Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK Published weekly by thl Literary Sog4tigg of the Univers4ly 99 South Caf9linq Terms, $1.60 a "Osipp, pilyable lp ad, vance. "Entered as second-claus matter November 20, 08iM the postoffice at Columbia 8. C., *ubldeir the Act of March 8. 1879." The panaeeqek qolioits humorous pctchq, es"Yq, vqr, to., and vill glaly pub lie qe94 .4 avail0104 We *901n panied by the full name of the author. Wn;JFqqd ;nauppript W1l neither be 9'UtqlJqWedgeqd p retur"404. checks and money orders should be made payable to Bernard Manning, Bun Iness Manager. Business Manager. BerwA i5s# Ig, Su'ster. Assistant Business Manager. B. S. Beverly. Virginia. BOARO OF EDITORS. Editor-In -Chief. A. D. 011phant, '10. Euphradian. Associate Editor. H. J. WMnte, '09, Euphradian. Local Editors. J. U. Brown, '10, Euphradian. J. A. Marion, '09, Clariosophic. Athletic Editor. C. N. Sapp, '10, Clariosophio. 1'. K. Vanney, '10, Clariosophic. Y. M. C. A. W. S. H1utehinmon, '09. CQ1UMIA, S. C., FEBRUARY 25, 1009. Where is the minstrel? * * * After the feminine broil, what? * * * Wanted-A "rooting" squad that will "root." * * * The basketball game next Thursday should prove a drawing card. * * * Whether the student body is con scious of the fact or not, we have one of the best basketball fives in the State. * * * With President Eliot, President Mitchell, and the Alumni Association on our hands on March the nineteenth, we must have a holiday then to do them justice. * * * The galleries of the House have been crowded with students every night for the past week. It is a moot ed question whether or not "Josh" Ashley, of Anderson, or the C. F. W. girls are responsible for their presence at the sessions of the august House. * * * By your attendance or non-attend ance at the basketball game next Thursday afternoon, you will have an opportunity of exhibiting your college spirit or your lack of it. Come out, if you have to borrow the money. We will have to borrow sufficient of the filthy lucre to get in the gate ourselves. THE MONOGRAM. Playing football, like digging the lit t)e trench across Panama, is a tremen douis proposition. It requires the highest qjualities of physical manhood, nerve, muscle and endurance. . But, you say, there is remuneration and honor for the football player, as sometime in the dim and'distant fu ture there will be for the diggers of the isthmiu ditch. We admit:that. for the 'Varsity man with his block "C," there ig -prnunerstion, and that, in the plau dits of his adniiring fellow-stidents, therp is honor. How about the inqon spicuous "scrqb"? No honor or re muneration for him, only the barked shin and broken nose. The "scrub" has played as hard and as consistently as his worship, the 'Varsity man. It is true that he has taken part in no inter-collegiate games. There ln ;been only the wearing round of the daily scrimmage for him. Lack of physical strength has kept the "scrub," who is worthy of the name of football player, from making the 'Var sity. He has the nerve and he has the endurance to stay in the game to the end of the season. What reward does he get to counterbalance the 'Varsity man's "C"? It would be a small thing for the Advisory Board to award the "scrub" the monogram "U. S. C." At pres ent, the monogram is blazoned upon the breasts of any and all who see fit to put it there. The Fieshman, justly proud of his connection with Caro lina, has the monogram sewed upon the fronf of his first sweater. The Senior ornaments his person in a like manner. There is no harm in wearing the monogram, none whatever. We are all proud that we are Carolina men and vanity makes us want to show the world that we are such. It would require little sacrifice for us, the unathletic, to cease adorning our persons with the monogram. Give the monogram to those atli!-tes who are proficient enough to play on the second team, either baseball or football. Make the monogram second only to the block "C" as a token of athletic proficiency. A ROOTING SQUAD. The remark one hears oftenest from the members of the team when they return from a trip is: "Didn't those fellows 'root l'" We wonder if any team ever visited Carolina and went back to their home college and made this same remark. The "rooting" at Carolina :for the last two years, at least, has been very weak. It hardly could be heard be yond the confines of Davis field. Of course, an occasional cheer would dis turb the atmosphere when Gibbes stole a base or Bratton Davis made a double play. But these outbursts were entirely spontaneous, the product of a moment of excitement. They can hardly be classed as "rooting," which, to deserve .the name, must be contin uous and practically unbroken. Hitherto, those who have felt like doing any yelling, have serenely wvan d'eredl out to the side-lines and made a little noise when the spirit moved themi. While those who did not have the energy, have complacently climbed into the grandstan~d and sat with the feminine gender. The grandstand sitters saw the game all right, and, doubtlessly, criticized our players when they made an error. But, what else did they do? Well, they sat by the girls, which, in itself, is a mighty nice thing to do. But what good (lid they (10 the. team? Were the nine men who were struggling to uphold Carol in a's reputation cheered by or even cqnscious of the presence of the dle mnure grandstand sitters We dio,,t it So much for the grandstand sitters. As we said befote, the, side-lines have at times n)ade a little noticeable noise, but we