THE BELGIUM ARMY PLAYING AT WAR.
BY V. GRIBAYÉDOFF.
The hardships of militarism are, perhaps, nowhere more apparent on the other side of the water than in the little kingdom of Belgium. She lies between France and Germany—we might say between the bark and the tree—and should war break out between these two great powers, there is little doubt that her neutrality would be violated by one or both of them, and the war carried on within her borders. Such, at all events, has been the argument of the advocates of military expenditure; and that the Belgian Parliament has not turned a deaf ear to it is clear from the enormous credits voted of late years for the construction of a line of forts along the River Meuse, between Liege, the great manufacturing centre, and the fortress of Namur; also for the general strengthening of the defensive forces of the kingdom.
Here, then, is a nation of little over six million inhabitants, occupying an area about half the size of New York State, of themselves industrious and peaceable, yet obliged to contribute millions and millions yearly for the support of an army which, including the militia, exceeds two hundred thousand men. What would the tax-payers of New York, with its population of nearly six millions and its militia of twelve thousand men, say to a proposition to put them on the same military footing with Belgium?
Inconceivable as the proposition would appear to us, the Belgians are thoroughly resigned to their fate, and since the young Fleming or Walloon who draws his number knows that he must serve his time, willy nilly, he does it like a man, and even puts on an appearance of satisfaction, for it is considered bad form to betray one's disappointment. Fifty thousand young men are annually called, and of these twelve thousand are selected by the drawing. Their term of service is eight years, four under arms, and four in the reserve.
BELGIAN CAVALRY.
I have heard competent military men, familiar with the methods employed in the Belgian army, express the opinion that, for its size, it is one of the most perfect fighting-machines in Europe. I must say that my own experience during the regular summer manœuvres this year in the province of Namur was such as to incline me to share that belief. To begin with, the men are of excellent physique, far larger in stature than the French, though perhaps a trifle below the North German standard. A Belgian regiment contains about an equal proportion of blond and dark haired men, and it is a safe plan to class the former as inhabitants of the Flemish provinces—that is, Flanders, Antwerp, Limbourg, and North Brabant—and the latter as coming from the Walloon section—viz., Hainault, South Brabant, Liege, Namur, and Luxembourg. The Flemings are of Germanic extraction, and speak a language akin to Dutch; the Walloons are an energetic Celtic race, with a proud military history behind them. The two elements, leavening each other, form a compact yet pliable mass, the best of material in the hands of a good commander. French is the official military language; but the regulations and orders are also printed in Flemish, which has a recognized legal standing in the country.
"GUIDES" GETTING DINNER IN THE FIELD.
The most picturesque body of troops in the Belgian army are the dragoons, or "Guides." One of the accompanying photographs shows a party engaged in preparing a meal in an open field. The men in the foreground are wearing the forage-cap, but when on active duty they don the imposing bear-skin busby seen on one or two of the figures in the rear. They are the favorites of King Leopold, himself an ardent military man, and the barrack of the 1st Regiment near Brussels is a marvel of good accommodation and comfort. The "Guides" are picked men, the majority Walloons. I have seen a squadron of them charge furiously across a plain bestrewn with ponderous logs without a break in their line. Their horsemanship is above praise. Besides its two regiments of "Guides," the Belgian army has two regiments of chasseurs, or light cavalry, and four of lancers—all with very showy uniforms. The predominating colors of the cavalry are blue-gray, light blue, pink, dark green, orange, etc. They use the same uniform for campaigning as for state occasions; nevertheless, I did not see a really shabby-looking soldier during my stay in Belgium.
AN INCIDENT OF INFANTRY DRILL.
The infantry is, of course, the mainstay of the army. It is also its hardest-worked branch. The photograph showing a detachment of foot-soldiers up to their waists in water will certainly not suggest a scene at Peekskill or any other American practice-ground. It is a scene I witnessed many a time, however, in Belgium. Nor must it be imagined that the "trick is done" when the soldiers have reached the opposite shore. Weighted down with pounds of baggage—knapsacks, ammunition-pouches, weapons, and clothing—and sopping to the skin, the poor fellows often have hours of mountain-climbing to undergo before the welcome bugle-blast brings them a few hours' respite. This is warfare indeed—all but the actual killing.
