The section of President Eliot's report which deals with athletics is, in many ways, the most important word that has yet been said upon the subject. It describes the present condition of athletics with an ability which, so far as we know, has not been equalled. It is clear, incisive, dispassionate, and straightforward. No one deeply interested in the future ofathletics can afford to dispense with its perusal.

When, however, the President turns from the present to the future, when he ends his description of the abuses and commences his recommendation of remedies, the great body of students will falter in foilowing him. The President names a number of possible remedies, and probably does not intend that all should be applied at once. Exactly what remedies, however, he would have applied first are not specified and therefore all the remedies are presented as equally imminent. Some of these measures have much in them that will recommend them to the students, but, on the other hand, there are at least two which the great body of students whould feel to be uncalled for at the present time and proper to be mentioned only as remote possibilities. These are,-first, the abolition of freshman intercollegiate contests; and, secondly, biennial intercollegiate contests by 'varsity teams in each sport.

The first would take away the most important agency in securing participation in athletics by the new members of the University, and this would result in a very great reduction both in general interest in athletics and in the number of candidates for 'varsity teams. The second, by its forced inactivity, would make possible only a spasmodic and half-interested support of athletics. Both measures, even if they would not kill athletics outright would be such savage blows as to leave them woefully crippled.

It is our own belief that the President would, when it came to a question of action, recommend only mild measures, and that he really intends to hold these measures in reserve in case the mild measures should not be sufficient. We consider it unfortunate, nevertheless, that he mentions any such extreme measures at all. The great body of students in Harvard today feel that some reform in athletics is needed. These students are not greatly prejudiced either for or against athletics; they believe that athletics are good and give undoubted contributions to the upbuilding of health, manliness, and morality; and, on the other hand, they believe that athletics have no monopoly on goodness, and that at the present time, they absorb more than their due share of attention. Students in general wish to see athletics have just their due share of attention,- no more and no less. Now such students will heartily support any program of reform that recommends itself to their good sense, and it is just in this respect that the program which President Eliot maps out will find itself weak. However sensible the rest of the report may be, there are certainly some few things in it which will strike the great body of students as altogether too radical. The legislation proposed will strike the mind of the average student as antagonistic rather than sympathetic. We feel that any reform in athletics, to be satisfactory, must win the hearty support of the solid, sensible, unprejudiced students. We believe, however, that the time is now ripe for such reform and that it is therefore particularly unfortunate that the method which President Eliot proses will not secure itself more general support.