The H. A. A.'s Appeal

(The Crimson invites all men in the University to submit signed communications of timely interest. It assumes no responsibility, however, for sentiments expressed under this head and reserves the right to exclude any whose publication would be palpably inappropriate.)

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Please allow me to thank the members of the Harvard Athletic Association for the eloquent appeal and opportunity extended to purchasers of Harvard-Princeton football tickets to contribute for relief of the 3,000,000 undernourished children of Europe.

A recent interview credits Professor Santyanna with saying in one of his essays that no American is devoid of good will; that if he could look into the soul of any man and could not see good will; there he would conclude that that man was not an American.

Not having read the essay I do not know whether the author goes on to establish in us Americans a more active quality which might be called the generous spirit, but 8,000,000 automobiles rolling on specially constructed automobile roads in our country (as against less than 1,000,000 in the rest of the world) leave no doubt that we have it toward ourselves.

Whether or not American character shall deserve the praise implied by those words of Professor Santyanna will depend on the efforts of our colleges and schools to make the generous spirit a more universal fact.

And so it is a fine thing to see a Harvard organization offering intelligent understanding and sympathy for the cause of humanity outside the academic walls. The oftener it happens the better for America. HENRY M. WING '99.

November 1, 1920.