The method of preparing meals is shown in the "Guides" photograph. This digging a shallow trench in the ground, making a fire of stray branches, and setting the pot on to boil would hardly impress one as being conducive of happy results, to the digestive organs. And yet I myself had the interesting experience not only of watching the preparation, of a ragout under these peculiar circumstances—that is, in the open field after a hard day's march—but also of sampling the result. How, under such adverse conditions, the regimental cooks ever managed to produce as delicious a stew as was offered me on this occasion is a mystery I have never been able to solve: the meat, the potatoes, and some gravy stock in a bottle the men carried with them in a cart. For the rest—carrots, turnips, and the "fines herbes" that constitute seasoning—they had to scour the neighborhood. Having secured these concomitants, the work of cooking seemed to them child's play.
THE TRENCH DUG IN THIRTEEN MINUTES.
I doubt if even the French soldiers live as well as do Belgium's hardy defenders. In fact, I know they do not. The Belgium soldier's pay is very high, judged by the European Continental standard—about six dollars a month—and the government allows him liberal rations of bread and meat besides. And with what care are his interests watched by his superiors! I learned, for instance, that the officers in charge of the regimental mess of the 3d Infantry, in Ghent, had succeeded not only in providing for each soldier's comfort on 18 centimes (less than four cents) per day, but that out of this sum money was left over for extra beer and various entertainments, and at the end of a year almost 12,000 francs of savings were deposited in the bank for mutual benefit! This is good management indeed. Some of the hardest work in connection with modern field manœuvres is entailed in the necessity of constantly throwing up intrenchments, and two of the photographs show the fighting under these conditions. The modern infantryman must be an adept with the pick and the spade, otherwise he is entirely at the mercy of the modern repeating-rifle. The Belgians understand that their future war will be a defensive one against an unscrupulous invader, and the throwing up of intrenchments at short notice will constitute an important factor in their scheme of defence. Not many years ago infantry, when assailed in the open without cover would at the best lay themselves flat on their stomachs to escape the rain of shot. Nowadays the European foot-soldier also performs the duties of sapper and miner, and while on the defensive makes cover for himself by the use of pick and spade. I timed a company of Belgian infantry at this operation in a large meadow bordering a wood whence the mock enemy was emerging. The retreat of the former was cut off by a broad impassable stream, so there was nothing for it but to make a stand. At the word of command those of the men who carried the combination pick and spade, about fifty in number, commenced digging a trench. Thirteen minutes later the job was completed, and the entire force was well under cover, and began firing its volleys at the approaching foe. The trench was almost one hundred feet long, of an average width of three feet, and of about the same depth. The earth thrown up formed an épaulement of two and one-half feet, allowing each man to stand almost erect and to take careful aim. The whole operation, in addition to its rapidity, was carried through with remarkable order and coolness. The men seemed to understand their task thoroughly, and performed it without the slightest trace of confusion. If their aim is as good as their field-work, they must be formidable foes indeed!
CARRYING A PONTOON.
FIELD TELEPHONE AND SIGNAL APPARATUS.
The pontoon and the field telegraph and signal services are the objects of great attention on the part of the Belgian military authorities, and I have added photographs illustrating all these branches. The country south of the Liege-Namur line, where the Germans are expected to appear some day, is intersected with more or less impassable rivers, which will often need bridging in short order. The pontoon service is consequently of the first importance among the various factors in the country's defence.
BELGIAN GENDARMES.
The best picture—artistically speaking—represents a group of Belgian gendarmes around a camp-fire. It is a masterpiece of artistic photography. The gendarmes are also a very important branch of the service, and their duties are most onerous, since they are not only called upon to police the rural districts, suppress strikes, and make themselves generally useful as servants of the law, but in war-time they form part and parcel of the regular army, and are obliged to fight their country's battles like the rest.
[HOW TO EXTRA-ILLUSTRATE A BOOK.]
BY WILLIAM HALE.
Every one knows how much more interesting is an illustrated book than one without pictures. What a satisfaction it would be to us if we could illustrate our favorite books ourselves! What pleasure we would take in it! This is entirely possible. It is a comparatively easy matter to illustrate a book, or, in the case of a book that already contains pictures, to extend and increase the illustration by means of old prints, engravings, and pictures gathered from various sources and bound in with the leaves of the book. This is called "extra-illustrating," and has long been a favorite amusement of collectors.
