Cedar Rapids or Sioux City, because neither of these cities is of national fame or importance.
Therefore it is the wisest plan to hold the National games in the largest city of the land—in the city to which the dwellers of other cities are always glad to come; in the city which affords the best accommodations; in the city which can contribute the largest crowd (even if it does not do so at first); in the city which can offer the greatest entertainment; in the city where live the largest number of well-known sportsmen. No other city of the United States can boast of so great a number of amateur athletes as New York—men who have been famous when in college, and who now take a lively interest as officials in the welfare of sport. As one of these gentlemen said, on the day of the National games, when one of the Boston delegation asked his opinion about the location for next year's meet, "Crum is reported to have run the 100 yards, in 9-4/5 sec. in Iowa, but nobody believed it until he came to New York and won the event at the Inter-collegiate games."
There is a great deal of truth in the suggestion implied in this remark. If the National games were held out West somewhere, and all the interscholastic records were broken, few people would take much stock in the figures, because they would have but little confidence in the local officials. Not that these local officials might not be just as good as those of New York (although they probably could not be, for they are not able to have as much experience), but the general public interested in sport would not place full confidence in them, simply because those officials would be unknown to them.
In this discussion I have purposely made the comparison between New York and another city a comparison between New York and a Western city, because I think it makes the argument clearer and more forcible. Many of the objections to having the meet outside of New York would not hold for Boston or Philadelphia—because both of these are large centres, and to each of these cities New York officials of national importance and reputation could easily be induced to go. But, as I said at the start, it would not be fair to the other leagues in the National Association to hold the meetings alternately at the homes of two or three of its favored members. It would not be fair to Iowa and to Maine to hold the meet alternately at Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. Unless the event is held always in the same place there is no reason why each league should not have a chance to see the games on their own grounds, but, as I have said before, very few Eastern athletes could be persuaded to travel as far as the Iowans did to come here. Another reason, although a minor one, why it is well to hold the meetings each year not only in the same city but on the same grounds, is that the comparison between records made is then an absolute one, the only error in the equation being one of weather or temperature.
The question of grounds is an important one, and one that should be discussed very carefully before any decision is arrived at concerning next year's meeting. There are two important factors to be considered. The first is that the grounds, considered merely as a track and a field, should be of the best available—that is, the cinder path should be well laid, should be firm and springy, and the turf of the infield should be "old" and well rolled. The second point to be considered is the convenience of access, the accommodations for spectators, the relation of the grand stand to the track, the general picturesqueness of the surroundings, and other minor conveniences. I am not at all certain that the Columbia Oval comes up to all these requirements—it certainly does not come up to some of the latter. There may be some points, however, in which the Columbia Oval excels other available ground for interscholastic meetings, and although I should not care to declare myself of that opinion at present, I think it would be well to discuss the question at greater length before coming to an absolute or final decision.
There are a number of other subjects concerning the National Association which need to be talked over—the choice of officials, for instance, the inclination of certain delegates to introduce politics into the affairs of the association, and the problem as to whether it is better to have the games in the future managed by a club, or by the schoolboys themselves. But, unfortunately, there is not space in the Department this week to go as thoroughly into the questions as the importance deserves. We must therefore leave them to another time.
An excellent step taken by the committee was the fixing of a date for all future meetings to be on the first Saturday in June. Next year, therefore, the meeting of the I.S.A.A.A.A. will be held on June 6. This will be much better than having it as late as was necessary this year, and because of the early date the attendance both of contestants and spectators will doubtless be very much larger.
The officers elected for the ensuing year were C. B. Cotting, of the New England League, president; Hugh Jackson, of the Iowa League, vice-president; J. D. Tilford, of the New York Association, secretary; George Smith, of the New Jersey Association, treasurer. The executive committee will consist of President Cotting, ex officio, C. F. Luce, of the Connecticut Association, F. Hewins, of the Maine Association, L. F. Herrick, of the Long Island Association, H. N. Dunbar, of the New England Association, and J. D. Tilford, the secretary.
Another important step taken by the delegates at this meeting was the formation of an alliance with the Amateur Athletic Union. The advantages to be derived by both associations may be gathered from the following clauses taken from the body of the Articles of Alliance:
At all meetings of the Amateur Athletic Union the National Interscholastic A.A.A.A. shall be entitled to representation by not more than four delegates, or duly elected alternates of such delegates, having collectively one vote.
From among these delegates one shall be chosen to become a member of the Board of Governors of the A.A.U., who shall have voice, vote, and privilege equal to the other members of said Board upon all matters coming before it.
All games open only to members of the N.I.S.A.A.A.A. shall be held under N.I.S.A.A.A.A. Rules; but games open to all amateurs shall be held under rules of the A.A.U.
Each party to this Alliance shall respect and enforce all penalties of suspension and disqualification inflicted by the other party.
These Articles of Alliance shall be terminated by either party upon thirty days' notice to the other.
On account of Hartford's having taken a greater number of points at the games than any other individual school, the Connecticut delegates wished to have H.P.H.-S. pronounced the "Champion School" of the United States or of the Association. While at first thought this claim may seem to have some justification, I am of the opinion that a little sober reflection will show the injustice of allowing any school to assume any such title. Hartford deserves the greatest credit for scoring the highest number of points at the National games, and this Department has given such credit by printing a list of points scored by schools.
