To lose a man from the crew through illness in the last period of training is one thing; to lose him through suspension by the Administrative Board of the University is another. The Board has seen fit to punish two members of the University squad for an infraction of the rules of the College. The case against them was perfectly clear and there was no alternative but punishment. We may be full of sympathy for the offenders, and perhaps for ourselves, but what matters it--the law must be upheld in every well regulated community and it has been.

Our sympathy would be less embracing were the cause of the punishment of a different nature. It was not a case of dishonor or immorality or viciousness, but one of woeful thoughtlessness and lack of recognition of the rules, which in the eyes of the Board is punishable in the same degree as more serious offences. The discipline meted out seems heavy. No serious moral flaw can be found in the act and the Board has not made its decision on the grounds of dishonesty in any connection, but it has dealt with the case sternly and without regard for the stakes at issue on the ground that a strict rule has been broken and punishment is deserved. How strange it is that men who are color bearers of the University, be it in sport or what, not, are willing to jeopardize themselves and the chances of the men they represent by such a thoughtless act!