NO ADMITTANCE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1117, 3 May 1911, Page 6

NO ADMITTANCE.

TO SCHOOL RUGBY. MARIST BROTHERS AND THE '. ' PUBLIC SCHOOLS. A question which is attracting censiderablo attention and not a littlo feeling in sports circles just now is the application of the Marist Brothers' School to be admitted to tlio Wellington Public Schools Rugby Union, i-.nd tha refusal of the latter to graut the application. The question is. an old one—the Marist Brothers' School for several years past has annually made, a similar application, and regularly this request has been declined by the Schools Union-but this year tne interests of tiic Marist School boys have been vigoiously and iiublicly championed by an ardent Rugby enthusiast, Brother Vcrgilius (one of the Marist School masters), who, not satisfied with tho formal refusal to admit tho,Marist boys to the competitions, has appealed to the 'Wellington Busby Union. Sponsors for either side have ventilated their-respec-tive views in tho press. H was no doubt an appreciation of tho. delicacy of the position that led the Schools' Union to reopen the question at its last meeting, and to refer, the whole case to the "Wellington- Headmasters' Association before arriving at a final conclusion. The Headmasters' Association held a special meeting yesterday afternoon,' at which members of tho Schools' Rugby Unioii were present and expressed their views. The union representatives then retired,, and, after a prolonged discussion, the headmasters decided to support the union. This decision is to be formally conveyed to the Schools' Union, and the question will again be dealt with at a meeting of the latter body, which has been convened for Friday evening next. Ti is extremely unlikely that the Schools' Uuion, fortified by the approval of the Headmasters' Association, will reverse its previous decision. ) The Case for the Union. A statement of Hie case for each side may, in view of. the publicity which has been given the-question, servo to "throw some 'further light on the subject: '■ In the. first place,. the "Wellington Public Schools' Rugby Union, explained a member of that body to a,representative' of The DcmiNiox, is an association of delegates (assistant-masters) from the public schools in tho city and suburbs,, armed with, authority by their headmasters to organise and control school.football. The union originally developed from a more o'r less unofficial body of enthusiastic master's ivho. inspired by the desire to suppress a spirit of enthusiasm which.had crept in during an era of unsupprvised school football, volunteered to.coach their boys anil supervise their matches. An inter-school competition was instituted, a conditipn of entry being that each team should be accompanied by a master,- in" tho interests of discipline. The result was a remarkable improvement in the general tone aud behaviour of the boys, and a more friendly and sympathetic understanding between the boys aud their masters. As the organisation grew with the ' rapid increase of suburban schools, the. union was formally constituted under rules and regulations, and in recognition of the valuable services to discipline and general tone which had. been accomplished by the system of organised school football, the Education Board latterly sanctioned the playing of fixtures on Friday afternoons, instead of on Saturday, mornings, is previously, thus freeing the masters from.an obligation which in recent years had seriously trespassed upon their Saturday mornings; this obligation being particularly burdensome to those of tho younger masters, who desired..to. attend teachers' classes or attend university lectures,

- A Close Corporation. The governing principle throughout has been that the members of the union are the delegates of their headmasters and have never been permitted to commit their respective schools to any proposition which would interfere with the headmasters' arrangements or the discipline of the school.. The heads were at all times tho recognised masters of the situation, and in order that the question.of control should be kept strictly within tho confines of their jurisdiction, the constitution of tho Schools' Eugby Union was so expressed that none but the State schools were to bo admitted to the competitions, to safeguard the ideas of the headmasters on the general control of'school football. The Marist Brothers' School applied for admission, and was refused. AVellington College also applied, with the same result. Proceeding upon its original determination to remain a close corporation, tho Public Schools' .Union lias, been quite impartial in its consideration of all applications from private schools.

Tho Wellington Public Schools' Eugby Union, further, is in no way subject to the authority of the Wellington Rugby Union, although it has been the recipient of donations from that body, which recognised that the Schools' Union -was an excellent recruiting ground for future Rugby players. Again, it is .contended,, the action of the Schools' Union does, not prevent tho Marist School boys from playing Rugby; it merely declines to allow tho Marist Brothers' School, or any other private school, to have a voice in. the control of public school Rugby, and to participate in the competitions organised by the union. The Other Side. The other side of the case, as stated to a representative of The Dominion 'by Brother Vergilius, of the Marist Brothers' School, is' simply that ,in all the other districts in New Zealand the llarist School boys are admitted ,to the. public schools' Rugby football competitions, and that he cannot understand why in Wellington they should be treated differently. "There seems to be no appeal from the decision of the Wellington ...Schools' Union," he said, "for I have since learned that it is not affiliated tin the Wellington Rugby Union. In the other districts, the schools' unions are affiliated, and any, question in dispute can be carried to the highest court—the New Zealand Council. "When J. went to Auckland, I entered the boys iu. the secondary department .in tho senior competition and sent a delegate. Then I suggested to the primary department that they should enter the primary schools competition. They applied and were admitted. Here,, wo aro shut out. It is very hard on tho boys. We have only two boys' schools here—the others are all girls' schools. Who are our boys to play with ? There is not much fun in playing amongst themselves; an interschools' competition is stimulating and interesting to them." "Outcasts." The speaker went on to say that the very most he desired was that his boys should bo allowed to pit themselves against the other schools in sport, and so foster a spirit of good-fellowship. At present, so far as public school rugby was concerned, they were, one might say. outcasts. They would grow up without a knowledge of tho national game of Rugby; they would have no interest in it for the foundations of a love of outdoor sports Iny largely in the healthy rivalry created in boyhood through the medium of school competition?. He found.-it very difficult to understand, tlio attitude, of the Schools' Rugby Union, which, he noticed., accepted favours from tho Wellington Rugby Union, in the shape of donations and freo passes to the big .matches at tho. park,, and. could only add the hope that tho. Schools' Union would yet see its way to open its doors to his boys.