FOOTBALL MATCHES.

WHEN reading one of the recent Yale papers lately, I happened upon an article relating to football matches between Harvard and Yale, which were so much desired and talked about last spring. The writer complained of Harvard's refusal to join a convention which met in New York last fall, and thought that football matches could be arranged without much difficulty if a meeting were held at some half-way point to draw up a set of rules by which games between the two Colleges could be governed. He then went on to state the differences between the rules of Harvard and of Yale, and to show that these differences might be done away with.

On a careful examination, I conclude that so great is the opposition in the most important of these rules that any attempt to patch them together would be unsatisfactory to both sides. The smaller rules, indeed, relating to kicking off, choice of goals, limits of grounds, number of men, and so forth, are nearly alike; but in all the main rules there is certainly great difference, particularly in reference to players' picking up the ball and being chased. Another way of settling the difficulty seems to me fairer, which is, to play the game according to the Rugby or the McGill rules. If this were thoroughly tried, it would, I believe, be most satisfactory to both parties. It should certainly be so for Harvard, since we were well skilled enough in these rules in the spring to make a game, with the McGills even, last three half-hours, nor was a goal gained by either side. Again this fall, with very few of last year's players and with very little practice in the McGill game, owing to the preparation for the Graduate match, we won a victory over the Canadians. Yale may object on the score that Harvard has already become well acquainted with the game. Very true, but Yale can practise and learn it during the fall. It is a game very easy and simple to learn, requiring, at the utmost, two weeks' practice for a club to be able to play it skilfully. I trust, then, that Yale will approve of the plan, and that in 1875 we can have a match between the rival Universities in football, as well as in other athletic sports.