CRITICISM OF ILLUSTRATED

The Spring Athletics Number of the Illustrated opens up a field of discussion which will demand increasing attention, namely, universal athletics, voluntary or compulsory. The need of physical education is well stated in Dr. Bradford's article seeking to inculcate the opinion "that recreation is advisable as well as some daily exercise, that dissipation is wrong, that excess leads to mental impairment, and that indigestion is indication of poor health." Dr. Sargent considers the successful instruction in physical exercise given in Hemenway Gymnasium during the summer school sufficient warrant for fuller official recognition, and points out the field in which educated athletic directors can be of great service.

In Athletics for the Average Student, Mr. Reynolds suggests compulsory physical examinations at the beginning and end of the College course, with sufficient facilities for everyone to enjoy whole some exercise, as the basis for demanding a substantial improvement in physique before graduation. The progress in physical education in other colleges is summarized apparently from the catalogues of the institutions investigated. We would be interested to know more definitely the effect of these various systems on the students themselves, and of the actual organization of the Physical Education Department at Berkeley or Amherst.

Mr. Moses tersely and interestingly reviews the international crew and track events since 1869, in a spirit to foster wholesome good-will and mutual confidence between Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and Harvard. Mr. Beatley gives a brief diary of the lacrosse team's southern trip.

The short-history of minor athletics in Harvard is comprehensive, but fails to give any impulse toward the connection of minor sports with the movement for increased numbers of participants in regular physical recreation. It might well have mentioned the recent class in general athletics for Freshmen as a step toward increasing the scope of athletic influences.

Neither the article on the new ministry nor the one of the Divinity School is as convincing as the subjects would warrant.

The first editorial comment is in a tone of apology which does not strengthen the impression of the issue as a whole. The choice of physical education as a general subject is fully justified by the various side lights thrown on it in the offering of both graduates and undergraduates. The editorial on educating students to realize the importance of regular exercise neglects Physiology 1 as a possible starting point for the combination with gymnasium and outdoor instruction to form a real department of Physical Education.

The illustrations in the number are on the whole of greater interest than the articles in which they are inserted, although they almost uniformly have no connection with the stories printed.