"Crimson" of 1877 Used to Pick Out Mannerisms of University Crew Men--Constructive Personal Criticism Was the Vogue

In these late days of specialization and of sport on a large scale, huge dope stories are turned out by highly paid experts on college crews and athletic crews of all kinds. Criticism is passed on sports and sportsmen in a perfunctory sort of way, but it remained for the sporting columnists of fifty years ago, in the college papers, to carry personal constructive criticism to its greatest extent.

In 1877, just half a century ago, the CRIMSON, remarked that there were now 14 candidates for the University crew, and adds that they "have been pulling seven hundred and fifty strokes and running two miles daily." This would seem to be pretty strenuous work for candidates for a crew during their period of training, but the CRIMSON puts the candidates through the arid bath of journalistic criticism. One can scarcely imagine the CRIMSON of today, or any college paper, getting away with this little resume of candidates.

"Bancroft has an inclination to buckle, to screw at the finish, and does not always get his hands out properly. Brigham does not set his shoulders firm at the catch, and he lets them give when he takes hold. At times he fails to get his arms straight at the end of the recover. He also has an awkward habit of sticking his elbows out at the finish. LeMoyne is the shortest and lightest candidate, but does his full share of the work; should he part with his faults, he will make an efficient oar Jacobs is doing well at 7, but fails to use his arms properly. He drops his hands before taking hold, does not pull them in high enough, and has, like Brigham, a habit of sticking his elbows out at the finish.

"All the men need to put more vim into the catch. At present Legate, Loring and Harriman are notably deficient in this respect."

"The frequency with which the hydraulics get out of order is a serious annoyance and causes no little expense. At present they are the best adapted to the purpose of anything known, and the trouble they make, like many other obstacles met in the training of the crew, has to be endured as best it can."