Kirsopp Lake, Retiring This Year, To Lecture Last on December 16

Kirsopp Lake, professor of History and teacher of the Bible here for 23 ears will give his last lecture on Thursday, December 16, prior to his retirement, it was revealed today.

The 66-year-old professor will finish out the first half year of his course and then will travel to Armenia on an archaeological expedition. Rumor has it that James P. Munn '12, professor of English, will take over the second half of Lake's Bible course, although there has been no confirmation of the rumor.

World famous authority on New Testament texts and Greek writing, Lake has given his Bible course since he came to Harvard in 1913, although he was then connected primarily with the Theological School.

625 Per Cent Increase In Bible Course

In 1914 his Bible course had less than 40 students while today the course is one of the largest on the curriculum, with over 250 students enrolled. "I have no memories of the course which are not pleasant ones," Lake said yesterday when questioned about his leaving. His last lecture, on December 16, is expected to be on Tobit and Ecclesiastes.

After his expedition to Armenia Lake will continue to live at Haverford, Pennsylvania, where he will write books and edit a magazine with his wife. At present Lake commutes by air to his home over the weekends.

Headed For Turkish Armenia

As for his expedition during the spring and summer of the current year, Lake revealed that he will travel to the region of Lake Van, in the eastern part of Turkish Armenia. With him will go his wife, Professor Casey of Brown University, who is a former pupil of his, and two University of Pennsylvania professors.

Professor Von den Osten of Ankara will join the group in Turkey, and the sextet will then proceed to Lake Van, where they will look up the records of the area. Special attention will be paid to the Acropolis on the edge of the lake. This has not been explored since its destruction by the Scythians from the north many centuries ago.

For 15 years, Lake said, he had been seeking permission from the Turkish government to make the expedition. Until this year the savage tribes of Turkish Armenia, the Kurds, have not been sufficiently pacified for the government to recommend the trip.