Petition of the Alumni to the Faculty.

During the early part of the winter certain members of the Harvard Club of New York determined to find out the views of the alumni of this University in respect to allowing our nine to play with professionals. The result of the investigation was the almost universal acknowledgment by the graduates that the present system was unjust to the students. A fair statement of the case to the faculty was therefore decided upon. In order to show that the movement was not local and was not confined to a few men, the signatures of over two hundred of the older graduates were collected. The idea originated with the Harvard Club of New York; It was distinctly a graduate movement, and has been carried out without the assistance and knowledge of the undergraduates.

The following circular was sent out to members of the Harvard Club:-

"HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

"To the Faculty of Harvard College:

"There seems to exist a practically unanimous opinion among the students that they are handicapped by restrictions laid upon their preparation for athletic contests with other colleges.

"The existence of such a feeling, even without good reason, causes a friction and sense of irritation which tends to produce attempts to evade such restriction, by ways which are extremely foreign to the old-time Harvard spirit of open and cordial relations between students and faculty.

"We think that the Harvard undergraduates themselves see and regret this tendency and are ready to join hands with the Faculty and graduates to remove it, and also to raise the standard of inter-collegiate athletics, by fostering a sentiment which shall consider victory too dear if purchased at the expense of fair play and courtesy to opponents.

"Believing that the best way to encourage this spirit is to place the responsibility upon the students themselves, we respectfully urge the Faculty to abolish the restriction which prevents the college nine from playing with other than amateur clubs, leaving to the undergraduate managers and the athletic committee of the Faculty the settlement of such limitations of this privilege as may seem advisable.

"March, 1888."

The circular was accompanied by a separate slip, upon which was the following:-

HARVARD CLUB OF NEW YORK CITY.March 1, 1888.

Dear Sir:- If you are willing to join us in this request to the Harvard Faculty, please sign the enclosed and return it to the Secretary of the Club.

Yours very truly, EDMUND WETMORE, President.

WM. MONTGOMERY, JR., Treasurer.

NATHANIEL S. SMITH, Secretary, 11 West 22d St., New York.

The circular was favorably received by the majority of members, and Messrs. G. W. Green, J. B. Ames, and A. H. Latham were chosen to present the request to the faculty. Meanwhile, a similar movement had been started in Boston, with the result that some two hundred additional names were collected in favor of the request. On Tuesday last, at an informal meeting, Mr. Green presented the request to the faculty and made an able speech in its favor. The matter was discussed in all its aspects, the faculty evincing a desire to weigh the merits of the question thoroughly before rendering a decision. The session lasted two and a half hours. A decision will probably be rendered next Tuesday, April 3, at the regular meeting of the faculty.