COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES BACK OF SEVER.

The Harvard Alumni Bulletin publishes this morning a vigorous editorial urging a transferal of the annual Commencement Exercises from Sanders Theatre, where they have been held in the past, to the quadrangle at the rear of Sever Hall. Last year the Alumni Association tried the experiment with success. The Bulletin goes on to say:

"The difficulties with continuing to hold the exercises in the present way are very grave. Sanders Theatre has seats for only 1218 people, with 164 more on the platform when crowded. As the number of regular degrees conferred now runs from 900 to 1000 it is obvious that there are very few seats left for invited guests, and for the families of the graduating classes. In the last few years, after the faculties and the invited guests have been supplied with tickets in the small portion of the galleries reserved, it has been possible to give one man in three of the graduating class of the College one ticket for some member of his family. That means that very few fathers and mothers have the pleasure of seeing their sons graduate.

"Moreover, what is perhaps quite as serious, the Corporation cannot make Commencement Day a state celebration by freely inviting state and city dignitaries and representatives of the schools. Harvard, it must not be forgotten, stands in close though somewhat indefinite relations to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and the annual festival of the University should be a day for marking and strengthening the bond. This happy function of Commencement must be almost wholly neglected while the Commencement Exercises continue in Sanders Theatre.

"The Sever quadrangle, which was used for the afternoon meeting last year, showed room then for 2200 seats, and the number could have been increased. The hearing was good, and can be made better. There seems no reason why the morning exercises could not be as successful here as the afternoon meeting. Any part of the Yard has the advantage over the Stadium of making possible a sudden change back to Sanders in case of bad weather, without the scattering and confusion which may result if the alternative place is three-quarters of a mile away. And any gathering in the Yard has the very great advantage of surrounding the exercises with the atmosphere of immemorial tradition".

It seems to us that a presentation of the facts is sufficient argument in favor of this proposed change. Any graduation exercises which require two-thirds of the graduating class to inform their parents that they cannot witness the final exercises defeat the very object for which most parents come to Cambridge at the end of the academic year; namely, to see their sons honorably discharged and the diploma received. It is true that the actual sheep-skin may not possess the intrinsic value of past years but the final ceremonies attached to graduation are naturally of the greatest interest to a man's parents. To bar them, as is now necessarily the case at Sanders Theatre, seems to us a defect in management which can be corrected.