American football . membered, came from the Rugby Unionin 1875, and not from the Rugby Unionof to-day, although the changes in theEnglish game have been by no manner 8 AMERICAN FOOTBALL. of means commensurate with those madeon this side the water. Being bound byno traditions, and having seen no play,the American took the English rules fora starting-point, and almost immediatelyproceeded to add and subtract, accordingto what seemed his pressing needs. Andthey were many. A favored few, whoseintercourse with Canadian players hadgiven them some of the English ideas,were able to explain the knotty
American football . membered, came from the Rugby Unionin 1875, and not from the Rugby Unionof to-day, although the changes in theEnglish game have been by no manner 8 AMERICAN FOOTBALL. of means commensurate with those madeon this side the water. Being bound byno traditions, and having seen no play,the American took the English rules fora starting-point, and almost immediatelyproceeded to add and subtract, accordingto what seemed his pressing needs. Andthey were many. A favored few, whoseintercourse with Canadian players hadgiven them some of the English ideas,were able to explain the knotty pointsto a small degree, but not enough to reaUly assist the mass of uninitiated play-ers to an understanding. Misinterpre-tations were so numerous as to rendersatisfactory rulings almost out of thequestion and explanatory legislation im-perative. In the autumn of 1876 thefirst game under Rugby rules betweenAmerican colleges was played at NewHaven, and before another was attempt-ed a convention had tried its hand at. HENRY C. LAMAR. Princeton. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN RUGBY. 9 correcting the weak points, as they ap-peared to the minds of the legislators,in the Rugby Union Rules. The feature of the American game indistinction from the English is, just asit was within a year from the time ofthe adoption of the sport, the outlet ofthe scrhnmage. In this lies the backbone to which theentire body of American football is at-tached. The English half-backs standoutside the scrimmage, and when the ballpops out it is their duty to seize it andpass it out to a three-quarter, who runswith it. The American quarter-backstands behind the scrimmage and givesa signal, immediately after which heknows the ball will come directly intohis hands to be passed for a run or akick. What is, therefore, in the Englishgame a matter of considerable chanceis ^^ cut-and-dried in the American lO AMERICAN FOOTBALL. game ; and the element of chance beingeHminated, opportunity is given for thedisplay in the latter ga
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