The Princeton Nine.

The outlook for the Princeton nine this year is unusually good. Strenuous efforts are being made to develop the individual bent of each man, and specified diet and regular hours for exercise are prescribed. The men until recently have been considerably hampered in not having a good cage for practice, but now through the combined subscriptions of alumni and undergraduates an excellent one of large dimensions has been erected. It is to the discredit of Princeton men that subscriptions have been raised, not only tardily, but in such small amounts. Several alumni agreed to donate a thousand dollars provided the undergraduates of the college furnished twelve thousand. Before this latter amount was raised the money promised by the alumni was asked for, but the gentleman who had control of the matter courteously refused, stating at the same time that when Princeton men made an agreement they should be taught to carry it out. There are seven of last year's team back: Brownlee, c.; Mercur, King, p., Wagenhusst, 3b.; Price, s. s.; Durell, r. f.; Reynolds, l. f. A number of candidates have presented themselves for the vacant positions, all of whom are well qualified to compete. The most promising candidate for first base is Dana, '91, who made for himself a good record as first-base man on the Exeter nine. This position on the Princeton team, it will be remembered, is made vacant by Larkin, last year's captain, not being back. There is available material in the freshman class that is somewhat above the average, and one or two men will be appointed substitutes at least. The members of the last team, who are in college now have improved in most cases to a marked degree. This is especially noticeable in the case of King, the pitcher. He has been playing all summer, and it is stated on excellent authority that no more than four or five base-hits were made in several games off his delivery. The other men have also progressed, and from present indications, unless rapid advances are made by Harvard and Yale, Princeton, bids fair to win the laurels of the base-ball championship this year.