Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Technique Yearbook (Cambridge, MA)

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22 TECHNIQUE 1915 venor, ,98. The verbatim report of their joint deliberations would be most interesting if space permitted, but the most salient points, thor- oughly discussed and unanimously agreed upon, may be summarized as follows:- 1. Freedom of athletics from Fac- ulty or Corporation control. Q. Desirability of compulsory ath- letics, or gymnastics, under a system sufliciently elastic to work no hard- ship to the individual. 3. Physical examination of all stu- dents, to be repeated at stated in- tervals with those students desirous of participating in competitive sport. 4. Establishment of some repre- sentative body of control to formu- late a definite athletic policy, under which the various interests could be uniied, a responsible financial system be inaugurated, and a per- manency to the athletic activities assured. On a motion made by Professor Dewey, a committee was authorized, to be constituted in the following manner: the Corporation to ap- point one member, the Alumni As- sociation and Institute Committee to elect two each. This was done, and the new committee, consisting of Messrs. Rollins from the Corpora- tion, Briggs and Munroe from the Alumni, and Allen and Winslow from the student body, held its first meeting April 28, 1897. The ulti- mate result of the deliberations of this second committee was the for- mulation of the Advisory Council on Athletics, which held its first meeting on January 18, 1898. The first Council consisted of Thomas Hibbard, '75, F. H. Briggs, ,81, J. A. Rockwell, '96, G. B. Burch, H. L. Morse, and Pt. VV. Stebbins, of ,99, while Frank E. Peabody, 877, was elected treasurer. A constitu- tion and by-laws were formulated by the Commit.tee on Physical Training, which were taken over for the rule and guidance of the Advisory Council, and these have stood for sixteen years practically without amendment. The records of the Advisory Council, during its life, show a great diversity in the questions which have been considered. At the time of its inception, certain rulings and decisions were made which to-day are common law, but which at the time were considered highly arbitrary, and for two or three years the chairman of the Council was familiarly alluded to as the '6Czar.', It is but fair to state, however, that to-day there is not an undergraduate who passed through the stormy and critical period of the first five or six years who would recommend a reversal of the rulings of that time, such as the abandonment of intercollegiate com- petition in baseball and football. T Q Z ,f -v. vw::rezwem' ' fs-'f - ' I l lilll ..... ILIITTZTII lk ,fl an.. ,-..,,.l-, .....,,.,......,,.,a . . z a az . ,rw -,- qgaua Y, LN l 1.5 T .5 VTHE.-Em,MC?Am7nq,5jn L:na

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1915 TECHNIQUE 21 of methods, with the thought con- stantly in mind as to the simplest way to keep tab on every activity and to make sure that it is doing its best work in financial matters. THE ATHLETIC ADVISORY COUNCIL HE early nineties of the past century-a pleasing conno- tation of antiquity-formed a period of great activity in athletic affairs at the Institute. Numerous teams were competing in the various branches of sport, and with no small measure of success, as evidenced by the fact that in 18941 Technology won both the New England Inter- collegiate Athletic Association and the New England Intercollegiate Football Association Championships. Baseball, football, and track were engaging the interests of a large number of students, while the minor sports, such as tennis, hare and hounds, hockey, etc., claimed each its liberal quotum from the athleti- cally inclined of the student body. Each team was an independent unit, formulating its own policies, draw- ing up its own regulations, and ad- ministering its own funds. This somewhat chaotic state of affairs, coupled with the marked limitations of the income from and for such activities, led to the gradual decline in the Hnancial credit of Institute teams, which ultimately came to a crisis in the winter of 1896-97. By this time, the sporting-goods dealers and manufacturing jewellers would accept orders from Technology ath- letic managers only when accom- panied by the money to pay for them, and numerous heavy records of indebtedness, carried on their re- spective ledgers from year to year, further attested the general insol- vency of Institute athletics. Realizing that such a condition, if persisted in, meant a hand-to- mouth existence for a few years, ending in the final cessation of active participation by Tech teams in college sport, a group of inter- ested adherents of athletics, self- denominated The Committee on Physical Training, called a meet- ing on March 13, 1897. Among those who responded to the call were members of the Faculty and of the Alumni and undergraduate bodies in about equal proportion. It is interesting to note to-day the names of some of those present. From the Faculty were Professors Richards, Sedgwick, Dewey, Allen, Burton, Captain Bigelow, the in- structor in Military Science, and Mr. Boos, the Gymnasium Director, from the Alumni, Messrs. Rollins, Munroe, Briggs, Hurd, and Rock- well, from the undergraduates, Messrs. VVashburn, '97, Allen, '97, C.-E. A. Winslow, '98, and Gros- A , E ....,- 4 'EN 5'-V - -, 'E Ia? ' 'E -1 'f .i.....i gf ' ? -' 4'-: ' 'I HI. I A :A 4.1 ,- , ,,ca:,4s::22L2s?'1H-1' i!11w1...i'f ' I J ,A, 5 .1-mM: gkggggg ElI:I',,,! 5 ,,,i,r 5,f4?Q': I 3 142 V I iIg1WiQcH2Li411GZQ'icu-.- 1.1. E L Abit!! -'I.iH::,:Qf .::f1f,'QL',ms.z1m..- 2 , m.m..m..m.....'lj 3 2 XI. A 3 I -E - - - asm ::.nfL'MZQ'EFflQleNQa.:,x-: LLB . ... . . Q rw . .. .....-... m--.,....................,.mi . 1 f 9 - 1 - - X - '---2-2:21 'Z' z ' 'H T Y, X I Y'-gn-,L,,,w,,W.,,,,,,,,3,....,,5 ,,,,,,.,gi'5 .... H ,,. ..,. I.. ..... .,. ,....,,, .... . ..... . . . .pw Mi A . .. . E?f. - - gf 1 , H I

