HATS OFF AGAIN!

The omission of an issue because of the holiday makes us a little late in congratulating the track team; it would be strange if we could say anything that has not already been said. Only the possibility that there may be many who do not understand the significance of Harvard's having come within half a point of capturing the intercollegiate title leads us to run the risk of repetition.

The achievement is significant for two reasons: the first and less important is that only a few months ago no sane follower of track would have been willing to concede that Harvard had a chance of coming within even five places of winning the intercollegiates; indeed it was considered a temeritous critic who advanced Harvard as a possible dark horse on the very eve of the preliminaries. So much for the victory as a reversal of prediction. It is only when we consider the meet in respect to the future of Harvard track that we realize how much was done last Saturday.

Coach Bingham's task this year was not primarily to win the meets of the season;--it was rather to establish a new system of track which would be self sustaining and which would not depend on preparatory school stars. But in order to attain this purpose it was, to put it paradoxically, of first importance that this particular team he a winner. Success this spring meant and means now that it is gained, that each year more and more new material will be available for track, that each year will be more and more successful. Victory over Princeton and the Intercollegiates started the ball rolling for the track team; acceleration will follow naturally.

For that reason the CRIMSON extends the heartiest congratulations to Coach Bingham who had the courage to attempt the impossible, to Eddie Farrell who coached the men who scored most in the meets--the field event men,--and to every member of the track squad who, whether they scored or not, were after all the men who made success possible.