Chris Doyle leaned back in his seat on the bus returning from Brown Wednesday and opened a copy of Violence in America.

It was appropriate reading. In the 15-9 loss to Brown, there had been an appreciable light late in the game. Harvard's Bobby Johnson tripped, and while he was lying on the ground, Brown's Ken Wilde jumped on him and began beating him. Another Crimson player, Cle Landolt, ran over and took a baseball swing at Wilde with his stick. The fight spread and lasted about a minute. "All I remember is lying there and getting hit and kicked." Johnson said.

Earlier, after a hard check had dumped Harvard's Ted Rumsey and knocked the wind out of him near one of the corners of the field, the Brown team rose from the bench and yelled ?? argument in that direction. "Way to get that pretty boy!" It was that type of afternoon.

Through it was the biggest, it was not the only fight Harvard has been involved in this spring. Against UMass, Phil Zuckerman was taken out for a while because he and an opponent didn't get along, and Bucky Hayes engaged in some stick swinging with a UMass attackman. Rick Frisble was thrown out for fighting in the Williams contest a few days later. This is not to indict Harvard players; such activity is common to most teams.

It seems, however, that many. If not most, lacrosse players are not very concerned about the situation. "It's part of the game," Landolt says. He and several teammates pointed out ?acrosse is a contact sport in which emotion is high, and lights are therefore hard to avoid. Even coach Bruce Munro, who is not the type of coach that emphasizes the physical element of the game, takes the outbursts in stride. "It's bound to happen." he reasoned after Wednesday's game. They also argue that fights aren't very dangerous in lacrosse because of all the protective equipment. Don ?? has seen score of them, but he's never seen players take off their ??. None of this year's tangles have resulted in injuries. And of course, some persons simply enjoy fighting enough so that they are naturally not bothered when it occurs.

But I think that there are drawbacks which outweight these arguments. I admit that I am viewing this phonomenant from a distance, so I'm more detached about it than someone on the field.

Johnson said that brawls take away from the aesthetic aspect of the game; teams that have finesse aren't as physical as others. And though injuries are not common, they are certainly possible. Finally, it is simply undesirable to have guys out on the field trying to hurt opponents because they have gotten too carried away with the emotion of the game.

Officials of the game must try to find a way to restrain people. Some may claim that ask too much of the aggressive human personality, but I feel there is reason to hope-Wednesday Zuckerman waked away from Brown's Jim Rianoshek after being hit on the head with a stick.

Some Harvard players think that fighter officiating would help. They point out that when referees are willing to call a lot of penalties, players are more careful. And though it seems somewhat law and orderish, maybe two-game suspensions would deter violence. Landolt says such a ruling would not effect him, but he might feel otherwise if such a ruling were enacted.

It's time that someone make some effort to stop it.