The gratitude of the University is due the officers of the New Harvard Union for finally securing the promise of a lecture by Mr. Irving. Mr. Irving's decision will be looked upon with the greatest favor by the students, and his coming will be impatiently awaited. And this for the simple reason that, although college men are fond of light opera and comedy, they yet have a deep respect for the better work of the stage, that work which demands fine artistic sense and a broader, nobler view of the possibilities of the theatrical art than is found in ordinary actors and actresses. There is a positive quality about all art that comes anywhere near perfection which commands respect and admiration; and the man who represents this best art, whether he be painter, sculptor, musician or actor, must be looked upon with a certain veneration. This veneration is very much increased, too, if the man in question, besides being a great artist, has qualities in his own nature which make him attractive and worthy of respect. Mr. Irving has this double charm of the artist and the true gentleman and this, it seems to us, is exactly the reason why the students are so much interested in him and in his work. He, and the actors and actresses of his class are not the mere machines that people see and even applaud today; they are thinking beings who see that the stage, if properly conducted, may be valuable in education, mental and moral, and whose work becomes not merely art for the sake of money, but art for the sake of art.