In response to the vote of the Faculty four weeks ago, the Athletic Committee met and after a thorough consideration sent the letter which is given below:

CAMBRIDGE, February 25, 1895.To the Faculty of Arts and Sciences:

DEAR SIRS: - The resolution of February 19th, "that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences desire the committee on Athletics to put a stop to all intercollegiate football contests," has been carefully considered.

In reply the Committee desire to say that many weeks ago they decided that unless the character of intercollegiate football was radically improved, Harvard must withdraw from the game. On January 19th, in a formal communication, the Athletic Committee requested the graduate football advisers to take counsel as to the best means of reducing the risks of personal injury, and of eliminating from the contests the unsports-manlike spirit which marked the game at Springfield this year, and to report the result of their deliberations to the Committee before arranging games with other colleges. A few days later the chairman of the Committee, in a letter to Dr. Brooks, urged the importance of giving up the summer practice, of terminating the season not later than the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day, and of reducing materially receipts and expenditures, confining the contests to the home grounds of the competitors.

In compliance with the Committee's request, the football advisers had several meetings and have submitted their report, in substance, as follows:

In order to lessen the excessive notoriety and bring the game within the proper limits of a college sport, they recommend (1) That all games be played upon the home grounds of the competitors; (2) That the sale of tickets be limited to graduates and undergraduates for themselves and their guests; (3) That all efforts on the part of the press to give undue publicity to the game throughout the season be discouraged.

In the matter of training they feel that much has been accomplished by the adoption of Mr. Lathrop's ideas, and they hope to effect still further reforms by shortening the period of hard football work and by providing for a more gradual introduction to the active work. They recommend also the abandonment of the summer practice.

The advisers add that the adoption of the foregoing recommendations will have a marked effect in reducing expenditures and receipts. They recommend also a reduction in the price of tickets to the games.

In regard to physical injuries they point out that the majority of the accidents occurred in the early weeks of practice, and were caused by too strenuous play, before the men were sufficiently hardened, and that the changes in training already mentioned, with others in contemplation, can hardly fail to prevent a repetition of the last season's experience. In order further to diminish the liability of injuries they recommend several novel and radical changes in the rules relating to (a) a fair catch, (b) low tackling, (c) disqualification, (d) reduction of time for resumption of play.

As regards intentional rough play the advisers express their conviction that nearly all the players on College teams desire to play in an honorable way, but that more effective legislation is needed for the detection and summary punishment of the exceptional player of a vicious or ungovernable temper, and to this end they recommend an additional umpire and an increase in the powers and responsibilities of all the officials. These changes, coupled with the influence of the present widespread and merited criticism of unfair play, it is believed, will put the game upon a truly sportsman like basis.

In conclusion, the football advisers say that they fully realize that the present situation of the game is critical and that unless the truly objectionable features are removed, it were best that football be dropped from the present list of intercollegiate sports at Harvard.

The Athletic Committee approve of the recommendations of this report. Being specially charged by the President and Fellows with the supervision of athletics, they regret that no opportunity was given them to make this statement of their views and action, before the Faculty recommended so radical a change as the abolition of an intercollegiate sport of twenty years standing, and of undeniably great advantages, moral as well as physical.

The Committee propose to consider additional measures of reform and would be pleased to receive any suggestions from the Faculty or to confer with a committee of the Faculty upon any of the points mentioned in this communication, and in particular upon matters affecting the relations of the football players to their College duties. They have no illusions as to the evils of intercollegiate football in its present condition; but they are reluctant to believe that Yale and Harvard teams cannot compete with each other in the spirit of gentlemen or that it is impossible to bring the sport into a proper relation with the main purposes of college life. They have great confidence in the judgment and sportsmanlike spirit of Dr. Brooks and his associates and it is, therefore, their unanimous opinion that it is worth while to make an earnest, determined effort to free the game from its objectionable features with a clear understanding that, if the experiment is not distinctly successful, all further attempts to save the game at Harvard shall be abandoned.

For the Committee,Respectfully submitted,JAMES BARR AMES, Chairman.