THE HARVARD UNION.

In Wednesday's HERALD-CRIMSON, there is a letter signed "Graduate" urging the formation of a Harvard congress or mock parliament,-an assembly of students for the discussion of political subjects with a view towards benefiting themselves, and making themselves more suited for a political career. The writer does not seem aware that there was once here a Harvard legislature, the aims of which were those in great measure of the congress, which he is so anxious to see formed, and that this legislature or congress failed miserably.

Nor does the writer seem to be aware of the still existing Harvard Union. The Union does now certainly some good work, and we should like to see it do more, but there are certain facts in the condition of the college which perhaps preclude its doing more work as now constituted. The first and main one is this, that as a body of students, we come too early to college to have formed opinions on any large subject, and also that most of us have had no literary education to form such opinions. The mass of students here, excluding the class that come merely for amusement, come here to have their opinions formed and widened on all subjects to be made men in a word. If this is true, the Union can not at present be a great debating society, nor can it hope to equal the Oxford and Cambridge Unions or English mock parliaments. The second reason is that but few men take an interest in the Union, especially among the class of men known as "society men." This is just what ought not to be, for from the society men-the moneyed gentlemen, the unemployed, come quite as much as from the opposing class, the employed, the office-holders of the future. The interest of the unemployed must be awakened before the Union can hope to do really valuable work. But how can the Union here help men to form good opinions and how excite an interest in the non-working class? It would do much we think in imitating the example of the Cambridge Union. Here the conditions are much the same as at Harvard, yet the Union thrives there. In the first place it is a regular club and owns a club house. This club house is a roomy brick building; as one enters the hall-way, one's attention is called to the large debating room. This room is a little smaller than Sever 11, but it is handsomely furnished with heavy cushioned seats and chairs. Upstairs are the reading room well supplied with various papers, and the writing room, where members of the club may write and have posted their letters; beyond is the smoking room. In fact, the Cambridge Union is a club organized as a gentleman's club with the end in view of holding weekly debates. Now why could not the Union here begin on something like this plan, first by making a yearly assessment on its members; with this money it could hire and fit up some rooms, and as it grew it could become more and more of a club. That the advantages of such a club open to the whole college with some restrictions, would be inestimable cannot be doubted. Next week we hope to give a few of the reasons why such a club must and would thrive here.

E.