A NEW ASPECT.

Dr. Sargent, in discussing the idea of a department of athletics, makes an interesting point. He reminds us that while all intramural sports would be held under the direction of such a department, intercollegiate contests, which since their organization have been regarded as the sacred property of the student body would still be managed by the Athletic Association. This dual management would pacify those who feared that control by an athletic faculty meant the passing of the big teams.

At the same time Dr. Sargent's article alters our whole conception of the function of the department. Compulsory training is taken for granted. Two additional courses are inserted in the requirements for a degree. Our first vague impression was that the proposed readjustment would simply undertake a saner organization of the present system, a truly equal opportunity for all in physical training, and a removal of the semi-professional spirit. Compulsory athletics we could neither regard as practical nor as advisable. Those who had seen the actual working of compulsion suggested that the opposition which the idea raised in the individual almost totally offset the advantages of the training offered. Although we cannot express an opinion on the matter till a more definite plan is proposed, yet it would seem more reasonable to organize the new system with a view toward extending the opportunities rather than toward requiring the students to act against their inclinations.