BULLETIN COMMUNICATION ON THE FACULTY VOTE.

This week's Bulletin, which appeared yesterday, contains a communication signed "X", which puts the vote of the Faculty to curtail intercollegiate athletics squarely up to the Corporation and Athletic Committee. It advocates immediate action, on the grounds that if the other colleges will not stand by Harvard, it is right for Harvard to support her principles alone. This, says the communication, has been done successfully in educational matters. It proposes a practical test of the proposition, claiming that "if the experiment leaves us worse off than we are, there will be profit in that demonstration," and, further, asserts that thus far "the recommendation has been but feebly challenged on its intrinsic merits."

Let us consider the first point. Harvard has always stood at the head in educational matters; she has stood in a position that made it right for her to take the lead and in a measure dictate to the others. Unfortunately this is not her lot in the athletic world. She cannot stand alone, boldly demanding that those of equal athletic prestige do as she says.

She could not do this if it were her principle to do so. But is this the case? The Faculty has this principle; the undergraduates and no small share of the graduates are heartily opposed. It is not right to say that such dictation would be standing up for Harvard's principles.

Suppose as the communication suggests, we have done with theory and try. We cannot see the profit derived from placing ourselves in a position that will be bound to handicap us enormously and send our teams into contests with small hope of victory. We shall have simply crippled ourselves by a useless theoretical experiment.

Furthermore we do challenge the proposition on its intrinsic merits. In a recent letter to the CRIMSON Coach Yost of Michigan said in part: "After two years of restricted athletics, the Board in Control at Michigan voted to withdraw from the Western Conference" because "the live games restriction placed on Michigan easily reduced the playing strength of her team 50 per cent. It lessened the interest of the athletes." When the interest of the athletics is lessened what is to become of intercollegiate athletics, which, outside of study, are the one common possession and aim of the undergraduate body?

No, the Athletic Committee should consider well before it has "done with academic discussions" and lots "the thing be put to a practical test."