THE TENNIS COURT OATH

No doubt, the famous Tennis Court Oath of the French Revolution was of serious concern to those who took it. At Jarvis Field on spring afternoons one may hear shorter oaths relating to something quite different from political rights, but of far more immediate concern to those who utter them. Due to the increase in the popularity of tennis as an undergraduate sport, the students find that the number of courts available is inadequate to meet the demand. Hardly a day passes when the courts at Jarvis, Divinity, and Soldiers Field are not filled to their capacity. Often the waiting line is so long that if a student has an afternoon class, he must cut it if he desires to play tennis. Since anyone, whether or not he is a member of the University, can use our courts, part of the great demand can be attributed to outsiders. But as these courts are the property of the college, there is no reason why they cannot be reserved exclusively for our students.

Lists ought to be posted at some convenient place such as the Randolph gymnasium, where students can sign up each morning for the use of a court during the afternoon for a period of one hour only. If at the end of that time the court is not claimed, the players may continue. This would prevent the unnecessary waiting of half the afternoon in order to find a vacant court and the injustice of holding a court for two hours while others are waiting to play. If the courts at Soldiers Field were kept in better condition and reserved for the Freshmen, this would leave those at Jarvis for the upperclassmen and the Divinity courts for the tennis team. Such a plan would provide a fair distribution to all and help eliminate the confusion which at present exists.