A book that is carefully and judiciously extra-illustrated is not only much more attractive in appearance, but its value is greatly increased, and the amount of pleasure and instruction to be gained by the extra illustration of one book is a rich reward for the trouble and time it costs.
The first thing to be done in the extra illustration of a book which has been selected for the purpose is the collection of the pictures. This will often take some time, and should never be done in a hurry. Old magazines and illustrated papers will supply many of the necessary pictures, while old books and the shops devoted to the sale of old prints and engravings will furnish others.
Suppose The Three Musketeers to be the book chosen. A portrait of the author should be selected for a frontispiece. Other portraits, representing the author at different ages, may be used in the book; but the one that serves as the frontispiece should be one made about the time he wrote the book.
The other illustrations should consist of pictures referring as nearly as possible to the scenes and incidents described in the story. Pictures of an author's home or portraits of members of his family are always useful; but no picture, however interesting in itself, should be included if it does not bear directly upon the scenes in the book or is not in some way connected with the author.
When a sufficient number of illustrations have been selected, they should be mounted ready for binding. This is the difficult part, and must be done with great care.
Take a sheet of strong paper, as nearly as possible the same color and weight as the paper upon which the book is printed, and cut it the exact size of the page of the book. Then trim your print close to the work, being careful to see that the edges are perfectly straight. Cut out from your sheet of paper a hole exactly the shape of the print, but an eighth of an inch smaller on all sides. This opening should not be exactly in the middle of the page, but a little above the middle and a little to the left, so as to give wider margins at the bottom and on the right. Now gum or paste the edges of the print on the under side with great care, and place it over the opening so that it is even on all sides. As there is a difference of only a sixteenth of an inch on the four sides, it is a delicate matter to place the print on the mount accurately, but after a little practice it can be done quite easily and quickly.
After the prints are mounted, they should be pressed until dry. Then the cover of the book should be carefully removed with the aid of a sharp knife. Never mind about ruining the blank pages or fly-leaves, they will be replaced by the binder when he puts the cover on again; but care should be taken to avoid cutting or tearing any of the printed pages. When the cover is removed, it will be found that the book is put together in sections laid one on top of another. These sections consist of sixteen or some other number of pages each, and a section is known in a printing-office as a "signature." The threads that sew the book should be cut, and the signatures should be carefully separated from each other.
Then the mounted prints should be laid in as neatly as possible opposite the incidents they illustrate. The prints should always be inserted face up, and the sidewise full pages with the bottom of the picture toward either the outside or inside margin of the book. Now your book is ready for the binder. Perhaps your extra-illustration has been so extensive as to increase the bulk of the book so much that the original cover will not go on again, and perhaps enough has been added to make the one volume into two, in which case your binder can supply you with simple covers at a very slight expense.
Books of travel, or stories of hunting, fishing, etc., may be beautifully illustrated by photographs. Unmounted prints are to be desired, although it is possible to take prints off mounts by a liberal soaking in warm water. The soft-finished photographs, such as bromide and platinum-prints, are vastly better than the shiny albumen prints.
Photographs should be mounted in the same way as other prints, except that no openings are to be made in the mounts. The prints should be pasted on flat and pressed until dry. Albumen prints have a tendency to curl up, and it will require a pretty stiff paper to keep them flat. This is one of the reasons why platinum or bromide prints are so much better. When albumen prints are used they must be mounted wet, and should afterward be burnished, which can be done by any professional photographer. An amateur photographer can have the fun in many cases of making the pictures himself for the book he wants to extra-illustrate, and the finished work will have an added interest and value to him.
The use of photographs, especially if many are included, will greatly increase the thickness of a book, and it will generally be found advisable to have the binder make it into two volumes of equal size.
[THE IMAGINARY BOAT.]
Oh, I've got a beautiful 'maginary boat!
'Tis the finest boat there is.
There isn't a place where the craft won't float,
And go with a lively whiz.
I can shut my eyes
And sail in the skies
On board of that 'maginary ship;
And without any ropes,
With nothing but hopes,
I can soar to the mountain's tip.
I can sail to the moon
Any afternoon,
I can cruise all about the stars,
I can sail any sea
That ever did be,
I can sail on tracks like the cars.
It'll go on land
With a speed that's grand;
It will sail up a cataract steep;
And there isn't a place
On the whole earth's face
I can't make that vessel creep.
