We sincerely hope that the directors of the Harvard Reading Room will find it possible to start that deserving and very useful institution this year on an enlarged and greatly improved basis. The support received by the college reading-room in the past has varied greatly, generally in proportion to the degree of energy manifested by its managers for the time being as well as to the amount of interest shown by different classes in college. There is no reason, however, why this year, Harvard college, with its largely increased size should not find it to its interest and convenience to support and maintain a reading-room which shall surpass in its size and general accommodations all previous institutions of the kind seen at Harvard or at any other college. Yale has a reading-room of the very first-class, largely patronized by all the students. It is true that at Yale the college itself bears the larger proportion of the expenses of the room, while at Harvard it would probably be impossible to obtain from the college more than the mere use of a room without light or heat This fact, however, should be small reason to explain the non-existence at Harvard of an institution fully equal in all its conveniences and appointments to that at Yale. If a sufficient number will grant their support there is no doubt but that the directors of the reading-room will find it possible to secure a room, perhaps in Dane Hall, which can beheated at a moderate cost, and which can be lighted and kept open in the evenings. Indeed we should strongly urge that at least the experiment of an evening reading-room be tried by the directors until it is definitely decided whether the college will grant sufficient aid to permanently support the undertaking or not. Such a move would undoubtedly add very largely to the popularity of the reading-room, and men would find in it a pleasant place to spend an idle evening in conversation or in the perusal of the latest newspapers and magazines.

We would especially urge upon the classes of '86 and '87 that they give their active support to this measure if it be tried. Of course, if the institution should in this way be permanently established they would reap a larger benefit from it than the older classes. Besides their numbers and well-known energy and enthusiasm would be of the greatest value.