Is not the present forward pass ridiculous with its arbitrary rules and specially charmed men! But, especially, note that, although the basketball heave is against the theory of football, even if the receiver fumbles, his side does not lose the ball on the next play. It has been accorded almost precisely the helpful rule denied to straight rushing.

Such Penalties Would Spoil Any Game

How easy it would be to kill any game by placing penalties on mere errors of execution. Suppose a netted ball in tennis should lose the game, the fine free dashing close-to-the-net play would be killed. If an error in baseball should give the batters an additional, inning, the hard chances (which are the joy of players and spectators) would be avoided. No game should have rules that arbitrarily penalize good play out of existence, and football has just that feature.

I have always maintained the above ideas about the fumble since 1896 when I ceased to play on Harvard teams. I had them in my system after four years at quarterback in college which is the best position in which to get the spirit and "feel' of the game.

In football's darkest days two out of five of a special sub-committee of the rules committee favored the idea.

Lest I be sued for libel I will admit that the rules committee, whoever they may be, and football men in general, have surpassing intelligence, except in football. For them their football world is flat and they want it flat