SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18894, 17 December 1924, Page 12

SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

UNHEALTHY EXCITEMENT.

VIEW OF REV. E. C. CROSSE.

FIXTURE MAY BE DROPPED.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday,

Speaking at the breaking-up of Christ's College to-night, the headmaster, Rev. E. C. Crosse, had something to say regarding the policy of the college ,in respect of inter-schools' football matches. " As headmaster of Christ's College," ho said, " I have a tremendous duty toward the outside public, but that duty consists as I seo it in turning out boys, who, in after life, will servo them faithfully in church and State, an'd represent them with credit in the field of sport. But I should be doing an ill-service to the public if simply in order to give them one afternoon's enjoyment I were to prejudice tin: chances of those boys being of service to them when they leave, and that is exactly what I believo I should be doing if I were to go back to the old state of things. These arguments will, I know, appeal to every parent in this room, but thero is another which is, I think, unfamiliar to most of you present.

" The fact is that the present concentration of the public interest in the first of the two college-high school matches, encourages the division of the city into two camps, college and school. Such a division is largely an artificial one, as the majority of the general public have little or no close connection with either school. There is thus introduced into this match an element which I am convinced is harmful all round.

" Unfortunately there still exists a certain amount of prejudice against Christ's College, which I find it very hard to overcome. People who do not know the facts will tell you that the college is a class school, and that it is a preserve of the rich. In the existing circumstances, therefore, I wish to appeal to all the supporters of the college not to stress the first college-high school match as they at present do. My own view is that this match ought to be regarded as a perfectly normal event in the secondary schools' competition, certainly of no more importance than the matches against St. Andrew's and St. Bede's. This year we accommodated 7500 spectators in the college ground, and with all the fuss that had been made over the match that great crowd was, 1 think, inevitable. But we have no desire for anything like that number to witness the match in future, and we ought to remember that it is impossible for the high school to accommodate on their own ground such numbers as came here this year, and it is on their own ground that the high school would, I know, like to be able to meet us. " What will happen next year is of quite small importance, compared with thoso -weighty considerations. It may be we shall nave to pay the price of our mistake in ever consenting to put the needs of the spectators before the interests of the match by dropping the fixture altogether until the unhealthy excitement of the last six years has subBided, but whatever the price -we have to pay, even if it means the temporary abandonment of the secondary schools' competition, I am certain that I cannot commit the college to any policy which will obscure my contentions that school matches must bo regarded as private, not public, events, and that this artificial division of the city into two camps is not in the best interests of anyone concerned. I ask your assistance in carrying that policy into effect."