THE JUNIOR DANCE POSTPONED

The action of the 1919 Committee in deciding to postpone the annual Junior Dance in the Union is worthy of much commendation. There seems to be no doubt that the plans for the dance could have been carried through without transgressing Mr. Storrow's order for the closing of public and private places of amusement at 10 o'clock, but any violation of the spirit in which that order was issued would, in effect, be a violation of the order itself. If it had been thought practicable by the Fuel Administration in New England to cause all dances held in private homes or clubs to be stopped at 10 o'clock, this undoubtedly would have been done. The farthest Mr. Storrow went was to recommend giving up such festivities entailing waste of light and fuel where they did not fall under his jurisdiction. It is on this recommendation that the committee based its action.

The expectation is still held out, however to those members of the Junior Class who have anticipated this event as one of the land-marks of the year, that the dance will be given in the spring. There seems to be no reason to doubt that the present situation in regard to coal will have abated by the middle of April. By that time water transportation will be completely free from ice, and the Government will have brought some order out of the chaos of the railroads. In addition, the needs of the small consumer for fuel will have vanished with the warmer weather. With the return of more normal conditions the practicability of holding the Junior Dance will be assured. It was, therefore, a wise step on the part of the committee to postpone rather than cancel the arrangements they had planned, for the value of one such social function to break through the monotony of the College year is not to be denied.

The action of the Dance Committee is particularly relevant to the fuel-saving scheme now before the undergraduates, and is in keeping with this proposition. Should the College declare itself in favor of the plan of moving all academic engagements forward one hour and the Faculty later adopt it, it would be highly out of place for the Junior Class to hold a function which would be contrary to the entire purpose of the plan of economizing electric lights by the use of the natural light of the early morning. The stand taken in regard to the Junior Dance will probably influence the vote of the College next Tuesday in no small measure. By all means let us have the dance, but let us not have it when to hold it would be unwise and unpatriotic.