To the Editor of the CRIMSON:

For some time "The Student Vagabond" has been giving me a steadily increasing pain in the neck, which has now reached the point where I am going to say something about it. Whoever he is, he displays a narrow spread of vision in his choice of subjects, to say the least. It is quite obvious that he is concentrating in history and literature, and that his two friends are in fine arts and philosophy. Thus far this year there have been, to the best of my knowledge, one reference to a lecture in the division of music, one reference to a lecture in geology, and one to a lecture in the department of Greek. There were no references at all to the departments of physics, chemistry, anthropology, biology, archaeology, paleontology, ogyptology, engineering sciences, astronomy.

The whole CRIMSON is daily displaying its ignorance of the college activities whose reporting is its only justification. When M. Ravel arrived for a two day stay with us, the news went on the front page. Well and good! But on that same day one of the world's leading physicists, Professor Franck of Gottingen, arrived for a four day stay during which time he delivered a series of three excellent lectures, and the CRIMSON doesn't know it yet! Wake up, old fossil, and become aware of the world about you, or else sink further into narrowness and ignorance and the well-earned contempt of the University!! Yours truly,   Engene W. Pike 29.

(Above is reprinted a letter containing a criticism of the Student Vagabond, which may be in the minds of a number of other readers of that department. In substance the writer of the letter expresses his disapprobation of what is largely true--that the Vagabond fails to give as much notice to lectures of a purely scientific nature as to those of a more humanistic tendency.

Primarily, at least, the object of the Student Vagabond is to present, so to speak, a directory of the lectures given in the University in the conduct of regular courses--and occasionally isolated speeches--which may have a cultural interest to the average member of the undergraduate body. To do this adequately and in such a way as to be of aid to the largest number of individuals presents the difficulties usually attendant upon such an endeavor.

No one having that which even approaches an unbiased opinion will deny that particularly in this age and day, science embracing what may be called the exact fields of knowledge--possess an interest and must be a part of everyone's cultural development--that development if it is to become complete. Yet the sciences of a necessity from their innate nature place difficulties in the way of their inclusion in a column such as the Student Vagabond. The Vagabond is designed to be of use to those who, having their schedule of courses complete, wish to drop in occasionally on lectures the subjects of which happen to catch their interest. It is a matter of comparative case to find subjects in History, the Fine Arts or Literature which may be listened to with profit and pleasure by those having only a very general background of knowledge of the subject. In the sciences it is almost impossible to find such a subject. The comprehension of one lecture requires an exact knowledge of what has come before almost as necessarily as does the solution of a geometric problem.

There are, nevertheless, a limited number of courses in which it is possible for the majority of undergraduates to listen to isolated lectures with benefit. Some of these the Student Vagabond mentions. But here again an obstacle presents itself, in that in a number of cases the professors themselves fail to notify the Vagabond of the subjects of their lectures. Patently in such cases we come to an impasse.   The Student Vagabond.)