The Eleven.

After the practice game of last Saturday, we can congratulate the college on having an eleven that plays with more life and real snap than has been seen here for years. The passing among the forwards id loose, as of course it must be for the first few weeks, but is brilliant and effective in the extreme. And some of the forwards, notably Phillips and Gilman, have developed a speed in running that surprised us all. We could easily full spece with praises, but our purpose today it criticism and censure. This we hope the team will take in good part. We do not claim to be infallible in our judgment, and we may be wrong or unduly severe in some of our criticisms. But we feel that the CRIMSON will not be going out of its proper sphere if in a general way it gives expression to such talk, praise and censure as goes the rounds among the lookers-on.

For years it has been the custom at Yale and Princeton to have a competent referee during all practice, and for both sides to take every advantage they can. This has never been done here, and many of us have pointed with pride to the contrast, as showing the more gentlemanly tone of Harvard athletics. But we really lose much by this way of practicing, and ought to give it up. Habit is a strong master, and the intense excitement of an important match makes it all the more important that all the conditions of daily practice should be made as exactly as possible those of a match. Men get into the habit of passing just a little ahead ; of claiming downs by merely resting their hands on the ball, when in a match it would be kicked from under by the nearest opponent so quickly that the referee would never allow it ; of "bunting" so palpably as to make an evident foul ; of not kicking off from the twenty-five yard line quickly when they get a chance, etc., etc. It takes much of the snap and maneuver out of their play. Let us have a good referee then, every day, and let the fellows play to the referee.

The punting thus far has not been very good. Now there are two kinds of perfectly successful punts-the very long, high punt that sails so as to be easily misjudged and muffed, and the low, swift punt just over the "rusher's" heads, and placed between the backs, striking the ground so soon as to make it impossible to get a free catch. The last is the best, by far ; it changes the whole game. No one but Moffat of last year's Princeton team has used it much, but we hope our backs will try to learn it, as none of them have so far been able to make a very long, high punt. Some of the players "run back" now and then. This is very seldom anything but loss. Every man ought to drill himself into the habit of never running back a foot. If there is no one back of you to pass the ball to, say down ; if there is, pass it at once. He can run to better advantage than you can, or else can kick.

It seems an absurd thing to say, but it really looks as if our rushers do not realize that when one of their side has made a free kick and they are charging down all on side, they have a right to "interfere" with the opponent who tries to catch the ball. One man ought always to take charge of that opponent, and let the rest get the ball.

When the ball is on the ground the men are so anxious to pick it up and run with it, that they generally fail to secure it. They must fall on it more and they must get it well in their arms, not expect to get a down with merely one or both hands on the ball ; the referee wont see it quickly enough.

There is no doubt about it, a man can be more easily tackled in a jersey than in the right sort of a canvass jacket ; and theoretically, no one but quarter-back and fullback, who need the utmost freedom in using their arms, and will not rush so much, have a right to wear jerseys. On the same principle, anything like loose or torn sleeves, a belt not covered by the jacket, or a jacket that does not fit in the next and meet at the lacing, should be avoided. We hope also that the management will give a good trial to the elastic jackets Yale wore last year : they ought to be much better.

The men ought to be more careful about running into or allowing themselves to be pushed into, touch-in-goal.

By far the worst thing, however, is their high tackling. It is truly melancholy to see rusher after rusher jump for a player's neck, only to be warded off, dodged or carried along, and this too against light men-what will it be against Yale's big, heavy rushers ? Low tackling is always the best tackling, and it is a great compensation to short men in foot ball that they can tackle low more easily and effectively than tall men. Now our rushers are short, stocky men, and will play against large men ; and yet, with one or two exceptions, they deliberately throw away this great advantage. The men must be made to realize once for all, that there is no hope whatever of their winning the Yale game unless they tackle low. Adams, in spite of his low stature, is the best tackler we have seen for years, and it seems as if the others ought to be able to learn from him. Another thing our rushers ought to do is to go under their opponents arms more when "breaking through." Any one who saw Yale play last year knows how it can be done, and our men being short ought to be able to do it to great advantage. They certainly won't get through a heavy rush line in any other way, so they may as well learn this way now.

We hope the team will take it good naturally if in conclusion we make a few personal criticisms. To begin at the head : Kimball drop-kicks goals beautifully, but ought to try to do it little quicker-perhaps by standing a little closer each day. In the Yale-Princeton game of last Year, Moffat would not have been able to do much of his phenomenal kicking if he had required so much time. Bemis, as quarterback, does not "discombobulate" the other side when they have the down quite as much as he might-se Twombly's play of last year. In making a long pass to a back who is to run, he should try to pass the ball far enough ahead of the back so that he will be at full speed when he catches the ball. Holden's best rush in the game Saturday before last, and Mason's rush in the Princeton game two years ago, were both done in this way. It amounts to reducing to nothing the time required for a long pass ; the opponents don't have time to get down. Simpkins and Thayer are painfully high tacklers. Peabody sometimes runs the risk of being warned for tackling too low. Holden rushes splendidly, but should be more careful about going out ; a man can drill himself into deeping away from the line if he tries. Holden ought to be careful, too, not to jump into the air when tackled ; that simply makes it easier to be tackled low, and makes it harder to push men off. Littauer is so quick and active that it seems strange to see him spoil his play by high tackling. Homans is slow about throwing himself into a man or onto the ball.

We should not feel justified in giving so much space to a detailed criticism, it the college were not so interested in the Eleven, and if we did not feel that with plenty of head work and the right sort of coaching the Eleven can do better than Harvard has done for many years.