but it is readily susceptible of being carried about the 

 circuit professionally. Baseball is the American game, 

 but during the past score of years it has been placed 

 on the stage with all the embellishments, settings 

 and accompanyments which draw large audiences, 

 transform the contests from friendly matches to money- 

 making affairs with high-priced actors managed by 

 financial syndicates. Men skilled in twirling the sphere, 

 with muzzles to save their noses and spiked shoes for 

 leg security, have reduced the sport to mechanical 

 perfection. The aim of the school boy who is enthusi- 

 astic about the game is to become a professional tosser. 

 As a result the participant is inclined to excess, wagers 

 wax warm, and shattered heads and fingers as well 

 as bats become prominent features. Foot-ball embraces 

 all the characteristics which lead to over indulgence 

 and risk. I do not mean in that sense which detracts 

 from the moral standing of those who make up the 

 teams, but the rushes carry with them injuries which 

 at once make the undertaking hazardous. Fractured 

 jaws, legs and heads, demanding the attendance and 

 attention of corps of well-trained doctors and efficient 

 nurses and comfortable ambulances are interesting 

 accompanyments of this delicate pastime. The anxious 

 mother with a son on the college team is frequently 

 in evidence. The ambitious boy, whose desires run 

 to foot-ball, as a usual thing makes life a burden for 

 those nearest and dearest to him, and who are disposed 

 to the belief that a diploma must depend upon his 

 ability to tackle. 



The pool room should not be reckoned with as a 

 proper place to gain what some fathers believe are 

 accomplishments. To be sure skill is required to make 

 plays which win, but it is far better to acquire such 



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