INTERCOLLEGIATE CONTESTS

The vote taken at the last meeting of the Faculty advising a curtailment of the number of intercollegiate contests calls for more than passing notice. The expression of opinion we are told has been sent not only to the authorities in Cambridge, but to the Association of Colleges in New England, an organization that includes a large percentage of Harvard's athletic rivals. At home it will carry great weight, but abroad it is too likely to be heard with indifferent respect. Coming at a time when all Harvard men are awaiting the outcome of an effort to restore athletic relations between Harvard and Princeton, its effect upon Harvard schedules will be out of all proportion to that upon the athletic calendars of our rivals. In other words, if Harvard's schedules are cut down we will be placed at another disadvantage, similar to the one resulting from the long period of restless changing of coaches that has accompanied an effort to maintain a policy (if such it may be called) that is incompatible with those of our competitors. The new football committee, appointed by Captain Burr, is a move toward permanence in the branch of sport that needs it most, and just as we begin to see light ahead we are confronted by a scheme that, if adopted by Harvard alone, as it is too likely to be, will place us in a worse position than we have yet been.

There is undoubtedly something to be said in favor of smaller schedules. Several of the western universities have already made the attempt, but against eastern teams Michigan and Chicago, both playing small schedules, met little success. We do not wish to uphold this, however, as a criterion of their season as a whole.

It is safe to assume that the experience of the West with the East would be similar to our own under the same circumstances. If we are to continue to play the strongest teams of the East, we must play them on an equal footing. If they can be persuaded to cut down their schedules, the scheme deserves consideration. If not, let us use our influence for what seems best, but not perform damaging theoretical experiments upon ourselves.