It takes no steam for to make it go,
It takes no wind on its sails to blow,
It takes no mule with a rope to tow,
But goes like a breeze
Over land and seas
When I say so—
And it's big and strong,
And it's short or long,
According as 't needs to be:
And it's manned by a crew
That's 'maginary too,
Who all think the world of me.
And night or day
It's ready for play,
And it's safe as a boat can be,
For it's all in your mind
That its joys you find—
And that's not a very deep sea.
So I say to you all get a 'maginary boat;
'Tis the finest boat there is;
And there isn't a place where the craft won't float,
And go with a lively whiz.
Gaston V. Drake.
[CAMPING AND HUNTING.]
There is no reason why a boy of fifteen or sixteen should not spend his two weeks in a camp hunting during September as well as his father or uncle. The only requirements are a wholesome respect and care for the gun, and the presence of some older man as a guide to keep him in the right track. The Round Table has spoken often of late years concerning the care and uses of a gun, and it is useless to go into the particulars of this again. It is enough to say here that a gun must be kept clean, always oiled and wiped each night, and never loaded except when game is momentarily expected to appear; and, above all, no gun, nor any part of a gun, should be pointed at any one.
The first question of moment in camping is the object. If it is hunting, then the particular game is to be considered, and places sought where that game is to be found. If it is fishing, then the best available fishing-grounds must be the site of the camp. The site of a camp should be on comparatively high ground, on some knoll where water will drain away on all sides. This avoids the danger of having water run down into the tent. One of the best of sites is the edge of a bluff, over the sea or a lake, which in the main slopes back inland on its other three sides. Such places can always be found if time is spent in searching sufficiently far for them.
With the certainty that rain will drain away from the tent-floor and that any breezes which may be going will blow across the tent itself, from whatever direction they may come, the actual flooring of the tent-house is settled. This knoll, however, must not be far from a spring. Here again time is the only thing that is necessary, for there is seldom a bluff near salt or fresh water that there is not a spring in one of the surrounding valleys less than 100 yards away. Of course the nearer the spring is the better, provided the tent site is not in or near a swamp. In the northeastern quarter of the United States—that is, from Ohio north and east—the tent should face southwest and northeast. It should not be too much covered by trees, and though not absolutely in the sun, the west exposure ought really to be open to all airs. If possible, the shore on which the tent site is should be an easterly or northeasterly one, so that as you stand on the bluff and look out on the river, bay, or lake you look in a southerly or westerly direction. By selecting such a shore, you will have your prevailing summer wind coming into the tent across whatever water is near, and hence so much the cooler. As some business man once said that "goods well bought were half sold," so a camping party with a site well selected is practically sure to be a success. Water is at hand and likely to be good, the wind is cool when it blows, and the ground is sure to be dry except immediately after a rain, when any spot would be wet. There will be shade under trees near by, though the tent itself will be in the sun a good deal of the day to keep it perfectly dry. This last is quite necessary, because, though a tent pitched in a hot plain is perhaps the hottest habitation on earth, the question of dryness is more important; and all tents on such situations as have been described will be cool at night if the directions regarding the care of the tent which are given below are followed.
The best tent, because the coolest, roomiest, and easiest to make and set up, is the ridge-pole tent. It consists of a ten-foot horizontal pole lying about seven feet from the ground on two uprights. Over this is stretched a piece of duck ten feet wide and about twenty feet long. Along the two ten-foot ends of this canvas are fastened cords about two feet from the end, something after the fashion of reefing-points on a boat's sail; and these cords, being perhaps three feet in length, are attached to tent pegs driven in sufficiently far out on each side to draw the canvas taut over the horizontal or "ridge" pole. The result is a peaked roof of canvas seven feet high at the centre and three feet high where the "walls" begin, and then two three-foot perpendicular walls. The ends of the tent are of course still open, and in all warm weather they will remain so. But to keep out rain and cold winds four flaps should be made, to hang at the front and back and on each side of the perpendicular supports to the ridge-pole. They should be somewhat larger than the space they are to cover, in order that they may lap sufficiently to close the opening completely. All during the day, if the weather permits, these "flaps" should be turned back on the roof of the tent, and the three feet of perpendicular canvas wall on either side should be turned up on the roof also. In this way every whiff of air will blow through and under the tent all day. At night the sides and ends may be left open or not, as the temperature and weather suggest. In this way a healthy and inexpensive camping-house can be set up on the most approved sanitary principles. If you are particularly aristocratic you can lay down three pieces of three-inch joist across the tent floor and place a plank flooring over them. But the cool summer or fall ground is quite good enough for the average sportsman. To avoid heat a second cover of canvas can be stretched over the tent, as shown in the illustration.
