No 'Act of God' Intervenes To Delay Reading Marathon

The weather broke just in time to allow freshmen and earnest upperclassmen to return yesterday for the abbreviated ten-day reading period. Any hopes for a repetition of last February's blizzard that served as an excuse for late registration vanished with the snow. The weather bureau reported only "slight snow flurries" in the Boston and Providence areas.

Road conditions were good yesterday, except in Eastern Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut where the driving was reported fairly slippery. Bus lines said buses from the West were on time and only 20 to 30 minutes late coming from the South.

Major airlines checked their New York offices and reported all flights from the West and South were coming in on schedule. Trains, however, ran anywhere from 25 minutes to two hours late coming from St. Louis and Chicago. Washington trains averaged about a half-hour late.

In contrast, heavy snow, icy roads, and a rail strike forced Registrar Sargent Kennedy to pardon last February's late-comers. He termed the hindrances "acts of God."

Eliot House Dining Hall opened yesterday as usual for the early birds. Kirkland House fed those who stayed in Cambridge over the holidays. William A. Neaman, Manager of the Dining Halls, said the number who celebrated Christmas at college "was about the same as usual," but added he wouldn't have the exact figures until today.