WARNINGS FROM BINGHAM

Mr. Bingham's warning against professionalism before the American Football Coaches Association last Friday in New York possesses far more significance for Harvard than the nine resolutions which the NCAA adopted for the New Year. For these resolutions without enforcing clauses are reminiscent of the Kellogg Peace Pact which has been so unsuccessful in preventing war when individual interests point the other way. What is more, they neglect the Harvard problems of indirect graduate influence and subsidization.

But Mr. Bingham, about to announce the choice of a new football coach, is now on public record as fearing that football may suffer the same fate as baseball which "lost prestige when college administrations attempted to compromise between amateurism and professionalism." Those who have had relations with Mr. Bingham have always realized that he placed more emphasis on the needs of the players than on the desires of the grandstand. Now, however, he is bringing out reasons why a so-called professional coach will not react favorably on the gate receipts. It is indeed encouraging to realize that he is not for a compromise in his selection, let alone a surrender.

Certainly, the danger of which the Director speaks from the administration need not be feared with President Conant in office. Thus the only danger left comes from the "professional" Harvard graduate who is so anxious for Harvard to win that he will personally finance athletes through college or insist on a Crisler or a Little to take his charges in hand. To counteract this, however, are the large number of graduates who are more anxious to see football played by undergraduates than mechanized for the audience. Therefore, Mr. Bingham's speech should give the student body, and more particularly the football squad, assurance that the new coach will have but one job, teaching them the game, and not the additional task of "recruiting" candidates for graduate contests.