The question of incorporating into the playing rules of the Inter-Collegiate Base-Ball Association the changes which were made at the recent convention of the National League, will undoubtedly come up for decision at the next meeting of the association.

It has previously been the custom to adopt the league rules entire, on account of the necessity of using in practice games the same rules that are to be used in games for the championship. This year, however, as practice games with professional nines are forbidden by the faculties of most of the colleges, there is not so much reason for following such a course, and in our opinion the colleges should take advantage of the opportunity to adapt the rules especially to their own needs, without paying so much attention as formerly to strict conformity with the rules of the league.

To some of the proposed changes there is no objection to be made, but two of the new rules we hope the College Association will see fit to reject. These rules are the ones which abolishes the foul-bound catch, and the one which allows the pitcher to deliver the ball with his hand anywhere below the line of the shoulder.

The game of base-ball, as at present played, is becoming too scientific to retain its popularity long among college sports. Interest is confined almost entirely to the pitcher and catcher. The first question that is always asked of any nine is, "What sort of a pitcher has it got?" If the pitcher is good and is supported by a catcher who can hold his delivery, the batting and fielding qualifications of the rest of the nine become minor points of consideration, while if the pitcher is poor no excellence on the part of other players can remedy the defect. The pitcher, with the assistance of the catcher, is depended on to do the work for the whole nine. Small scores are the natural result. A team knows that it cannot do much of anything itself against an effective delivery, and so devotes its energies to keeping the other side from doing anything. Success in a game depends, too often, not on particularly good play on the part of the winners, but on some particular error or succession of errors on the part of the losers. Base-ball is frequently as much a game of chance as of skill. Some change will have to be made before long in the method of play, and it will probably be inaugurated by the colleges as the leaders in amateur athletics. The first step toward such a change will be to dipitcher. The new rule adopted by the minish the undue importance of the National : League would have precisely the opposite effect. True, the practice thus sanctioned has been common for the past two or three years, though forbidden by the rules; but that is no reason why it should be made legal. The reasonable thing to do would be to keep the old rule, and insist upon its enforcement, and that is the course upon which we hope the College Association will determine.

The other change to which we object seems to us entirely unnecessary. The only thing urged in its favor is that the batter will thus be given a slightly better chance of hitting the ball safely. The better way to work a reform in this direction is, as we have suggested above, to diminish the efficiency of the pitcher. By abolishing the foul-bound catch the advantage given to the batter will be comparatively small, and at the same time some of the prettiest and most brilliant plays which now add so much to the interest of the game will be rendered impossible.