(The Crimson invites all men in the University to submit signed communications of timely interest. It assumes no responsibility, however, for sentiments expressed under this head and reserves the right to exclude any whose publication would be palpably inappropriate.)

To the Editor of the CRIMSON:

We fully agree with the editorial in Saturday's CRIMSON that the first question to decide before we can intelligently discuss any of the plans for a discussion of the disarmament conference is "What purpose shall that discussion serve?"

It is probably fairly evident to anyone who has talked with experienced men that the theoretical opinions of the college students of the country could not carry superlative weight with the diplomats who will assemble in Washington; but it is also evident that it will be of immense interest and assistance inasmuch as it does represent the academic opinion--and the men of the academies today will be the men of the world tomorrow.

An assembly of students to discuss disarmament would be of value as self-advertisement for the colleges; but do the colleges need it? and would a convention held for that purpose be sincere or genuine?

If the first consideration (advice for the Washington conference) is primary, the plan of Penn State would seem best; if the second (advertisement) that of Princeton: for a convention of sixty could be more clearly followed than a series of mass meetings, although the latter would better represent the opinion of the students.

But it seems to us that both these considerations are secondary and incidental.

The primary purpose of the proposed discussion should be to stimulate intelligent intellectual interest and thought in this, the greatest of world problems. The students of America need sound principles and ideals, albeit tempered by practical considerations, to govern their actions when they step from universities to positions of responsibility in the world. Let us not see nine out of ten students discard the theories learned at college and go through life governed by expediency and prejudice.

For this purpose (stimulation of student thought) we feel that a combination of a convention which should clarify the problem and act as an exchange between colleges, and mass meetings which should meet, having followed the proceedings of the convention in the papers, to express the opinion of the students as a whole is undoubtedly most desirable. JOHN L. SWOYEZ JR. '25, October 15, 1921.