EDITORS DAILY CRIMSON. - As I take it, you base your objections to the employment of a college sparring teacher at a regular salary on two grounds: One the establishment of a precedent in engaging a special instructor for a branch of gymnastic work; the other, the lack of interest in sparring among the members of the university. Why should you fear to establish that same precedent which the CRIMSON fears so much? There is no law that forces the faculty to have a proper regard for it in their management of our affairs; and if next year a petition were to be got up to employ a regular fencing master, the faculty would certainly not be compelled to grant the petition simply because a year before they had granted one like it for another sport.
You claim that insufficient interest is taken in sparring. This is hardly true, inasmuch as the sparring-room is occupied part of the morning, and during the entire afternoon by men taking instruction. Moreover, reduce the price of the sparring lessons from eighty to thirty-five cents apiece, as the petition demands, and you will see the less wealthy men of the college avail themselves in great numbers of the opportunities afforded them to learn the sport at the reduced price.
'88.THE SPARRING QUESTION. II.EDITORS DAILY CRIMSON. - I read with pleasure your editorial condemning the petition to make Mr. Ferris a paid instructor of the university. I am in favor of giving all possible exercise to the students and as much instruction in athletics as is reasonable; but I think that until the experiment of having a paid assistant in the gymnasium and for general athletics, has been tested by some years of experience it is too soon to talk about engaging any further instructors, especially for special lines of instruction.
With regard to Mr. Ferris I should say that the university could certainly find a man who would fill the position of instructor in sparring with greater credit to all concerned. I do not think that it is enough that such an instructor should act as your correspondent of Wednesday suggests "in a fair and gentlemanly manner" in his classes. The man who take the position of a paid instructor of Harvard University has a reputation beside his own to maintain, and that, as yet, Mr. Ferris has shown no signs that he is capable of doing.
CONSTANT READER.
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