BOATING CONVENTION.

THE annual Convention of American colleges was held at the Bay State House, Worcester, last Wednesday. There was a large attendance, and among the delegates were many who have already won laurels at the oar. The meeting was called to order at 11.30. Mr. E. H. Luther, being the only member of last year's executive committee present, was elected chairman pro tem., and Mr. F. W. Whitridge, Secretary pro tem. In organizing the convention, ten colleges were found to be represented there by their delegates. They were as follows: Harvard, - Wendell Goodwin, W. C. Sanger; Yale, - R. J. Cook, H. A. Oakes; Williams, - J. Gunster, T. W. Saunders; Bowdoin, - A. J. Boardman; Trinity, - G. B. Underhill, J. D. McKennon; Cornell, - E. S. Moses, J. B. Edgerly; Brown, - A. D. McClellan, E. L. Bogart; Amherst, - E. M. Hartwell, F. W. Whitridge; Massachusetts Agricultural College, - F. C. Eldred, E. B. Alexander; Wesleyan, - H. H. Coston, O. L. Livesley.

Dartmouth and Columbia then applied, and were admitted. According to a strict interpretation of the constitution, these last colleges, not being represented by a crew last year at the regatta, were not entitled to votes in the convention; but, after some discussion, it was allowed them. Dartmouth was represented by S. W. McCall and J. H. Worthen, Columbia by S. Tenney and A. B. Symonds. Next followed the election of officers, and this showed signs of a little previous manipulation. The chair was empowered - Harvard alone dissenting - to select a committee on nominations, and accordingly named Mr. H. A. Oakes, Yale, chairman; Mr. H. H. Coston, Wesleyan, and Mr. J. D. McClellan, Brown.

They retired, and soon returned with their nominations, only one for each office. The gentlemen nominated were immediately elected, and were, R. J. Cook, President; F. C. Eldred, Vice President; A. J. Boardman, Secretary; E. M. Hartwell, Treasurer. The question as to the day of the regatta then came up. Mr. Sanger's motion that the day be July 14 was objected to by Amherst, as it gave them only four days between the close of their academic year and the regatta, while the term for the "Aggies" does not close until July 17. The expense and difficulty of keeping the other colleges waiting was acknowledged, as well as the unfairness of it, so the day finally fixed upon was July 17.

Next came the question of where the regatta should be held. A very few were in favor of some part of the Hudson, and more of Saratoga. Mr. Goodwin mentioned some of the advantages of Springfield, and was followed by Mr. Luther, who stated that the Springfield Club was anxious to have it in that city, and would give prizes, furnish boat accommodations, etc. Though the two gentlemen who had measured the breadth of the course differed widely in their opinions about the practicability of starting twelve crews, it was voted that the regatta be held at Springfield, that the course be straight-away, three miles, and that the Regatta Committee fix the starting-point. Now came the great dispute and struggle as to who should be qualified to row in the different crews. Motions were made, and amendment after amendment added. The presiding officer showed clearly a lack of decision and an ignorance of parliamentary rules which a few more years in college may correct, and was, just at this point, in a cheerful state of mental haziness as regarded what motions had been made, lost, or carried. It seemed as if order would never come out of this chaos. The only thing quite clear in all the motions and amendments was that Yale was working hard to allow men to be taken from the scientific schools alone, in addition to the academic departments, and that all the small colleges who have never rowed yet, and who will, in all likelihood, not enter a crew at Springfield this year, were voting with Yale with as much regularity as if it had been arranged beforehand. This furnishes a sequel to the nomination of officers. Harvard energetically opposed all these amendments, taking the honorable and magnanimous ground that if the colleges were allowed to take students from their different schools, the larger colleges would have a still greater advantage over the smaller than they now have. A decrease of enthusiasm and competition would result, and the true interests of the association would be subverted. But if they were allowed to do so all the schools must be allowed, and the race made one of University against University; for no rule of qualification could be laid down which would put all the colleges on an even footing. After more discussion, the resolution as amended was passed.

Resolved, That an undergraduate connected with any institution be declarede ligible for its representative or University crew; meaning by "undergraduate" all candidates for the degree A. B., Ph. B., or such other degree as represents a similar or parallel course. But no person shall be allowed to row on the crew of one college who has graduated at another.

It is worthy of note that the colleges opposing this resolution were Harvard, Massachusetts Agricultural College, Williams, and Amherst, three of whom were the leaders at the last regatta.

We have failed to carry our point, but it is a matter of question whether our interests really suffer by this resolution. For the present, at least, Yale has the advantage, because she can take valuable men from the Sheffield S. S. (in fact, we understand that this year three of the intended crew belong to that school), which is large, and comparatively few in it are graduates of any college; while we have only a small number in the Lawrence S. S., a large part of whom are graduates. But nothing prevents us from placing in our crew men from our Medical, Law, or Divinity Schools who have never taken a degree, and there must be some in them who are men of sterling merit. At present the number of rowing men in them is small, because they have had no inducement to row; but another year, we are confident, will give us a large number to select our crew from.

The business of the Convention then took a moral turn, and a committee of three - Thayer, Whitridge, and Hartwell - were appointed by the chair to stop pool-selling at the regatta. The next vote, as showing that all colleges are unanimously resolved to row as gentlemen, and to avoid all professional tricks or any dealings with professionals, was the most important one passed during the day. It was introduced by Mr. Moses, of Cornell, and reads as follows:-

Resolved, That no trainer or coach be, after this year, allowed in matches of this association, except graduates or undergraduates of the college represented.

This vote raises college-rowing to a higher position than before, and gives it a more dignified tone. Resolutions were then passed providing for two sets of colors as prizes for the winning University and Freshmen crews, and prohibiting any colleges not represented in the coming regatta from voting at the next annual meeting. A Regatta Committee was then chosen, consisting of

R. H. Dana, Harvard; H. A. Oakes, Yale; E. M. Hartwell, Amherst; E. P. Alexander, Massachusetts Agricultural; John Gunster, Williams; F. A. Waterhouse, Bowdoin; G. B. Underhill, Trinity; A. D. McClellan, Brown; H. H. Coston, Wesleyan; F. A. Thayer, Dartmouth; G. M. Spear, Columbia; J. B. Edgerly, Cornell; Josh Ward (proposed, but rejected), Williams.

After many trivial and ludicrous motions the Convention adjourned, to meet at the same place the last Wednesday in March, 1874.

Though many important points have been definitely settled, the results of the Convention, taken as a whole, are hardly satisfactory to many of the colleges. The old dispute as to who are eligible for University crews is not settled any more fairly than it was before, to say nothing of the time wasted upon the useless discussion of unimportant points.