We find in a recent exchange the introduction of a new sort of championship. Prizes are offered as follows: $10 for the best editorial from '87 editors; $10 for the best literary article contributed during the year '85-'86; $5 for the best poem contributed during the year '85-'86." The first thing notable is that poetry is at a discount, doubtless because the editors who offer the prize, wish to defend themselves, knowing too well that the "wild eyed" poets need little incentive to write. Ever since the world began, man has been inclined to force his thoughts into poetry rather than write them easily in prose. The discount on poetry, there-fore, is very probably due to over-supply. But over-supply, as all students of Political Economy know, is the result of misguided, or misplaced production. This applies to poetry as well as to spades.

But to be champion editorial writer in college, or champion literatus, is surely an honor worth striving for. If this offering of prizes is successful in awakening increased literary endeavor, it certainly merits commendation. That it will be commendable can hardly be doubted. Even $10 has been known to appeal to many a brain and pen. While it is pretty generally true that what is written for money is not of the best quality, yet it is also true that what would be written, for money without it is often not written at all. Then, too, in time the poorer motive of money may lead to that higher and truer motive whereby men are prompted to write from very pleasure, and from their actually having something to write about. Here at Harvard, literary activity is the exception rather than the rule. Still it is true that in this respect, the present year goes far ahead of many previous years, Let us hope that next year will outstrip this. No persons would welcome greater literary ability in the college at large more than the at present over-worked editors of the college papers. We believe that in saying this, we are speaking not only for ourselves, but for the editors of the other Harvard papers as well. To arouse the desired increase of interest in literary work ought not to require ten, or even five dollar prizes. It is to be added that few of the Harvard papers are blessed with thousand dollar surpluses.