Athletics at Harvard During '60's

Marshall S. Snow '65, has written an interesting article on athletics at Harvard in civil war times. Athletics in the sense in which the term is commonly understood now, has no existence in those days. The only inter-collegiate contest in which Harvard engaged was the annual beat race with Yale on Lake Quinsigamond, near Worcester, in which Harvard was usually the winner.

Baseball, as we know it now, was introduced into Harvard College by Frank White '66, who died about 10 years ago in St. Louis.

Football was played very little except on the first Monday night of the college year, called "Bloody Monday Night," when the Freshmen and Sophomores played a game in the twilight and the dark, ending in a grand scrimmage which might perhaps be called a free fight.

This diversion was abolished by the strict orders of the faculty during Mr. Snow's sophomore year. At that time there was a gymnasium, meagerly furnished, in charge of a colored man, who was looked upon with some degree of awe, for he was said to belong to the noble profession of prize fighters, and even when older was reputed to be skilfull in boxing.

"Athletic sports held a place very subordinate to all the other life of the college; perhaps it was too much subordinated to other things, but the proportions were much better observed then than at present when the pursuit of athletic sports in many cases would seem to be the chief aim of college life."