THE LORD'S PRAYER

With the exception of the Tercentenary, nothing has been watched by Harvard this season with greater interest than the performance of the football team. The thunderclap of last Saturday's defeat at the hands of an unusually skilled West Point team is viewed by the undergraduate body as a mere setback which should not cast the bar sinister across the rest of the season.

To an eleven which has not yet had the opportunity to show its mettle an attitude of interest and sympathy on the part of the university is essential. Even if enthusiasm cannot be expected to soar in the face of complete routs or "victories of the one eyed against the blind," the tide can never be turned without the whole-hearted backing of the undergraduates. This support must come first; then it is hoped the victories will follow.

Harvard has more at stake than mere athletic prestige. As one of the last strongholds of amateurism among the large universities, it must vindicate the stand it has taken. Like the virgin at Winter Carnival, Harvard must prove that one can be virtuous and get away with it. The atmosphere is right for success. Since his arrival last fall Coach Harlow has inspired respect and confidence. The student body has refused to see in a series of defeats any permanent omen. This season the Boston newspapers have been very considerate, especially for Boston newspapers. There is every hope that the Dartmouth game will prove Harlow's Battle of the Marne, and the burden to be born by the undergraduates is as important as that of the team itself.