AN INEXPENSIVE AND SUITABLE CAMP.
Having secured a high knoll, spring-water, and a tent to live in, the next question is food. Here again a great deal depends on whether the sportsman is out for big game, small game, or fish. Big game means camping in the West far from any habitations; small game may mean near to town or miles away; fishing is usually near civilization. Where it is possible, therefore, milk, fruit, vegetables, and even meat—such as chickens—should be bought from the nearest farmer, who usually will sell you what you want, or rather what he has, and what it will be well for you to be satisfied with, if you pay him cash on receipt of goods. If the camp site is ten or more miles from a house, then can goods and what game you secure must fill the bill of fare, with a possible journey to civilization once a week. The cooking is simple if a definite plan is followed. It may spoil the whole camping trip if it is not run on a methodical plan. At least fifty feet from the tent, and usually down in some near-by hollow, a "lean-to" should be constructed—that is, a slanting roof some six feet in height, and made of entwined branches. This may and should be curved, or made on three sides of a square, leaving a small space for an ordinary small one-cover laundry stove, or, in fact, any kind of a stove, which you can scrape up in the town or houses nearest your camp site. This primitive lean-to will keep off the wind from the stove, and you can cook there all that a camp of five or six boys want or should have. So much for the camp. There are more extensive outfits, of course, better ones in every way, but here is one that will cost little, except in time and care in selecting a site, and any boys, no matter how limited their pocket-books, can have such a camp if they have the time to give to camping at all.
A GOOD CAMP LOCATION.
The costume of such campers may be anything they see fit to wear. Usually knickers with stout shoes and a cheviot shirt is the best thing. Extra shoes and trousers must be carried along, because one is always getting wet if water is near, and wet shoes and clothes are not healthy. The best way to sleep in such a tent is to put on a thick suit of pajamas or some regular camp sleeping outfit, and then to roll yourself up in a blanket, and lie either on the ground or on a bed of bows, which is easily made. Rolling one's self up in a blanket is a science by itself, and an old-timer will give as much care to his "rolling-up" process each night as a mother will to tucking a baby in its crib on a cold night. In the first place, one end of the blanket is laid on the bows. Then the camper lays himself out on that end. He then draws the longer end of the robe over him as he lies on his back. This leaves nearly half the blanket still unused. He then turns on his side, so as to make the spare portion fall down behind his back, and by rolling completely over on his stomach, carrying the part of the blanket already under him with him, he will finally get to the other end of the robe, and by then rolling back again he will find himself wrapped up like a mummy, and in a condition to keep out dampness and cold far better than if he lay on a bed.
We have only a short space for a word as to the life in camp. And perhaps this is the most important part of the outfit. If you want to have a good time, keep yourself busy. Run down and take a plunge in lake, river, or sea the first thing after rising; then eat as soon as possible. After this, clean up camp. Give each man his work about the knoll for the day, and then start in at once to fish or shoot or what not. Never sit around and read or doze. Once a week, on Sunday, is quite enough for that sort of thing. All should assemble to dinner at one, and then the afternoon should be busy too. A hearty supper and an early bed are two good things to end the day with.
[The following paper on the Science of Football, by Mr. W. H. Lewis of the Harvard Football Team of 1893, is the fourth and last of the series begun in this Department in the issue of September 8.]
When speaking of defensive play in football, the general understanding is that the side not having the ball is on the defensive, but in reality a team is on the defensive so long as it is in its own territory, whether it has the ball or not. In the present paper, however, the term "defence" will be used in the ordinary sense—that is, of the side not having the ball. The importance of a systematic and scientific defence is emphasized by the fact that it is just half of the game.
