Life — September 21, 1928 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Stes Amateurism Tue resovure efforts of dignified officials to protect the amateur in modern sport should spur Congress to enact laws to protect the dodo, which is also an im- aginary bird. The young man secking a job in Wall Street these days doesn’t bring the old-style references or a letter from his pastor. He produces his golf score- cards, and the lower the scores, the higher the salary he wants. And gets. Every up- to-date Wall Street office now has its own golf professionals, but they still call them amateurs, probably for the same reason that the Polo Grounds at New York are called the Polo Grounds. (/nformatory < PORTS note to a man up a tree: The Polo Grounds are used for everything except polo.) Tennis is a more accommodating sport. A man doesn’t have to go outside his own game to make a good living. The famous Tilden debate and suspension centered around some such petty detail as a three-day release date on printed matter concerning a tourna- ment in which the writer was taking part. It didn’t come within three Irish Tue Orrice Gets Worp Tat THE Boss Missep tHe Boat Back From Eurore miles of tackling the question of whether or not a man could make a rich living ou of a sport and still remain an amateur at that sport. That was (and still is, for that matter an odd debate from all angles. At their August mecting, when they suspended Tilden, the tennis officials went into solemn conclave early in the evening and at 2:30 a. M. they announced that the suspension had been voted without 3 word of disagreement or a gesture of dis. sent. Perfect harmony—and six hours of it! This must have been what is known as a lengthy agreement. Later in the exchange of pleasantries between Big Bill and the embattled officials, the player insisted that not only was he a real amateur in fact and spirit, but he could point out certain offi who thought more of gate receipts than amateurism and at least one of his judges who had made tennis a lucrative aid to his private business. For some strange reason that recalls the ancient tale of the man who was be- ing shown through an insane asylum and whose kindly guide said: “That's a sad case, there. That poor old chap has a queer delusion, He thinks he’s Julius Caesar, which proves he is crazy, of course, because I’m Julius Caesar myself.” Incidentally, we paid part of our debt to Lafayette when the United States Am bassador to France took steps to protect the gate receipts at Auteuil by having Tilden reinstated for the Davis Cup matches, Why didn’t the French Ambassa- dor at Washington take the same steps to protect the gate receipts at the na- tional championship at Forest Hills? Lit- tle things like that help to cement a beautiful friendship. Well, don’t be disheartened. Things are really getting better in amateur sport. Some years ago there was an amateut runner who refused to put on his running suit until the promoter of the mect gavt him $400 in cold cash. It isn’t as bad 3 that now. An amateur runner's “mi ager” these days will take a check—if its certified. John Kieran. THE SENSE OF TOUCH Janet: Jack says he can read you likea book. Oxtve: Yes, and darn him, he wants® use the Braille system. comicbooks.com