The 'Varsity football season opened promisingly on September 20 with the reappearance of nearly all of last year's team and many new men, drawn chiefly from the class teams, as candidates for the eleven. An initial 'Varsity was picked at once from those men whose experience and qualifications of last year formed a basis for the choice. Substitutes were also chosen and a second eleven formed which had different signals from the 'Varsity and was independent of it. Light practice was early instituted for the purpose of diminishing the liability to injury, with the result that much time was spent in running through signals.

The first scheduled games, those with Williams and Bowdoin, which were won by the scores of 20-0 and 24-0 respectively, presented good opportunities for trying the relative strength of various plays. As a whole, both of these games were encouraging, as the 'Varsity, with the exception of general looseness of play, developed promising form for so early in the season. Dartmouth proved less easy, as they were beaten only 13-0, and prevented Harvard from scoring in the first half. In this game, more than in any of the following ones, Harvard showed her knowledge of the game and ability to put it into practice when in a tight place.

In the Amherst game which followed, and which was won by the score of 38-0, the line-men showed a palpable weakness in the defense of punts and their lack of aggressiveness in breaking through. The West Point game, won by the score of 10-0, was characteristic of fumbling and ragged defence, while once more Harvard's backs proved inferior to those of their opponents. Against Newton the 'Varsity scored 24 points and showed a decided improvement over their previous form. The next game with Brown they also won easily by the score of 18-0, and in this game exhibited the best football that they had so far been capable of. A fault still conspicuously apparent, as in the other games, was the uncertain starting of the backs. The interference showed new strength and compactness. Then came the reaction of the Newtowne game. Harvard won, 22-0, yet there was such a deplorable falling off in their form that the game was worth little as furnishing any advantageous results.

By far the hardest game of the season was that with Cornell, in which Harvard suffered, being scored on for the first time. The final score of 24-5, however, partially made up for Cornell's score, which was not the result of any superior strength, but of a case of carelessness on Harvard's part. Cornell was completely outplayed in every particular, except punting.

The last of the scheduled games, that with Wesleyan, resulted in an easy victory for the 'Varsity. Thirty-four points were scored in practically one half, and there was such little opposition to all of the plays that the game resolved itself into a contest of little value in determining the weak points of the team.

Judging from past games, Yale is generally conceded to have a harder and fiercer style of offensive play than Harvard, while Harvard's strength undoubtedly lies in their defence, which has proved the strongest feature of their play the past season.