We hardly think the New York Times is justified in its gloomy view of the future of the national cheer, nor that it does right in ascribing so great a share to American colleges in bringing about the present "degeneracy" of the practice. The popular cheer and the college cheer are essentially distinct. If the good people of this country choose to conform the style of their hurrahs more or less to the fashions set by the colleges, surely the latter are not to blame. The form of cheering adopted by any college is its distinctive possession and invaluable birthright. The practice forms one of the most cherished of college customs, and he who would attempt to stamp it out is but a tyrant and an innovator, whose conduct could only arouse abhorrence in all right-thinking minds. Besides we are inclined to think that the popular cheer is not so much influenced by the peculiar forms of college cheers as the Times would imply, and that its growing short, sharp and brittle sound is merely the result of the combined influence of the climate and of the rushing, brisk and nervous character of the American people.

College cheers are very indicative of the distinctive types of character which each college produces. The esprit du corps of any college is easily measured by its cheer. The simple form and the full, uniform beat of the Harvard rah is significant of the dignity, unity and self-restraint of college life at the first American university. There is no custom handed down from the past that we can better afford to guard with jealous care than the Harvard cheer. The Williams cheer is, we admit, unfortunate and far from edifying. That of Dartmouth is decidedly ludicrous, to say the least, but is more or less typical of the college whence it comes. Princeton's is novel and impressive. Yale's as usual is but a weakened imitation of Harvard's. Columbia's is representative of a large class of ingenious makeshifts, not inappropriate and often pleasing, the chief idea of which is the spelling out of the college name in the cheer. Of this variety there is almost no end. We can almost imagine that a man might safely choose his college from its cheer. so indicative are they all of the character of student life in the several colleges. Whatever may be one's outside opinion, however, once in his own college cheer of course will seem the best; and for example, to a Yale man all other college cheers can but appear but as poor parodies and weak chaff, as to a Harvard man, they appear as interesting types and pleasant follies. But of this we no doubt shall hear more anon.