Scientist Finds Widener Air Is 99.04 Percent Pure--"No Cause to Worry," He Tells Panic-Stricken Reading Public

All the world has its quota of skeptics. Some there are who would investigate more closely schools and theories of religious belief; others who are not content with the present status of our scientific speculation. At Harvard, however, they are not satisfied with tangible and concrete targets for doubt, they must have something more aerial: they examine the air.

A recent CRIMSON editorial, declaring that the air in the Widener Library's reading rooms was not fit--to breathe, stirred the very heart and soul of one of Harvard's embryo investigators of nature to such an extent that, in a militant spirit, he advanced against the upper reading room, surrounded some of the doubtful air by vigorous charges of an atomizer in two one liter flasks, and bear a cautious retreat to Boylston Hall, holding tightly on to the air.

According to H. D. Stebbins '27 who conducted the experiment, the air in Widener is perfectly pure, having a carbon dioxide content of only .06 per cent from one test and .07, the result of a second test.

When asked what prompted him to make an investigation, Mr. Stebbins replied: "I am not a regular reader of the CRIMSON, but this matter was brought to my attention by my roommate. I have always been appalled by the relatively small number of readers at Widener and I feared that a question as to the purity of the air might even further discourage taking advantage of our reading facilities. I was determined to clear up this matter and thus prevent an undue falling off of the attendance at the library. I am perfectly content with the results. Since I made two tests and since the percentage content of carbon dioxide varied only .01 per cent, the college will be glad to know that I feel myself justified in pronouncing the atmosphere at Widener perfectly safe, recognizing, of course, the fact that no tests are infallible."