Syracuse Says Thumbs Down

When it was noised abroad that the undergraduate publications at Harvard were in favor of refusing Edward S. Harkness' gift of $11,000,000, it was generally conceded that the editors of the Harvard Lampoon and the Crimson were "out of order." The prevailing opinion seems to be that colleges should accept money under any circumstances at all times and from anybody who wishes to donate.

It looks like a forced fraternity system and it is no wonder that the editors of the Lampy and The Crimson are voicing protest. Fraternities can exist in America because they have freedom of selection--they can choose the people they want to live with as a more or less unified group and they have no one to blame but themselves if the group is not congenial. Under the Harvard "House Plan", if a group didn't turn out to be congenial (and most of them wouldn't) only the donors could be blamed and it would be "just too bad that the boys can't get along together."

There seems to be no adequate reason why Harvard undergraduates or the students of any other college or university should be cooped up in designated "halls" where they would be expected to pass most of their time. This proposed artificial method, alleged by its sponsors to be educationally advantageous, certainly isn't conducive to individualism.

If Harvard students would rather live in places of their own choosing and with companions of their own selection, it would be unwise to spend Mr. Harness' $11,000,000, according to the "House Plan," even if the thought of more buildings appeals to the university authorities and many of the alumni. --Syracuse Daily Orange.