The foot ball team was favored with an almost perfect day for its first game yesterday, and a large number of students gathered on Jarvis to see it open the season.

Owing to the severe defeat administered to Wesleyan by Yale a short time ago, it was thought that the game would be too one sided to be interesting but Wesleyan proved themselves no mean opponents either in weight or skill.

The game opened shortly after three, with Mr. Camp as referee, and Mr. Richards of Yale as Wesleyan's umpire, Mr. Cabot performing that duty for Harvard. For the first few minutes there was very little brilliant play, but a touchdown by Wesselhoeft made after a very fine run soon aroused the enthusiasm of the spectators. The goal was kicked by Austin. Shortly after Kendall ran with the ball far into Wesleyan's territory and she was forced to make a safety touchdown. A short time before the close of the first three quarters, Wesselhoeft varied the rather uninteresting play by another very brilliant run by which he scored a touchdown. Austin failed in the try at goal, the ball hitting one of the posts and rebounding. Time was called with the ball near Harvard's twenty-five yard line.

The second three quarters opened rather inauspiciously for Harvard, for a miss by Biddle brought the ball almost over our goal line. After several very close but unsuccessful tries-at-goal from the field by Beattys, the Wesleyan half-back. the ball was gradually forced away from our goal, chiefly by good kicking of Austin. Hartley secured the ball in a scrimmage, and by a quick dash scored another touchdown from which no goal was kicked, but shortly after Austin received the ball from the quarter back and kicked a neat goal from the field.

For sometime after this the play was rather spiritless until Austin secured another touchdown after a run of nearly half the field, the most brilliant play of the game. No goal was scored from this touchdown owing to its distance from the posts.

The score was completed shortly after by Biddle, who scored a very difficult goal from the field after a fair catch near Wesleyan's twenty-five yard line. The total score was 3 goals, 3 touchdowns, and 1 safety for Harvard, to 1 safety for Wesleyan, or 23 points to 1 in our favor. For the first exhibition, our team did on the whole quite creditably. Much loose play was to be expected at first, as the large number of new players made concerted play very difficult. The play of the backs was by no means up to the standard of the rush line, and most of the ground was gained by the latter. The half backs often lost much advantage by slowness, but made up in some degree by several brilliant individual plays. The rush line did far better than was expected, and little better blocking with the unity that will undoubtedly come by practice will insure us a stronger forward than that of last year.

The old tendency of Harvard teams not to fall on the ball was often painfully evident in Saturday's game, but this fault will undoubtedly soon be overcome. On the whole the captain is to be congratulated on the showing of the team so far, and the eleven merits all the encouragement that the college can furnish them in the subsequent practice. Wesleyan played a very commendable up-hill game, and the return match later will surely be a very interesting one. Beattys, their half back, did the best kicking of the game, while Gordy in the rush line did some very brilliant rushing.

For Harvard, Wesselhoeft did the most brilliant playing, gaining ground at every opportunity. Adams showed the most active and steady work, and by far the best tackling, in which he was ably seconded by Kendall. Appleton also played his usual reliable and steady game.

The next game will probably be with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team, on Jarvis Field next Wednesday.

The teams were as follows:

Harvard-Forwards, Adams, Kendall, Bonsal, Appleton, (capt.) Hartley, Gilman, Wesselhoeft; quarter back, Crane; half backs, Biddle and Austin; full back, Codman.

Weslyan-Forwards, Gordy, Abbott, Thompson, Smith, Blaine and Wilcox; quarter back, Upham; half backs, Lagues and Beattys; full back, Judd.