Defence to the start-off.—The defensive to the opening play is a comparatively simple thing. The side on the defence should arrange itself so as to cover pretty effectively its whole territory. The placing of the men will depend largely upon the characteristics or qualities of the individuals. They should be so arranged that an interference could be quickly formed for a run, or a return made from any part of the field, no matter where the ball might be kicked. The present code of playing-rules requires that the ball be kicked at least ten yards into the opponent's territory; but as an attempt is seldom made to kick only that distance and no further, the three centre men are placed on the 40-yard line to look out for a short kick along the ground, and be ready to drop on it. If the ball pass them, they should block the nearest man, who will always be the fastest and most dangerous. The quarter-back is placed on the 30-yard line to look out for a short kick, and to look out for the middle of the field. The ends are placed between the 25-yard and 30-yard lines, well out near touch. They are there to prevent any kick in their vicinity from going into touch. The tackles are placed on the 20-yard line to lead the interference in case of a return run. The right and left halves are on the 10-yard line, and ought to cover all the ground between them and the tackles. Lastly, on the 5-yard line is the full-back. The backs should exercise good judgment, and allow every ball that will go into touch to go there. If the ball comes anywhere near the goal-line, the full-back should allow it to go over, so that it can be brought out to the 25-yard line. As a rule, the man who gets the ball should run with it. If one of the three backs gets it, the two tackles and the other two backs should form the primary interference, and the other players should get around the runner as quickly as possible. In the majority of cases it in best to return the start-off by a punt. Possession of the ball is of little advantage when it is in your own territory.
FIG. 1.
Defence to a scrimmage or down.—A given territory to defend and a certain number of men to do it with is the problem of the defence. Whenever the two opposing elevens are lined up on the field, there is theoretically a line of 160 feet through any part of which the eleven on the offensive may advance. The shorter the territory is made through which an advance is possible, the better that territory may be protected by the eleven men. The natural tendency of the rush-line the moment a play starts from the opposing line is to pull open, because of the effort of the men to break through on the outside of their opponents, as in Fig. 1. The solid rings represent the line before breaking through, and the dotted rings the line after breaking through.
The effect of this is to make holes for the other side, enlarge the territory to be defended, and thus weaken the line. Hence the secret or principle underlying a scientific defence is one that closes the line up the moment a play starts from behind the opposing line, thus shortening the territory and better enabling the eleven to protect it.
FIG. 2.
The prevailing notion about end-rush play is that the duty of that player is simply to turn the runner in, and to look out for the outside, as a result of which the end will often retreat to the side-line and leave an immense amount of territory to be covered by tackle, guard, and rush-line back. The end should take direction B D (Fig. 2), instead of B A on the dotted lines. He should go in on as sharp an angle and as quickly as possible, the aim being to reach the runner before the interference is formed, and to turn him in towards the centre or force him to run back towards his own goal in order to get around to the outside. The end should be careful to keep a little to the outside. He will always be able to take this direction, since his opponent seldom or ever plays in front of him. The territory to be covered when the end plays in that way will be from C to D instead of from A to D. The end, of course, is primarily responsible for the outside, and secondarily for the inside. The same is true of the guard. The centre is primarily responsible for both sides of the line. The primary and secondary defence of the different holes or parts of territory may seem somewhat puzzling at first, but it is absolutely necessary to secure consistency or firmness in the rush-line, as the strength and power of resistance of the rush-line depend upon the unity of the parts.
The tackles and guards should go through on as small an arc of the circle as possible in order not to pull the line open. The centre should hold his ground until he sees that his position is not attacked, and then take the nearest hole to the runner. The rush-line half should stand just outside of the tackle. The half should go through between end and tackle, as a rule following close upon the end. The ground between end and tackle is the most dangerous. The half should be in a position to help both end and tackle. If the runner turns inside of end the half-back should be there to pick him up if he goes outside.
FIG. 3.
The quarter-back should hover around behind the centre rush and help him in looking after the centre holes, at the same time keeping a sharp lookout upon the guard and tackle holes. He should play more of a safety game. At the same time, if he sees a good opportunity to go through he should do so. The quarter, however, should never undertake to play between guard and centre. How much of a free lance the quarter may be will depend largely upon the strength of the centre. The full-back stands the usual distance back, and should advance toward the rush-line with every play. The position of the players after getting through should be something like the dotted rings in Fig. 3. To secure this position, the men in the forward-line must break through sharply and cleanly, not occasionally, but every time.
When the opposing side is going to kick from some point between the two 35-yard lines, it is a good rule to have the ends drop back and out about five yards. That enables them, in case of a false kick, to get back to stop an end run, or, in case it is a bona fide kick, to get back so as to protect the backs while catching the ball. When the opposing team kicks inside its own 35-yard line, the ends should break through with the other forwards to help stop the kick.