But because Hartford scored 18 points to Barnard's 14, to English High's 12, or to Andover's 11, is no proof—barely an indication—that Hartford could defeat any one of these schools in a dual contest. Therefore Hartford cannot justly claim any school championship. That she scored more points than any other single team was due to the fact that in events where Hartford was weak the weakest schools were stronger than those ranking next on the score to Hartford. (I hope that sentence is not too complicated to make my meaning clear.)
The fact of the matter is that the contest at Columbia Oval was among teams from leagues, not among teams from schools, and therefore the question of school supremacy cannot enter into the discussion. Hartford deserves praise for being able so strongly to represent her league, but she has no just or valid claim to the title of "champion school." The only way such a title can be secured is to have dual meets with all other schools in her (athletic) class—and there are but ten or a dozen—and if she can defeat them all, then she may rightfully call herself champion.
Taylor. Stillman. Farr. Collins. Khime. Hirsch. Doerflinger. Rogers.
Wieland. Atkins. Fox (Capt.). Schwendener. Steinel.
MILWAUKEE EAST SIDE HIGH-SCHOOL ATHLETIC TEAM.
Champions of the Wisconsin I.S.A.A.
The baseball season in almost all of the Eastern interscholastic leagues has been more or less overshadowed, as was the case last year, by the almost universal interest in track athletics. Nevertheless, there has been some good ball-playing on the many diamonds, and a glance over the averages shows that some excellent work has been done. Owing to our limited space in this Department, it is impossible to give a full review of the work performed by all the baseball associations, or even by the more prominent ones, but the results of the contests are important, and should go down to make the record complete.
The scores of games played, with the standing of the teams at the close of the season, follow:
GAMES PLAYED.
| Brookline, 9, Somerville, 6. |
| Brookline, 15, Hopkinson, 9. |
| Cambridge, 13, Somerville, 12. |
| Cambridge, 13, Roxbury, 6. |
| Hopkinson, 17, Boston Latin, 10. |
| Brookline, 14, Roxbury, 1. |
| Brookline, 8, Boston Latin, 7. |
| English High, 19, Roxbury, 18. |
| Somerville, 3, Hopkinson, 2. |
| Brookline, 8, Cambridge, 6. |
| Somerville, 10, Boston Latin, 6. |
| Roxbury, 12, Boston Latin, 7. |
| Brookline, 6, English High, 0. |
| Hopkinson, 7, Roxbury Latin, 6. |
| Cambridge, 17, Boston Latin, 12. |
| Cambridge, 10, Hopkinson, 9. |
| Somerville, 6, English High, 5. |
| English High, 6, Boston Latin, 1. |
STANDING.
| Won. | Lost. | |
| Brookline High | 6 | 0 |
| Cambridge High and Latin | 4 | 1 |
| Somerville High | 3 | 2 |
| English High | 2 | 2 |
| Hopkinson | 2 | 3 |
| Roxbury Latin | 1 | 4 |
| Boston Latin | 0 | 6 |
There were seven nines in the league, representing the largest schools of Boston and the immediate neighborhood. The championship was taken by the Brookline High-School team, which won every game played. Brookline was a new-comer in the association this year, and was a favorite from the start, it being conceded, even before B.H.-S. was admitted, that her team would take the championship. The nine played a strong game from start to finish, the best individual work being done by Seaver, in left field, Lewis, at first base, Hutchins, behind the bat (who played through the season without an error), and Kernon and Aechtler, who played right field and second base, respectively. The total errors for the season made by B.H.-S. were 30.
Brookline High showed so early in the season that her team was certain of first honors that several of the other nines seemed to lose interest in the contest, and, as a result, a number of games were left unplayed. Hopkinson's, for instance, held an excellent chance to take second place, but the players seemed to lose their nerve. Almost all will be back next year, however, and the team should make a better showing. Better work had been expected of C. H. and L., Somerville, and E.H.-S. than they developed. None of these teams played all the games they were scheduled for. Somerville, however, can boast the only player who made a home run in the whole season—McRae. Roxbury Latin's nine was unusually weak.
Flavel. Schwartz.
Pearson. Schoenhut. White. McCarty (Capt.). Underwood.
Horst. Cartwright. Sharp. Hamilton. Newhall.
THE GERMANTOWN ACADEMY BASEBALL NINE.
Champions of the Philadelphia Inter-Academic B.B. League.
The Championship of the Inter-Academic League of Philadelphia went to Germantown Academy. This school has finished first eight times in the nine seasons of the league's existence, losing in 1891 only, when the pennant went to the Cheltenham Military Academy.
In the Interscholastic League of Philadelphia the Championship went to the Central High-School, with Roman Catholic H.-S., Central Manual-Training School, and Northeast Manual-Training School following in the order named.
The Maine Interscholastic Tennis Tournament resulted in a victory for Dana of Portland, who defeated his schoolmate, Pendleton, in the final round. These two men then formed a partnership in the doubles, and came out the victors. It is uncertain if Dana will go to Newport in August.
The Graduate.
YOUNG MOTHERS
should early learn the necessity of keeping on hand a supply of Gail Borden Eagle Brand Condensed Milk for nursing babies as well as for general cooking. It has stood the test for 30 years, and its value is recognized.—[Adv.]