THE SCARLET LETTER

During the late lamented "collegiate" days at Harvard the only aim of athletic schedules was to turn out teams which could vie with similar aggregations from Yale. During this time of mighty traditions and turtle-neck sweaters, contests with other colleges were regarded chiefly as a means of preparing for the all-important tilt with the Bulldog; naturally, when the custom of awarding insignia to Varsity teams was adopted, the letters went only to those who had participated in the Yale game.

Though the contests with Yale still occupy the dominant position on Harvard athletic schedules, they are no longer the sole aim of Varsity programs. It has been recognized that the main function of all the games, aside from the financial one, is to provide instruction and competition for accomplished athletes. There ought, accordingly, to be a revision of the present unjust arrangement which permits a man to go without reward even though he has participated in all the games but that with Yale. Such a step is particularly necessary in those sports which do not permit of extensive last minute substitution; also, in the case of men who are kept from the final encounter by illness, greater latitude in making the award should be permitted. Such changes would be a step toward a saner system, and would not detract in the least from the popular appeal of the Yale rivalry.

The awarding of athletic insignia on the basis of participation in a certain percentage of scheduled contests has been adopted throughout the country, but at Harvard the laws of inertia apply with their usual force. The authorities have repudiated the "collegiate" ideals, but their stand will remain far from convincing until they modernize their system for recognition of athletic accomplishment, now maintained only because it is tradition, or because the alumni like it.