Page 135 - YB1893_Classical

Gollege Eleven. ,'I-IL<: fall of '91 witnessed the introduction of this popular game into our midst. our sports, the I~ Hitherto I ~f and the mud, spirit of youthful innocence Ball had was characterized untutored field simplicity of Foot tempestuous rush to our ¥ but a creature of the imagination. Hut, with the opening of the fall term, a new era ill athletics seemed to dawn upon 'Western Maryland. Arousing From her lethargic shuubers she suddenly became fully awake to the fact that this 1110St popu- lar game was as yet a stranger within her borders. Conviction was but the parent of action. and soon the inflated oblate spheroid was to be seeu bounding over her ample grounds. And then began the metamorphosis. Tennis rackets were flu-own aside in disgust at their quiet, gentle iuuoceuce. Even base ball grew strangely unpopular, and its once ardent euthusinsts thronged eagerly to the foot ball ground. Here a howling mob in frantic eagerness chased a luckless bit of leather from goal to goal. Ignorance of the game excused no one, ami enthusiasm fully atoned for inexperience. Our athletes were clad in new costumes and spoke in a different tongue. QUI' ances- tral slang became obsolete, and the more pithy foot ball terms were at once substituted. Eveu long hair came suddenly into fashion, and the college barber took in his sign. True, indeed, many physiognomies suffered from violent collisions, and the grand march to chapel exercises revealed a variety of limps and hops well-nigh distracting our pianist and defying the most complicated time relations produced by the ablest composers. Still our zeal did not lag, nud we eagerly scanned the physique of every entering freshman, as he innocently knocked at our doors for admission. Material in abundance was found, but ill the crude state it was such that neither one season nor two could bind it firmly together iuto the 011e necessary unit of power. \Ve claim no superior excellence for our foot ball team, but we are not ashamed of our beginning. and are confident that, once firmly established, OtH college will win no meagre honors ill this department. '59