Page 80
36 A PRIMER OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
school or college should allow a man who
cannot control his temper, and who is not a
gentleman, to represent it upon an eleven.
The slugger or vicious player is of abso¬
lutely no use to a team. A man cannot
play his game and slug his opponent at
the same time. He necessarily neglects
his team work, and reduces the strength
of his own side by one. In other words,
he is worse than a passenger. Keep such
men off the team, and there will be no
more injuries from brutality.
As to the latter class of injuries, those
resulting from accident, the writer has
always thought that the beginner or young
player might be, and ought to be, taught
what the older player acquires by experi¬
ence : the art of self-protection.
The first thing a player should do in
order to avoid accident is to begin train¬
ing early; get into good condition early,
and keep so. Football is the most vigor¬
ous and hearty of all our athletic sports,