With the re-organization of the inter-collegiate regattas comes the question whether Harvard shall or shall not participate. There are a few among us who favor the plan of training up a four-oared crew, but it seems as if this project, abandoned six years ago as no longer practicable, can hardly be worthy of serious consideration at the present time, when, in addition to the reasons which existed six years ago, we have another crew, and one which requires the best of our oarsmen and the greater share of our attention.

A four-oared crew would not represent Harvard for two reasons. In the first place our best oarsmen are rowing in the 'Varsity, and a four-oar must necessarily be composed of second rate men. In the next place Harvard, owing to the number of her students and the magnitude of her rowing interests, cannot be so well represented by a four-oar as by an eight. While a smaller college may accidentally have four men who can outrow a Harvard four, owing to their superiority in natural strength, yet when the range is widened, and the test with eight men required, the smaller college could not muster an eight-oar capable of coping with a Harvard eight. Consequently, in consenting to row in fours we might give to our adversaries an undue advantage.

Again, the item of expense becomes a serious one in these days of elaborate preparations and costly training for the Yale race. As we could not think of impairing our chances by rowing in any of the old condemned four-oars now in the boat-house, we would need a new boat at the cost of something like four hundred dollars. In addition to this there would be the cost of training the four and the substitutes, the transportation to the place of the race and the quarters at the place of race, - all aggregating a sum which we do not feel disposed to lay out in consideration of the small benefit which we could derive from the regatta.

Those who favor the scheme argue that Harvard by participating in such a contest would show her good will toward and her fellow feeling with other colleges, and thus do away with any idea that she is standing aloof from the rest; but we think the other colleges will fully understand and appreciate our motives for not entering such a contest. Besides, Harvard, by her interest and partial co-operation in the Inter-Collegiate Press Association, has shown that she stands ready to encourage and further inter-collegiate relations wherever she can consistently with her own interests do so.

Therefore, while we are disposed to look with favor upon the idea of inter-collegiate regattas as furthering the cause of boating in other colleges, we are compelled to keep ourselves out of such races, for the reason that our interests lie in other quarters, and that our important races with Yale and Columbia occupy all the attention that the college can well devote to inter-collegiate rowing contests.