SEES POSSIBILITY OF IBIS-FACULTY BREAK

The following review of the January number of the Lampoon was written for the Crimson of R. L. Raymond, Jr., '24, and instructor of English in the University.

Ever since the Princeton debacle and the fact twitting comparison of a Boston debutante dance to the auction block, the arrival of a new issue of the Lampoon has been awaited nervously by an those who live in glass houses. People cannot seem to stand having fun poked at them. And now there's more bits of intra-mural irreverence in the January number which cannot but cause offense to members of the Harvard faculty.

For instance: there is an obviously uncomplimentary picture of a dean ordering dropped eggs. There is a blatant reference, in the style of Vachel Lindsay, to Mumbo Greenough. It is badly states that a professor of history has big feet,--this observation is not even decently veiled by utilizing the convenient literary device of spelling the name M-RR-M-N. Then there is the evil suggestion that as "mid-years are approaching it will be far from undiplomatic for the subtle student to commence accosting his section men with the title professor." What could be more offensive that this, suggesting, as it does, that a sop to the pride of these underlings will influence the mark of the student? The obvious course open to the faculty is to adopt the now popular method of severing relations with the offending sheet.

However all this may be, the humor in the new issue of the Lampoon is of a high order. The pictorial representation of "face lifting in the good old days" surpassed its prototype in life. Best of all is the psychology chapter of "A Popular History of Knowledge". The haphazard selection of "one of the lower forms of life" is the best sample of humor of the irrepressible type since Mark Twain asserted that he was not superstitious, but he always did hate to sleep thirteen in a bed.

The average Lampoon of this year compares more than favorably with the national humorous weeklies. It seems unbelievable that the Boston number should have caused offence. If it did if is a good proof that some of the residents of the Back Bay were much in need of hearing a little humor at their expense.

If the faculty can control their resentment over the January number then all will be well, at least for another month.