MORE THAN COMMERCIALISM

The announcement of changes in the annual New York Times Current Events Contest which is in another column in this morning's CRIMSON shows that there is a sincere effort on the part of those in charge of it to make it a really significant affair. Although the changes are of minor importance and do not basically alter the nature of the competition, they do clearly indicate that the New York Times is taking more than a purely commercial interest in the enterprise.

For the student whose major interest is either government or history there often appears to be a lack of instruction in contemporary questions. Such a condition is inevitable in an institution such as Harvard which limits its teaching to fields in which the material is fact and not fancy. Past experience has shown that with current events all the pertinent facts are sifted out only through the mills of time.

The fact that a student is unable to follow the events of the day in some organized lecture course is however, no reason for his ignoring them completely. Inevitably some of them will have an effect on his future life and as a result should call forth a vital interest on his part. If the New York Times contest can help to stimulate this interest, it is fulfilling a role which the college cannot adequately handle and its existence is fully justified.