TO THE EDITORS OF THE CRIMSON: -

A WAR has broken out in Europe that may involve most of the great powers. In view of its importance, many are anxious to know its real and pretended causes. But the difficulties in the way to this knowledge are great: some of the causes - perhaps all - have their origin in the history of the Ottoman Empire and of Russian interference, while at least one cause dates back to the Latin Conquest of Constantinople in 1204. Since the subject is so faintly understood, if one of our professors of history would kindly give a lecture, open to the University, on the causes of the present war, tracing the history of both countries only so far as necessary, he would confer a favor on the students that would be highly appreciated. If in the limits of a single lecture it would be impossible to treat the history with enough fulness, it might be well to indicate the best sources for supplementary information, and to confine the lecture to such points as bear directly on the subject. If, we repeat, any one of our professors should kindly deliver such a lecture - and as long before the Annuals as convenient - we feel sure that the audience will be large, and that he would be heartily thanked by numbers of undergraduates.