Just 50 years ago this month there appeared on the Harvard campus the first issue of the Harvard Lampoon, the prolific forebear of all the other college comics and of "Life." From this tiny prank of several Harvard Seniors in the year 1876 have sprung at least two mighty magazines, a hundred college comics, and a profitable industry engaged in the democratization of humor originating on college greens and in smoky offices of college comics. Certainly Lampy did not anticipate such an outcome of its modest first issue, admittedly the only one planned at the time. But the good idea grew, and there are now few colleges which have not their own college humorous magazines, all of them copied from the Lampoon.

Not only the magazine itself was copied; the whole idea of the Harvard publication was transferred to other campuses. As the Lampoon had its dinners before each issue appeared, so the other comics established their dinners, breakfasts and parties. Even the annual, traditional, and supposedly original Sun Window baseball game had its origin in the Harvard Crimson-Lampy game!

Lampy has had a glorious history. It deserves praise on its 50th anniversary, for it has produced a number of great humorists. It has been freely and closely copied all over the country, not only by other college comics, but as well by the regular humorous magazines. For example, the first burlesque of another magazine was published by the Lampoon. Other burlesques have since been published by practically every American humorous magazine of any sort.

If other college comics had kept closer to their model, they would not be in moderate disrepute today. While the Lampy serves a purpose, a serious one beyond its superficial humor, others have become no more than depositories for what may well be termed flapper humor. Their prototype is unfortunately "Hot Dog" rather than Lampy. --Cornell Daily Sun.