Persons in the Play

• Avery Brundage, General Contractor and Engineer, Graduate of the University of Illinois, Holder of the A.A.U. all-around championship and of many all-around athletic records, one of our country’s most famous athletes; aged about 30 (estimated).

• Mr. ⸻, a loyal alumnus and wide-awake scout for an eastern college.

• Time⁠—Last Month. Place⁠—Here and Maine.

Act I

Mr. Brundage, competing for the C.A.A. has repeated former triumphs and won the National A.A.U. all-around title.

Mr. Scout reads about it in the paper and writes to Mr. Brundage, addressing him as Mr. Avery Brundage, Chicago All-Around Athlete, Chicago, Illinois, the “Chicago All-Around Athlete” being Mr. Scout’s interpretation of “C.A.A.” which appeared after Mr. Brundage’s name in the newspaper account of his A.A.U. victory.

Here is Mr. Scout’s first letter:

Dear Mr. Brundage: I am writing you to see if you would be eligible to go to College, or if you have been? Would you be able to enter College and compete in Athletics? If so would you like to come East, and enter College, and would you do so right away?

I presume, if you have not been to any other College, or if you have not become a professional, you could legitimately do so, all right, had you taken the sufficient amount of studies, couldn’t you?

Thanking you for an immediate reply to this letter, I will be very much obliged to you.

How heavy are you and how tall? Do you play Foot Ball, and what other athletics do you enter besides the track work, if any?

Do you know any big, husky young Foot Ball man, who would be fitted competently, to enter College this Fall, who would like to come East and go to College? If so and he had not ever been to College before, will you let me know, if he would come too?

Act II

Young Master Brundage replies:

Dear Mr. ⸻: Your letter was received after some delay owing to the lack of address. I have graduated from high school and always thought I would like to be able to say I had gone to Yale or some other prominent eastern college. My weight is 188 stripped and I am six feet tall. I have records of 0:10 in the 100; 5 feet 11 in the high jump; 43 feet in the shotput; 143 feet in the hammer throw; 189 in the discus; 21 feet 6 inches in the broad jump, and 0:32 flat in the 440. I have played both football and basketball, as well as competed in track and field athletics. Landers and Eby, two of the best of the C.A.A. men, have entered Penn, but there are a few other good athletes on our team who would like to go to college. What course could we take? Has your institution a good engineering course? How much would it cost?

Act III

The kid receives the following answer (in part and censored somewhat):

Dear Mr. Brundage: I am very, very much obliged to you, for answering my recent letter to you and I believe that we can be able to get you situated in College, in the East, where you would like very, very much indeed.

I have called Mr. ⸻, Athletic Director, of ⸻ College on the phone, since receiving your letter, this morning, and he will take hold and assist you what he is able, he has promised me, if you can come to ⸻. He is a mighty fine man, and will do more than he promises. He will not fool you in any way, but is perfectly reliable.

Your records are splendid, and I want to see you at ⸻ this Fall. I wish also, that if you have one or two more star men, who are well fitted, having graduated from High or Fitting Schools, that you could get papers, from your School authorities, that you had done so much work and get entered here, at ⸻, without taking Examinations, I feel sure. That is what I understand, and that saves any anxiety, on that score.

As to costs, they are not very large at ⸻, there being a lot of Scholarships, for assisting a young man, who wishes to get an education. Your tuition can be wiped out and that makes it much easier, and then if a fellow wishes to do something, in vacation, etc., or even during College, there, there are many ways of a legitimate manner, that this can be done.

They have some fine courses there at ⸻. They have fine Mathematical courses, Chemistry courses, and Physics and one thing and another, such as English, etc. I can’t say very much as to the Engineering course. I wish to be perfectly honest, with you, and I am not sure about this course.

(He goes on to tell where ⸻ is located and what colleges it competes with.)

The Faculty at ⸻, are loyal to the boys, and are nice about assisting a fellow, if he needs it, in his studies, at any time, without additional cost.

⸻ and I hope you will be able to come to ⸻, where you could see some scenery, that would make you enjoy it, I am sure, it is much different from the West. It’s healthful and you would be popular. If you come, call and see me, and I will call and see you. I hope you could, as I say, bring another one or two, good men, like yourself, also⁠ ⁠… I would be pleased to hear from you again. Anything I can do, I will, to assist you with the College.

This act has not been finished, but young Brundage will probably go, for he needs a place that’s healthful, and he is wild, to be popular, and to exchange calls. And he thinks he will take the course, in Commas.