REAPING THE WHIRLWIND

J. F. Hamill 2L and Princeton '25, a former Chairman of the Princeton "Tiger," is the author of the following letter:

To the President of the CRIMSON:

As a graduate of Princeton and as a second year man in the Law School of Harvard. I would appreciate the opportunity given me by the use of your columns to offer one or two criticisms to the editorial board of the Lampoon.

Speaking as a Princeton man, I regret to see the Lampoon or any other small coterie of Harvard undergraduates attempt to act as self-appointed spokesmen for the undergraduate body as a whole. Why there should be this feeling against Princeton, I do not know. Even if such a feeling exists, why it should be stirred up and encouraged by Harvard, I do not know. And granted even that it exists and should be aired in an effort to clarify matters. I do not know any reason why the airing should be done by the Lampoon rather than by others higher in authority, more sagacious, certainly more polite and tactful, and probably very much better informed, as to the true status of present Harvard-Princeton relations.

Speaking as a graduate student in Harvard, it seems most inappropriate that any group of men in a university of this size and importance should attempt to clog in the least degree the machinery of good-will existing among the graduates of so many other schools of learning. It is true unfortunately that the opportunities for social intercourse between graduate students are much restricted by the unusually heavy work assigned them, but this fact is in itself a reason for making the few opportunities that exist as pleasant as possible. Princeton sends a large number of its men to the graduate departments of Harvard each year: in the Law School its graduates rank in number second only to those of Harvard itself. I cannot see that the last number of the Lampoon will have any visible effects on the friendship existing between Harvard and Princeton graduate students, but it does seem a dubious method of encouraging it. We in the Law School have heard of Burke's saying that, "Law sharpens the mind must be narrowing while we are here, let it be by some other agency....

In conclusion, I wish to assure the Lampoon board that, although my copy was bought (on the way to the game) rather than borrowed, I do not demand my money back. There was a so-called quip in the issue about a man having a quarter and not knowing whether to buy "Snappy Stories" or the "Tiger", and the newsdealer replying. "Aw, what's the matter with the quarter anyhow?" I cannot help but wonder whether the writer didn't foresee my paying my quarter for the Lampoon. Of course there was no question of comparing the Lampoon to "Snappy Stories", but at least I think I would have done better by investing in "St. Nicholas".