THE MAIL

Ed. Note--The Crimson does not necessarily endorse opinions expressed to printed communications. No attention will be paid to anonymous letters and only under special conditions, at the request of the writer, will names be withheld.)

To the Editor of the Crimson:

It is not my intention to become involved in the polemics now being bandied about by professional sensationalists of the Press and Righteous Reverends, upon the one hand, and members of the student body upon the other. Those who advocate a new padlock for the stable are not only a little late in so doing, but they also seem to be doing it from a purely personal viewpoint: the Press of Boston because the subject makes good copy; the Pastors of Cambridge because they perhaps think that now is an excellent time to steer a few of the wayward flock into the fold. But I think it is time for the undergraduate body to rise in righteous wrath at the suggestions concerning curbs to be placed upon their personal freedoms.

It is an accepted policy of the faculty to allow members of their courses as much freedom as is feasible in their study. This freedom, a basic principle in a university, has always been applied to the conduct of students in the Houses and the Yard, restricted only by the not-to-stringent Parietal rules. The fact that Harvard in general is allowed this freedom is one reason why it is listed among the universities instead of among the girls boarding schools. Yet we find intelligent persons suggesting that college authority should be more strict.

Why should it be more strict now, immediately in consequence of two unfortunate incidents resulting from the actions of gentlemen who obviously do indulge in alcohol than it was before the events occurred? Do these incidents mean that the rest of the students overindulge also? Is it because the publicity has given Harvard a little too much dirty linen all at once?

A janitor in one of the houses recalls the days when he used to keep spare mattresses in the basement corridors to use as cots for those temporarily incapacitated during house dances. It will be noticed that the mattresses are no longer in use, nor have they been for some years. This would indicate that the situation has improved. Should any extra-heavy boot be used to boost John over, the fence when he is already being ushered ceremoniously, if slowly, out of the yard gate? Guy Garland '36