WHILE we are strongly opposed to the present system of scholarships, we have not the slightest objection to a system that shall dispense pecuniary assistance privately, and according to their needs, to deserving students; we fully realize that much good may be done by this kind of aid. This, however, is a very different thing from publicly awarding a definite sum of money as a prize for meritorious work. It is the incongruous mixing of these two systems - each good in its place - which is objected to. Our grievance, in short, is this: first, that there is no system of scholarships, properly so called, at Harvard, but merely a system of pecuniary assistance; secondly, that the authorities try to remedy the defect by applying to the present system the name of scholarships, and by making public the names of successful applicants. This only makes the matter worse, however; for, as Mr. Higginson well says, there are very few undergraduates "so obtuse as not to see the difference between an honor which is simply and unequivocally an honor, and a so-called honor which is simply a certificate that among a certain number of poor young men a certain applicant is on the whole the most deserving."