"There is more to be gained from division by halls than from segregation by classes," said Mr. David Lindsay Keir. Exchange Tutor from University College, Oxford, when questioned by a CRIMSON reporter yesterday. His companion at the time, Mr. Clarence Crane Brinton '19, who has studied at New College, Oxford, said, "I have lived under both systems, and I must admit that Oxford is more democratic than Harvard."
Mr. Keir continued, "It would be next to impossible to transform Harvard into a group of English Colleges. The expense would be tremendous, and I'm not sure that I advocate the change; but if the gap was not made too wide it might be well for Harvard to emulate Oxford in many respects.
"There are several fundamental differences between Harvard and Oxford, which being an Oxford man, I consider advantages for Oxford.
"First there is the matter of esprit de corps. Harvard has this to a degree in the different clases, which, however, are too large to have a feeling of unity, and in the clubs, which are too small to affect the whole University. At Oxford each man is a vital part of his college. He sleeps there, studies there, eats there, and has his friends there.
"Then again take the Harvard Freshman who comes up without friends. He meets men his own age and easily gravitates towards a crowd of men all of one type. At Oxford when a man comes up there are only about 200 men in his college, and he soon gets to know them all. He meets men of all ages and types. He gets to know the point of view of other kinds of men, and his intercourse with them is a valuable broadening influence. It is a fact, too, that it does a Freshman good to be thrown with older men, and the upperclassmen in turn profit by the friendship with younger men.
"In athletics also there can be no universal intramural sports at Harvard, because there is no dormitory spirit. At Oxford, practically every one is engaged in some sport. In the Freshman dormitories, with only one year's residence, no sufficient hall spirit can be developed to make all men want to represent the hall on its teams.
"An experiment might be tried," added Mr. Brinton, "for a few years in Gore, Standish and Smith Halls. Instead of one year's residence of Freshmen only, fifty men of each class would reside in each hall, each for four years. The food service would be improved, the Common Rooms made more of a social center, and intramural sports established. A unified spirit would result, which would increase rather than decrease loyalty to the University as a whole."
Mr. Keir and Mr. Brinton both agreed that Harvard, though probably the highest in that respect in this country, was behind Oxford in intellectual curiosity
