Football days : $b memories of the game and of the men behind the ballEdwards, William H. (William Hanford)
General
Football days : $b memories of the game and of the men behind the ball
Edwards, William H. (William Hanford)
Football
"To the vast crowds of lovers of football who journeyed to Springfield
to see this superman of sport in action in defense of his Alma Mater he
will always remain as the personification of sportsmanship combined with
the hard, clean, honest effort that marks your true football player. To
a great many others who enjoyed the privilege of adventuring afield with
him, the memory will be that of a man strong enough to be gentle, of
magnetic personality, and yet withal, with a certain reserve that is
found only in men whose character is growing steadily under the urge of
quiet introspection. Yet, for a man so self-contained, he had much to
give to those about him, whether these were men already enjoying place
and power or merely boys just on the horizon of a real man's life. It
was not so much the mere joy and exuberance of living, as the wonder and
appreciation of living that were the springs of Marshall Newell's being.
"It was this that made him the richest poor man it was ever my fortune
to know.
"The world about him was to Newell rich in expression of things
beautiful, things mysterious, things that struck in great measure awe
and reverence into his soul. A man with so much light within could not
fail to shine upon others. He had no heart for the city or the life of
the city, and for him, too, the quest of money had no attraction. Even
before he went to school at Phillips Exeter, the character of this
sturdy boy had begun to develop in the surroundings he loved throughout
his life. Is it any wonder, then, that from the moment he arrived at
school he became a favorite with his associates, indeed, at a very early
stage, something of an idol to the other boys? He expressed an ideal in
his very presence--an ideal that was instantly recognizable as true and
just--an ideal unspoken, but an ideal lived. Just what that ideal was
may perhaps be best understood if I quote a word or two from that little
diary of his, never intended for other eyes but privileged now, a
quotation that has its own little, delicate touch of humor in
conjunction with the finer phrases:
"'There is a fine selection from Carmen to whistle on a load of logs
when driving over frozen ground; every jolt gives a delightful emphasis
to the notes, and the musician is carried along by the dictatorial
leader as it were. What a strength there is in the air! It may be rough
at times, but it is true and does not lie. What would the world be if
all were open and frank as the day or the sunshine?'
"I want to record certain impressions made upon a certain freshman at
Cornell, whither Newell went to coach the football team after his
graduation from Harvard. Those impressions are as fresh to-day as they
were in that scarlet and gold autumn years ago.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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