As we are now on the threshold of a now year it is well to make a slight review of the past, to see if we cannot gain some inspiration from it to aid us in the future. Considered in an athletic point of view, the past year has been moderately successful;-to be sure we put the Mott Haven Cup again to our credit and earned all the rowing events in which we were represented, but in base-ball and foot-ball, the sports in which the popular interest is especially centered, we were weighed in the balance and found wanting. It is easy to see what caused our discomfiture in the former sport the structures of the faculty-but we can only attribute our want of success in foot-ball to "general adverse circumstances." We believe that our system is wrong in respect to training up foot-ball players and we trust that this year will find an improvement in the formation of class elevens, in the better quality of material at hand, and in more systematic and scientific coaching. Lacrosse seems to have fallen behind as a university sport and we would warn all who have the interest of the game at heart that unless they improve the present time, the opportunity for establishing the game on a firm footing here will be gone. Bicycling has been energetically advanced in the college, and we can only urge its forwarders to go on as they have begun.

At present our prospects on the water are quite as good as last year, and perhaps better, and we believe the crew will work hard to put on record another victory for the crimson. Our base-ball interests are likewise beginning to brighten, the faculty having, if correctly reported, acted most honorably and sensibly in regard to the game. We only desire those who represent us this year in the base-ball field to do their utmost to improve this opportunity, and by their actions to show that the so called "evils of professionalism" are more than counter balanced by the advantage to be gained by profiting by the experience of professionals. As to retaining the intercollegiate cup this year, we are not so sanguine. It is evident that we lost much good material with the exit of '83, and it remains to be proved whether they have any worthy successors among the lower classmen. We must therefore urge everyone who has any athletic ability, to endeavor to turn it to account, and to make sure of our being represented by a good team in May. All our athletes must awaken to the fact that the time for the winter meetings is rapidly approaching, and there is little enough time left for preparation.

In conclusion we would recommend all the various organizations to profit, more than is usually the case, by past experience, and we feel sure that if they earnestly endeavor to do this, Eighteen Eighty-Four will see the Crimson victorious wherever it is represented.