LET THERE BE LIGHT

By publishing the report of the special committee to collect facts regarding the time required of students participating in certain athletic sports the Faculty has entered an entirely new field. While the immediate purpose of the report is to enlighten inquisitive minds as to the effect of athletics on scholastic standing. It is responsible for a result of greater importance than mere facts. For the first time in this history of the College the Faculty has resorted to statistical investigation on a matter of importance; in fact, it is hard to recall any similar far-reaching inquiry at any other large University. Personal opinions, which are always riddled with personal biases, cannot deal efficiently with the problems of a college of Harvard's size without the aid of reliable scientific investigation. Accordingly, the success of the recent report indicates the value of such investigation, and should establish a new and useful precedent.

The committee recognized that statistics alone are not necessarily an accurate representation of facts and accordingly has properly qualified them. Captains, managers and players on the various athletic teams were called into conference and suggestions from members of the Faculty were invited. A study of the report shows clearly that the statistics compiled are interpreted with caution, and that it is possible to obtain a reliable index of the general trend by means of statistical research. For example, there has been much loose talk about the relation between athletics and scholarship. The report now published settle this question for all unbiased minds. It has particularly brought into relief two facts: that participants in athletics are only slightly below the average standard of scholarship, and that the present system of management causes considerable neglect of studies on the part of managers and candidates. Consequently, the Faculty and the responsible leaders of the various team can co-operate on a basis of common knowledge. Such cooperation is essential to progress. The same means which brought about this progressive move can be profitably employed in dealing with other college matters.