The University of Pennsylvania has a unique and singular style of defence used by no other eleven, so far as the writer knows. Its point of difference from that of other teams lies in the play of the tackle and the rush-line half-back. When the ball starts, the half-back takes the tackle and literally hurls him through the line on the inside of his man, while the half and the end take the outside. This scheme seems to work pretty well, the tackle almost invariably gets through, and if the play has not advanced beyond centre, he is in a good position to stop it. The hole between the guard and tackle being well protected by the tackle going through it every time, the guards face in toward the centre, and so protect the centre holes fairly well. The line from tackle to tackle is very strong in this defence.
Princeton's defence is marked by the constant playing of half-back between the tackles and guard. Many teams allow the half to get in between tackles and guard. This makes the line longer but not thicker. The half-backs to play this game must be good, big, strong fellows, otherwise they have no business in the line.
Defence to special plays.—The defence to special plays depends upon the character or underlying principle of the play itself. To stop a closely formed mass play, the player or players against whom it is aimed should go into it low and hard with the shoulders and fall flat. A loosely formed mass play should be stopped by ripping through the players to the runner. Such a play is hard to pile up, and lying down in front of it does little or no good. When a wedge is directed upon centre, the three centre men should go into it with head and shoulders, first shoving the apex in, and thus opening the wedge and forcing the runner to the outside. After shoving in the apex, the three men naturally fall flat, and thus prevent further progress over them, and the other men take care of the flanks of the line.
The old revolving wedge is a difficult play to stop. Like the push-ball, you can hardly tell which side you are pushing for; so the only way to stop it is to get inside of it to the runner. To lie down in front of it, and tackle all legs in sight may result in having the play roll around you and on you; besides, you cannot tackle a man who has not the ball.
Momentum plays may be easily stopped by allowing the flying men to pass you and not strike you. If a man stands with his body well forward and his arms outstretched in front of him, he can bear off to one side or swing to one side the man who tries to hit and get him out of the way. The ancient criss-cross trick, which very often succeeds, may be stopped by simply having the forwards go through every time, and not run behind their own line. Finally, there is but one way to stop all trick plays, and that is to keep your eyes on the ball. It does not matter which way the men run—watch the ball and follow that.
Defence to different parts of the field, and defensive generalship.—In general, the defence to all parts of the field should be equally strong, but there are parts where the offensive eleven redoubles its efforts, and to successfully oppose it the defensive team must do the same. When a team is within its own 20-yard line on the defensive, the full-back, instead of standing back near the goal, should come up to within four or five yards of the line, as he can be of infinitely more service then in re-enforcing the line. The object should be more than ever to prevent the opposing runners from passing the line. If the other side kicks, the ball will be more than likely to go over the line, so that the full-back need not worry about that.
The centre and guard may make a hole to allow the quarter-back to go through and play havoc with the play. Everybody should play for the ball. Sharp, desperate, active breaking through, added to the nervousness of the other side, will often get the defensive eleven out of a hole. When inside the opponent's 35-yard line, the ends, instead of dropping back and out when the opposing side is going to kick, should play up in the line, and go through to try to block the kick. The ends, to be sure, are at the longest distance from the kicker, but they may distract the blockers sufficiently to help some other man to stop the kick. In plays within the side-lines the short field should be carefully guarded, and a concerted effort made to force the play outside and into touch, thus making the offensive team lose its first trial to advance.
A team should never play slowly simply because the other side is ahead. It is an unfair practice, and unquestionably poor generalship. The other side, seeing that it has an easy thing, will simply play all the more boldly; whereas a constant, stubborn resistance, a "die-in-the-last-ditch" defence, will keep the other side guessing all the time. But often a team may find itself being pushed steadily back towards its own goal, and with no apparent good reason. The cause may be simply a little nervousness on the part of the men, and if the captain will simply call time a moment, the result often is that the men get right together and steady down to their work. A team that is forced to be on the defensive most of the time will do well to kick constantly and frequently whenever it gets the ball.
Defensive generalship.—Defensive generalship consists in keeping the other side on the defence. The best way to defend one's territory is to advance into the other fellow's.
The same rule applies when a team is pushed back into either corner of its territory. In both cases the end on the long side of the field should keep a sharp lookout for a dash around the end. When a team gets possession of the ball in close proximity to its own goal-line, it is really on the defensive, as has been said before. The ball, more than likely, must be kicked from behind its own goal-line. Then it is that the full-back should exercise great judgment, and if the opposing forwards are through the line and on him before he can get his kick, he should allow a safety, and not give the other side a touch-down. Better give up two points than four or six.
