The Curfew Conspiracy

The conspiracy began inconspicuously in the convention rooms of the House Committees, then spread silently to the Masters. It now threatens to encompass the entire undergraduate body.

The first sign was the revocation of eleven o'clock parietal regulations for those Saturdays on which Harvard played football at home. Veiling the ban under the cloak of decency, the Masters claimed the eviction notices would prevent drunkenness and vice.

Shrewd observors soon noted, however, that while drunkenness and vice proposed without difficulty on all other Saturdays, football weekends included House Dances. This fact made it clear that the Master's real motive was to drive students to the dances and thereby make them more profitable rather than encouraging virtue. This deduction was supported by the subsequent appearance on Official Bulletin Boards of little white notices proclaiming the eight o'clock curfew for every Saturday night on which the House Committee sponsored a co-educational function.

The implications of such a policy on undergraduate habits are obvious. If pressure for public functions can apply to dances, why not also football games, lectures, or meals? Perhaps parietal regulations for football Saturdays should be cut from the other end, beginning at four o'clock and driving couples to the stands. Better, the University could ensure a good turnout for evening speakers by cutting of electricity in the rooms and closing the libraries. Perhaps attendance at breakfast could be increased by turning off the showers at nine o'clock.

In any event, the implications of the policy should be recognized. If the college is to acquire a public spirited attitude, the administration should not stop with halfway measures. If not, they should recognize and suppress the regulations already in force, which lead in this direction.