A WAITING GAME

Announcing that the members of the Class of '38 have applied for House residence in far greater numbers than any previous class, Dean Hanford sounds the final note of success, in one sense at least, of the House Plan. This very success, however, brings with itself problems which, though not demanding immediate remedy, will make themselves troublesomely obvious. With 819 Freshmen applying for the less than 700 vacancies, the cries of indignation from the large number of students who are bound to be disappointed will ring loud and unmistakable throughout the Yard. Although the prospect of becoming one of the "forgotten men" of Little and Claverly will naturally alarm rejected applicants, they will do well to make an effort to understand the conditions before racing indignantly wild-eyed to a group of unfortunate men who would like nothing better than to make every student of Harvard College a member of the House Plan.

A waiting game, an attitude of tolerance in spite of the dismal outlook, is the best course of action for the disappointed Freshman to adopt. Many students now accepted for the Houses will not occupy their appointed places next fall. The significant group of "dropped" Freshmen; the large numbers who will not return for scholastic, financial, or personal reasons; the annual Sophomore exodus to the pseudo-swank of the now decrepit Gold Coast; all of these are good insurance that the bars will be raised to many before September arrives.

The success of the House Plan insofar as the participation of the students is concerned should spur the authorities on to the final settlement of other problems, a compatibility between the scaling of dining hall prices and eating at clubs, a more normal scaling of room rents, and an individuality other than athletic and social.

That so many applications for admission into the Houses must be refused is of course regrettable. The man whose toes are trod on is diabolically tempted to scream "Why did you take Harkness's money anyway?" It must be remembered, however, that this situation is one which was dimly expected, and one for which neither the House Masters nor the University are responsible. Before the final solution of this problem Harvard must mark time. The only possible outcome without a reduction in the number of admissions to the Freshman Class is an enlargement of the House Plan, a goal which, unfortunately, the University is not in a financial position to attain at the present time.