The Mail

To the Editors of the Crimson:

On Monday, September 23rd, the CRIMSON republished an editorial entitled "Where the Elite Meet," an editorial unfortunate in its allegations, its logic, and its timing. One Wednesday morning a second editorial was reprinted, even more distorted. Those editorials are said to give "the student body" . . . many of the facts connected with the Council Constitution." It is time that a few of the false impressions created by these two pieces of writing, be corrected.

The CRIMSON seems to have found it good "copy" to descend to the level of Hearst editorializing. There are such sentences as: The years of lopsided representation, of murky and hazy financial activity, of membership practices that smack of Sigma Chi and the Whiffenpoofs, have neutralized the Council's sincere efforts at constructive leadership."

One sentence further on, the editorial turns about to say: "Again this is not evidence o lack of quality in any of the Councils of the past," contradicting completely the vague charges which preceded. The Reports on Education in 1930, 1939, and 1940, which greatly influenced the General Education Program; in the year past, the two reports on Tutorial, the work of the Food Relief Committee, and the Council drive for a Student Activities Center--are these the work of an organization whose efforts or constructive leadership have been so effectively "neutralized?"

To take only one more example, the CRIMSON editorial implies that the Council has somehow "misused" its funds, by underwriting Freshman affairs. Yet this is always stated as one of the purposes for which the Council solicits its contributions. And where was the figuse of 700 dollars taken from? Dean Leighton, the Dean of Freshmen, recently stated flatly that the Council has made more money than it has lost in its underwriting of freshman affairs, and, to the best of his knowledge, has never gone into a deficit.

One fact has been forgotten. The Constitution was inherited by the present Council. The first action yast spring of the newly-elected officers was to make preliminary plans for a revision of this now outmoded constitution. The first action of the Council this fall was to appoint a Constitution Committee, to study, report and draw-up plans for final ratification.

The work of this Committee will not be easy. There is much for it to do during the next six weeks. It merits the confidence and the cooperation of the student body. The CRIMSON knows this. Yet it had reprinted two editorials, often vague and biased in content and inflammatory in tone.

Now is the time for constructive thought and suggestions. I know that the main wish of the members of the Council is for immediate, effective and practicable constitutional changes. The members of the informal committee which studied the problem this summer, to the best of my knowledge, are motivated by the same desire.

Is it too much to ask that these issues, so important for the future, be kept off the plane of yellow journalism? Edrie Weld '46