The Mott Haven Cup.

Harvard men have until lately supposed that having won the cup for seven consecutive years, they had established a claim to its ultimate possession. Of late there has been a rumor that the cup would not, after all the spaces were filled, revert to Harvard, but would remain a perpetual challenge cup. The facts of the case, as far as they can be ascertained, are the following: There are fourteen shields on the outside of the cup, and each year a shield is engraved with the name of the college that wins the cup, and the names of the first prize winners from that college. About 1879, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association passed a resolution that after the fourteen shields were filled the cup should go to the college which had won the cup the greatest number of years. Princeton, Yale and Columbia have filled one shield each, while the name of Harvard appears upon eleven, so that according to the resolution, the cup must revert to Harvard at the end of the term of fourteen years. This being the state of affairs several of the officers of the intercollegiate association have received letters from a Mr. Parsons, of Minneapolis, who was one of the originators of the idea of a challenge cup, and gave something towards its purchase, saying that he did not intend the cup should ever become the property of any one college, but should remain as a perpetual challenge cup. Then, of course, search was made for the record of the resolution of the association which gives Harvard her claim to the cup - only to result in the discovery that the secretary's records had been lost. The matter is now being investigated by a committee consisting of representatives from Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Mr. J. M. Hallo. well from Harvard. The loss of the secretary's records is very unfortunate, for even the names of the donors of the cup, and the amount given toward it by the different colleges forming the association, are matters of considerable doubt.

There are three plans proposed for the settlement of the difficulty: First, and least favorable to Harvard, to cover the inside of the cup with shields and have it remain as a perpetual challenge cup; second, to have the old cup remain as a perpetual challenge cup, but present Harvard with another cup which shall be a fac-simile of it; third, to present Harvard with this cup according to the resolution, and offer a new cup to take its place.