Communication.

To the Editors of the Crimson:

I wish to call your attention to a few figures which, I think, must speak for themselves. During the year 1894-5 Harvard played two important football games. The scores were: Yale 12, Harvard, 4; Pennsylvania 18, Harvard, 4. During the year 1895-6, omitting the game with B A. A., in which neither side scored, we had the following close games: Harvard 4, West Point 0; Harvard 4, Michigan 0, Princeton 12, Harvard 4; Pennsylvania 17, Harvard 14. Lastly, Saturday, we heard the score of the Cornell game, 13-4. You will notice that in these seven important games Harvard made ten touchdowns to our opponents' ten; but that whereas our opponents kicked nine goals, Harvard availed herself of but one out of ten possibilities.

In one of these games it is true we were so far ahead and in another so far behind that this failure to kick goals did little more than alter the relative size of the score. But in two of these games the Harvard lead was so small that a goal from the field would have sufficed to turn the tables; in two it practically took away all chance of tying the score; in the Pennsylvania game of last year it made us lose the pluckiest game I have ever seen on a football field. It is true that in the last game we were handicapped by the wind, but once over that goal line, we should have won the game, wind or no wind. I do not wish to croak, but when it is such hard work to make a touchdown, I do think that touchdown should be used for all it is worth.

Now, during the two preceding years I frequently went down to practice. I saw plenty of punting and drop kicking, but I did not see a single attempt at a place kick. This year I have not heard of any change. It seems a peculiar thing that the one goal in last year's Pennsylvania game, the only important goal we have kicked from a touchdown in three years, should have been kicked by a substitute. As I said before, I do not wish to croak, but I am beginning to tire of asking myself, "if our opponents kick their goals, why shouldn't we?"

HARVARD.October 25, 1896.