The championship season of the Connecticut League will probably open on October 24, although the schedule has not yet been made up. But before that time a number of games will be played by the school teams in the League, and we shall be able to get a line on the style of the several teams.
The Hartford High-School will not have so heavy a football team this year as last. The average weight of the eleven will be about 150 pounds, whereas the 1895 team averaged 156 pounds. Thus far Allen seems to be the strongest candidate for centre; Weeks, Griffin, and Costello are the best men trying for guards. Griffin is new at the game, but he will improve; he weighs 200 pounds, and stands 6 ft. 2 in. Weeks is considerably lighter, but he can play good football; he is a lazy worker, however, and needs hard coaching. Costello ranks third in excellence, but should make the team if Weeks does not go in more seriously.
Strong, who played end last year, has been moved into tackle. On the other side of the line Bush and Marsh have about equal chances for the same position. Three men are trying for the ends—Calder, Breed, and A. E. Smith—the best work being done by the two former. Captain Sturtevant will keep his old place at quarter, where he did such good work last fall. One half-back and full-back were both on last year's team, E. W. Smith having been dropped back from centre, and Twitchell from end. Rowley seems to be the most promising candidate for the third position.
Among the New York schools training is now fairly started. Berkeley seems to be more advanced than any of the other teams, and another good eleven may be looked for this year. Berkeley loses its most powerful player, Irwin-Martin, who goes to college, and also its centre and two guards—Rand, Hayden and Lefferts—also one of the half-backs, Gallaway. But the right and left guards of the second eleven—Poor and Irvine—will more than replace the other two. They played nearly as well last year as the regular men, and they have now increased considerably in weight and strength. Poor is 6 ft. 4 in.; Irvine, 6 ft. 1 in. Poor was the only man last year who could hold Martin when he played up in the line.
It is probable that Wiley, the catcher of last year's nine, will go in and play half-back. He showed up well early in the season last year, but sprained his arm, and was unable to play in any of the important matches. Bien will be brought up from full-back to half, and Pell will go in at full. Centre will be looked after by Gilson, who is considered by his fellows to be far and away the best centre that Berkeley ever had. He weighs 180 pounds, and stands 6 ft. 1 in. There are a number of the second-eleven men and three or four new students who have turned out very promising candidates, and it is probable that before the championship games come on Berkeley will have developed some good team-work.
Miller, r.t. Hamill, r.g. Knickabocker, l.g. Lewis, Man'g'r. Higley, sub. r.t. Trude, l.h.b. and f.b.
Hopkins, sub. c. Callger, sub. l.h.b. Linden, l.e. Ford (Capt.), r.h.b. Campbell, q.b. McGill, l.t.
Mackay, c. Gould, f.b. Boice, l.h.b. Steel, r.e. Gilbert, sub. l.t.
HYDE PARK HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM.
Champions of the Cook County High-School Football League, 1895.
The Hyde Park High-School team, which won the championship of the Cook County High-School League last year, was the lightest eleven in the Association, averaging but 135 pounds. Nevertheless, it managed to make the following record in the League Championship series:
| Oct. | 9. | Englewood H.-S. | 0 | H.P.H-S. | 12 |
| Oct. | 12. | Evanston H.-S. | 0 | H.P.H-S. | 28 |
| Oct. | 19. | Lake View H.-S. | 0 | H.P.H-S. | 16 |
| Oct. | 26. | English H.-S. | 0 | H.P.H-S. | 40 |
| Nov. | 2. | Chicago M.-T.S. | 4 | H.P.H-S. | 14 |
| Nov. | 9. | Oak Park H.-S. | Forfeited to H.P. | ||
| Nov. | 16. | North Division L.-S. | 0 | H.P.H-S. | 18 |
| Nov. | 20. | West Division L.-S. | 0 | H.P.H-S. | 16 |
| - | —- | ||||
| Scored by opponents | 4 | H.P.H.-S. | 144 |
The Hyde Park H.-S. eleven has already gotten down to work, and on September 17 played the Chicago University eleven, losing, 24-0. In this game Ummemyer played very well at right half, making a number of gains against the heavier college men. If he is well coached he should develop into a strong player by the time the championship series closes.