A Pessimistic View-Point.

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

In your issue of the 23d, your editorial writer bewails the fact that so small a number of ballots were cast in the elections of last Tuesday, and goes on to say that "Such a disgraceful lack of interest in class affairs must surely arouse the indignation of all undergraduates." In view of your published figures this statement is rather absurd. Do you desire that the 1566 recalcitrant students who did not vote should become fiercely indignant with themselves, or do you think that the 389 faithful voters constitute the entire body of undergraduates?

But frankly, what reason is there for anyone to become indignant at this lack of interest? Under the present system of choosing officers it is inevitable. The candidates stand for no platform, there are no conflicting issues, so that the prospective voter is not able to choose an officer because of what he represents. Nor may he be guided by some one man's special fitness for the office, because almost any man would be able to discharge suitably the not onerous duties of a class officer. So the whole matter becomes one of friendship. Only a man's personal friends are sufficiently desirous

of seeing him in office to vote for him. And as the candidates' personal friends can include only a small number of the students, it is futile to expect the others to vote, and to upbraid them when they do not do so.  PHILIP F. SIFF '22,  JOSIAH SEGAL '21