CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE CRIMSON:-

THE events in the recent Intercollegiate Athletic Sports at Mott Haven which excited the most general interest were perhaps the dashes in which Mr. Lee, of the University of Pennsylvania, was matched with Mr. Evert Wendell of Harvard. Mr. Lee, I believe, was the amateur, or at all events the college, champion of America in short-distance running. Mr. Wendell's record was very unusual. It is said that in his practice runs he had done his distances in shorter time than any on record, and in the Athletic Sports which were held in Gilmore's Garden toward the end of March, he had run a race with Mr. Lee so close that at the end no one but the judges was prepared to say which was the winner.

In view of these facts I was greatly surprised to hear reports to the effect that certain persons were giving large odds against Mr. Wendell, - in some cases as large as seven to one; and, indeed, this circumstance gave rise to such general comment that it reached the ears of a number of people who are rarely informed in regard to sporting matters. It seemed a pitch of folly which could not be explained.

In the 100-yard dash at Mott Haven, Mr. Lee and Mr. Wendell easily won trial-heats in which they were matched against runners of less distinguished powers. In the 220-yard dash the result of the trial-heats was the same. In the final heat of the 100-yard dash the two winners were matched against each other. Two or three other men entered this heat. The pistol was fired, and the men on either side of Mr. Wendell rushed together in such a way as to render it impossible for him to exert his powers. To use an expressive metaphor, he was "pocketed" at the very start. He stopped and claimed a foul. Mr. Lee, meantime, trotted over the course, and won the heat. The judges allowed the foul, but, inasmuch as the man who fouled was not the winner of the heat, they did not think it proper that the heat should be run over again.

In the final heat of the 220-yard dash, the two winners again started side by side. For the first third of the race Mr. Lee held the lead. Then Mr. Wendell passed him with a fine spurt, and at that moment something happened to one of Mr. Lee's legs which rendered it necessary for him to drop out of the race and leave it to his adversary, in a manner somewhat similar to that in which the previous dash had been left to him.

In short, those people who went to the sports in the hope of seeing Mr. Lee and Mr. Wendell run against each other, were disappointed, for, in point of fact, these gentlemen did not run against each other at all.

It is not my purpose to comment upon these facts, - the remarkable betting, the remarkable foul, and the remarkable accident to Mr. Lee. But, in view of these facts, it seems to me that an inquiry, which I request you to put before your College, is pertinent. Is it altogether consistent with the dignity of Harvard University to expose her athletic men to such experiences as those at Mott Haven? In other words, Are not intercollegiate athletics as inconsistent with the spirit and policy of Harvard as intercollegiate regattas or intercollegiate declamation?

'77.NEW YORK, May 10, 1879.

PUBLISHING THE NAMES OF CANDIDATES FOR SECOND-YEAR HONORS.TO THE EDITORS OF THE CRIMSON:-

I SHOULD like to remonstrate against the publication of the names of those who present themselves at the examinations for Honors. As a number of the candidates are always unsuccessful, it would be much better to wait till the list of those who obtain Honors is published, instead of printing the names of the unsuccessful candidates as well. A man who undergoes the labor of preparing for these examinations, and yet fails, is naturally sensitive about having his failure made known, and I can say for myself that I should have had much more hesitation about going in had I known that that fact was to be spread abroad. Hardly any one knew who were the unsuccessful candidates last year, for the publication of a list of all applicants is an innovation of the Advocate. Let us hope that, in future, that paper may not be driven to disregard the feelings of students for the sake of filling up its item column.

CANDIDATE.