Princeton Letter.

PRINCETON, N. J., March 8, 1887.

Princeton's athletic theme for the past few days has been the new base-ball league. The vote of the mass meeting which empowered Princeton's delegates in the matter had not a dissenting voice. Columbia was welcomed as a member, and it is the desire of all Princeton men that Yale lay aside her accustomed feeling of suspicion and stubbornness, and sympathize with the movement. It is the universal opinion that she will be compelled so to do, or be boycotted by the trio of colleges.

Track athletics, strange to say, have taken a temporary boom, in view of the fact that the management have secured the huge skating rink for practice. The enthusiasts in this branch of sport, we are sorry to record, are mighty scarce in Princeton. Our record has degenerated, until now we are at the very bottom of the list of colleges. This fact, in addition to the cold water thrown on field sports by the supporters of base-ball and lacrosse, makes doubly difficult the effort to revivify the interest in the sport. We have no men of great promise, and if we do send a good team to New York next spring, it will be developed from new and untried material.

Princeton has been fortunate this winter in having an extended course of lectures independent of the curriculum. These have been on aesthetics, music, astronomy, biology, histology, etc., delivered by Dr. McCosh and Profs. Young, Osborn, Scott, Libbey and Mildner. The course was thrown open to the public; the townspeople showed their appreciation by a large attendance at each lecture.

The mammoth minstrel entertainment takes place Friday evening. The sale of reserved seats has been unprecedented by any college entertainment. From all accounts the evening's fun will be great. It is the first and probably the last performance of the kind in the history of the college.

PRINCETONIAN.