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1915 TECHNIQUE Q3 The definite plan of sane, conser- vative athletics, of a character suited to the possibilities of under- graduate participation as recom- mended by the parent committee, has been the sole guiding principle of the Advisory Council during the years of its existence. One policy which has been followed consistently and profitably is that any new sport must pass through a probationary period of at least four or live years, in this time fully demonstrating its inherent worth, before practical rec- ognition by the Council. Now and then a sport has been instituted which has lived vigorously for two or three years, largely through the en- thusiasm and energy of individual students, but when these men have graduated, interest in the sport has waned, and it has gradually lapsed into oblivion. Other sports have been constantly recognized, having demonstrated themselves to be of true general appeal by virtue of consistent, unflagging interest in them on the part of the student body at large, as well as fulfilling the Councilis chief object,-that of physical development along sane and safe channels. As it was found expedient in the past to create an advisory council, to further the best interests of the students and organize athletics, so may the future call for modifica- tion or amplification of affairs ath- letic at our Institute. Wlhatever may be the demands of future years, the fact remains that, at present, our young men are stimu- lated to participate in healthful, manly sport, controlled by skilful instruction, and receiving the sanc- tion of the Faculty and Alumni. Such an athletic policy stimulates mental achievement, develops men, and reflects greater credit and re- nown to our Technology. MAJOR F. H. BR1GGs. TI-IE NEED FOR A DAILY AT TI-IE INSTITUTE f6? ? QUESTION which prob- , a y occurs to every one bl Glu '5 when the subject of the value of The Tech is mentioned is, Is it really worth while?,, I im- agine some answer the question in the negative. The reason is clear: they simply fail to appreciate the value of a thing they are more or less unconsciously enjoying. In these days we are accustomed to take things very much as a mat- ter of course. As we ride to the city from our homes, or talk with our friends over the 'phone, or light our rooms by pressing a button, we seldom stop to think much of the cars, of the telephone, of the elec- tricity,-the things which make our actions possible. We do them simply as a matter of course. In E, : ,i,:':,',::r5L::L: :'a1anm:mm.f.11m ,f -. vzegmft-na :aif5,e7,9555,kL5igf5.m, E 2. .5 . -. :K ...fam ,,,Y ,., ,,............. ...... - ,, .. ... MN., .. . -:..,. -,, , I 1' l11i1k'i1.L5-?S1v7r5i'3Ss?i'Rv S '-- a J-f--H 'E .5'K:T 7Z5T.ill1LL'!flI ,-1.2 -2'h9Gi'l,ClTn,vsN - - 1 -1:45 , F-, : ,Jf.gm,g,.,.,....,.,.,...w.,T-- L1 -5' 1 .-, ....+....,,.,..,.,,,,s,.1.,.,,,m.,,,-...'.. c.... ..,: .7 . HT: E I 4:44-J, 1. ,,44,,,,,g,iq3.ii'm5ga4':f..,.::.. II, x..-.:..:nr.1':n,.-'z...m:3515f1e:..:.mmyM,:hI-LM ' ,H-dug! E!'2'!-...J L, .5--ffm 1 H 'f-:Q few I c- ..i. E L ,em g,mji:1g,fxfzmozm:i- - - -- f 5: ' Ll. Nikifiy afMfmc?w:u:tQm:.-.N E 25 - A :- ' E-Eng:--I R:-I--1--I-ff'-I-1-v-VF! - f 1 1 1 a. I, M'f' f -. f gg:-3, 13, 1 '.'?.'mc'ac'z'm!9n .Lz'--'fc'z:t4', .1-:zz-:... ,,.,....l, ......,.,.... ,,... . . . . . xwnm 3 A T.