THE BRANDEIS PETITION.

No better proof of the really strong undergraduate interest in matters which extend beyond the four walls of the University could be given than the petition now being circulated in favor of the confirmation of the appointment of Mr. Louis D. Brandeis, LL.B. '77, to the Supreme Court of the United States. From all outward signs it has seemed during the present year that such interest was at a low ebb. The Forums, for example, have attracted unusually few men; the topic of Preparedness alone has aroused widespread discussion and led to action. The significant feature of this petition in favor of Mr. Brandeis is the spontaneity of its origin; it was not started by any University organization, but by a group of undergraduates as a result of their own discussion of the appointment.

The U. S. Senate will hardly modify its action radically as a result of this petition; but that is not a reason why students should hesitate to voice their opinions on this and other subjects. Prominent graduates of the University have expressed themselves for and against the selection of Mr. Brandeis; it is fitting that undergraduates and professional students should do as much. Men who sign the petition, however, have some reason for doing so. That reason may be a desire to support the Administration; it may be a belief in the ideals, social sympathy, and general qualifications of Mr. Brandeis. If the signers use such discretion, the idea is an excellent one.