The Harvard Eleven.

With the prestige of a victorious season behind them and with the confidence of more successes to come, thirty-five men reported for the first practice on Monday, September 18. The old players to return, in addition to Captain Burden, were Boal, Hallowell, Daly and Warren, and later Eaton, Swain, Burnett and Donald. With this nucleus of old players has been built up a Harvard eleven which today stands stronger than last year's at the same date, and which conservative experts have declared to be the strongest eleven that has ever represented the University. The slump that came last year did not happen this year and the physical perfection of the players exists now as it did a year ago. The small teams and even the Indians have been powerless against the Harvard eleven. The weak points which are now apparent are minor ones which can not be factors in the result of today's game.

In the progressive development which has marked the team, the defense was taken up earlier than the offense and has been worked to perfection. Equal care has been given to the offense only within the past week or ten days. Up to the Indian game, Harvard had not been scored upon and the scoring in that game was due to an individual weakness and to the presence of substitutes in the line. In the secret practices, W. H. Lewis has drilled the team in a defense to meet mass plays which, for its efficiency, depends on aggressiveness and mere strength. The second eleven has been unable to gain ground by using Pennsylvania's plays and Pennsylvania should find it difficult to make gains today. The defense, however, will probably be modified to meet Yale's peculiar offense.

Up to the end of the open practices, the offense was erratic and dependent upon the individual brilliancy of a set of backs which in numbers and efficiency is the best Harvard has ever had. But in the secret practices of the past two weeks, the interference has been greatly strengthened and unity has come from careful coaching and from the final selection of the halfbacks. End plays have again been the strongest against the smaller colleges, but line plunging, which was so successful against Pennsylvania last year, has been worked up to a better state of development than ever before. Four or five tricks have been taught for emergencies, but they are all upon old principles.

As it was last year, the condition of the team this year is again all that could be desired. The weather has been unusually warm for football, but McMaster has eliminated disabilities of the midseason, and the team which plays today will undoubtedly out condition their opponents. In every game of the season, including that with the Indians, the Harvard players have lasted better than the men opposite them and have at no time shown signs of overtraining.

The Indian game and the secret practices have shown that Hallowell is the most reliable and effective punter on the team. He places his kicks and works well with the ends. Reid, however, has shown steady improvement in this department of the game, and Sawin, who has fallen off, however, since the middle of the season, can be called on to punt in emergencies. The principal weakness of the team at present is fumbling kicks--a weakness which gave the Indians their touchdown. Sawin, who is strong on catching punts, plays in the backfield with Daly, and together they are sure to clip off many of Pennsylvania's kicks.

The Harvard eleven is a team and not an aggregation of stars. Each man is part of the unified whole. Captain Burden, Donald, Hallowell and Burnett are playing the reliable game they did last year. A. R. Sargent, who has been playing in Boal's place, and Lawrence, both new men on the team, have overcome the tendency to lose their heads and are now very steady players. Campbell has adjusted himself to the team more easily than any of the new men. Daly plays the same game as last year but Reid has fallen off. Kendall is a brilliant line bucker and Sawin dodges well. Warren, Gierasch and Ellis are, in many respects, stronger than the other backs, but do not combine the qualities of a backfield which will be efficient against Pennsylvania, namely kicking, sureness in catching punts and speed in running them back.