A Challenge to Mr. Allen

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Mr. Frederick L. Allen '12 has written an unusually thoughtful and thought-provoking review of the current Advocate. And because, like him, we cherish Mother Advocate, we wish to thank him for the stimulus of his opinions and to question some of them.

After inferring the grave possibility that the Advocate leans too hard on our courses in English Composition, Mr. Allen concludes that "An excellent theme may or may not be interesting to the general reader." All of which is quite true. Only we are moved to ask whether an "excellent" theme ought to be denied the force of ink simply because it may or may not be interesting to the "general" reader? The general reader is not, and never has been, the reader of the Advocate. Perhaps he ought to be; but that is another question.

And certainly if the editor of the Advocate must get his article from the man "who is best equipped to deal with it," if he must invite the completely adequate essay "on the technique of modern football" or "the teaching of literature at Harvard," are we not assuming that such authoritative knowledge exists among our undergraduates (one would hardly care to call on our professors except very infrequently), or, granting such knowledge, that the man who knows can also write?

Let us have it that he can write. Will an essay on the technique of modern football stir even languidly the reader of the Advocate whom the teaching of literature at Harvard keeps awake of nights? Again perhaps . . . but that is another question.

One thing is sure: that when our undergraduates cease writing on, and our undergraduates cease reading about "Sunset by the Shore," then we shall have ceased to function healthfully and might just as well march in goosestep to Still man-on-the Charles. For when the "Younger Generation" is of the morrow, "Sunset by the Shore" will still be of today. And when the editors of college lit erary magazines begin editing and writing for their readers "as, for example, the editors of college comic magazines do," we may have more "vitality", but we are not likely to have college literary magazines.

We have been detestably Philistine. We have also been sincere. We have asked questions because we are eager to find out exactly how Mother Advocate is to amend the present sorry scheme of things. We earnestly hope that Mr. Allen and we feel he can do it--will tell us how.  JOSEPH AUSLANDES '17