(Ed. Note--The Crimson does not necessarily endorse opinions expressed in printed communications. No attention will be paid to anonymous letters and only under special conditions, at the request of the writer, will names be withheld.)

To the Editor of the CRIMSON:

The present system of selecting all the Senior class officers by a test of popularity is a custom which should be classed as obsolete. The officers fall naturally into two groups--those which are purely honorary--the marshals for example, and those involving a certain amount of responsibility and work such as the poet, the odist, the secretaries and the various committees.

Would it not be much more sensible to abolish some of these officials altogether or if they must be retained, have them chosen by a form of competition? In order to prevent the stigma of "office-seeker" from being attached to any individual, the contestants should be named by the nominating committee, with the possibility of adding names by petition as is now the custom. This system could be successfully applied at least to the offices of class poet and class odist. The poems submitted by these men should be voted on as to their merit but should not be submitted anonymously so that there might be some room left for choices in personality or if two men have written equally good compositions a certain amount of room may be left for individual preference.

This system would be applied with difficulty to such an office as that of orator. Few people would attend or even be interested in a speaking competition. However, it would undoubtedly remove the most glaring fault which allows a man whose capacities may be unknown to be elected because his name happened to have received more publicity than his opponents.

Many members of the class have never even seen the candidates and often see them for the first time on Class Day. The poems of winners are printed in the Senior Album and are read at the Class Day exercises. Why should future classes continue to elect blindly when better talent, perhaps not so well known is in the class?

This should not be construed by any present officers as an attack upon them or as an attack upon any individual. It is directed only against the traditional method now in existence. Member of 1929.   (Name withheld by request)