re.;iffirim that they have never "rooted" in the correct sense of the word. What was the matter? Some of them had the spirit. True, but they laced' organization and practice. This js just it. Some few of the men Unew, the yells, a few more had a hazy idea of them, but the majority were at a loss to know how the yells went. Then, too, there has been con fusion as to when and what to yell. All these things could be remedied by the organization of a regular "rooting" squad. This is the plan which we suggest. Let the student body elect an energetic man, a lazy man cannot "root," tQ take charge of all the rooting. Thii the members of the studient body who wish to join the rooting squad can hand in their names to the cheer lead er, or "chief rooter," and this digni tary can set a regular time for the squad to meet, say immediately after supper. The squad can thus thorough ly learn the yells and arise to the occa sion on the day of the games. Two squads might be formed with different leaders and vie with one another as to which cou d. make the most noise. "Rooting" from the side-lines is im practical. The tendency is to spread out along the line. Consequently, it is hard for all to hear the "chief rooter" give the signal. The grandstand is the only place for good consistent and per sistent "rooting." There tile "rooters" will all be within reach of the cheer leader's voice and know what and when to yell. This is merely a suggestion, al though this plan is worked with suc cess at other colleges. We have as healthy lungs as they have, and we can, if well organized, make as much noise. * * * C-B'S A block "C" is the highest token of appreciation that Carolina can confer as a recognition of athletic ability. About twenty-two "C's" are given each year to the 'Varsity and football and baseball men, who play in thc re quired number of regular inter-colle giate games. It is needless to say that the block "C" is greatly prized and its possessor has just cause to Le proud. A year or two ago, when Carolina had an organized track team, the "C. T." was given to the men who proved most proficient in track work. Now that basketball has sprung into some degree of prominence, and it-is the com ing game at Carolina, why not award the "C. B." t.o the hard-working mem bers of tile basketball five? The "C. B." would, in a measure, stimulate the men to make the five. It wvoutld encour age those who engage in thle game this year to work harder next season. It would make more men conme out anld learn tihe game, and, incidentally, derive benefit from the exercide. Diversity in athletics is benecficial to any college. Tile same sport does not appeal to all the members of the stu dent body. When there are. many sports to choose from, everybody can find,.one to their liking.. Basketball is one of the best forms of physical exer cise, and when correctly playe<d, almost as strenuous na football, the king of inter-collegiate sports. The awarding of the "C, B.14 to the r4embers. of this year' fiv would Ot least do no harm and miglit do mq eh to give basketball tho place in athletjcs at Carolina that it rightly deserves. MUSIC IN CiAPE1, Some time ago, Dr. Mitchell, the newly elected President of the Uni ersity, spent several days on the cam pus. His visit was of a two-fold na ture: first, to acquaiint himself with the conditions here; and, scond, to meet some of the men with whom his lot will soon be cast. He suggested many things to us in the way of improvements, but one in particular claims our attention just now, which might well be considered and adopted. And this is the matter of having singing in connection with the morning chapel service. The time is limited, of course, but a couple of stanzas from some famous old hymn sung every morning by that august as semblage of professors and students, would send a thrill through every man present, which would last through the long trying hours of the day. "The man," says Shakespeare, "that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils. * * * Let no such man be trusted." Music is a mighty force, which, to some extent, pleases and stimulates every normal human being. It has the power of reducing the rude impulses of the mind to a smooth plane of action. The'n, again, it arouses the sleeping and weary pulses to ac tion, as we see demonstrated when the memorable battle song, "Dixie," is sung. If this delightful exercise should be added to the chapel services-and why should it not be ?-the little brown envelopes now delivered at the post office every Monday morning, would be almost a thing of the past, for the boys would then attend chapel more regularly. There is an abundance of musical talent among the students which is al lowed to be crushed out in the lecture rooms by sterner facts and problems, or to be misdirected in the midnight "hulla-bal-loos" which are so annoy ing to the peaceful slumbers of the members of the faculty, and the ma jority of less favored students. So let us think about this matter and take steps to bring it to pass. 'B. The Gamecock Prize. The Gamecock staff offers a prize of five dollars in gold for the best sketch pertaining to college life. Regulahio,jy. First.-Eaph competitor may sub mit any number of sketches. Second.--The Gamecockc reserves the right to publish any of the sketches submitted either before or after tihe contest is over. Third.-No member of the present Gamecock staff .will be allowed to compete. Fourth.--This contest closes on April 19th. , 'Remember thp basketball game next Thursday, 4:3 P. M..