Evening star., 1919-12-22
HARVARD RECEDES
FROM 0LDPOL|CY
Crimson Commends Permis'
Sion for Eleven to Make
Trip to Coast.
BY WALTER CAMP.

Harvard will send her foot ball
team across the continent to be the
big drawing attraction at the car
nival of roses at Pasadena. They
have made the plunge at Cambridge and
accepted.
The Crimson discusses the reasons
for the acceptance and the departure
from ultra conservatism on the part
of our Oldest university. as follows:
A foot ball game between Harvard
and some far-western team at Pasa-
dena during the Christmas holidays
will be of the greatest advantage
in every conceivable way. What bet
ter way to stir old memories in these
distant graduates than TO send an un-
defeated Harvard foo ball team team
through their country-a team which
has beaten Yale, The Geological
effect should be tremendous. For.
after all. the eleven will represent the
college in the west, its merits will be our
merits.
Sees Change Of Policy.
But outside of the financial bene-
fits accruing to the endowment fund,
such a trip undoubtedly will raise
the name of the university through
out the country. In times past Har-
ward was content to rest on its worth
alone. Those who came to test that
worth were welcome, but no effort
was made to encourage their coming.
AS consequence. only the ones who
lived nearby came here, and the
charge of sectionalism was made
against the university. In the last
fifteen years, due to the work of the
Harvard clubs, the cause for this
prejudice was largely overcome. But
the words of those loyal graduates
cannot influence their localities as
much as is desirable; there is still a
belief existent in some quarters that
Harvard is by choice a strictly
eastern mans college.
This opinion is too absurd to be
permitted to stand. But the first move
to eradicate it must come from us. II
some little notice on our part were
given to the west, such as taking the
trouble to send the foot ball team or
a long tour. the west will not be slow
in response. Such action could no,
bear the stigma of propaganda. II
would be more than healthy commu
nifty interest"
Action Is commended.
There will be some who differ will
this decision on the part of Harvard
but we are moving fast in these days
and foot ball and athletics are grea
accelerators of graduate life. Tht
faculty of any college a generation
/ ago would have held up it's hands in
holy horror at what during the las
decade has been commonly accented
! DIS tIlc TtIdliOn OIL tne COlleRe TO atl-
leticS and of athletics to the college
Only a dozen years ago a numbe,
! of the Harvard board of trustees pro-
posed that foot ball should be PLAYED
behind closed gates. as far as the pub,
| lie was concerned, and the seating ca
paclty limited to 10000. The las,
| time Harvard played in the Yale bow
there were close to $4,000 present, ane
| some 10000 applications were turned
down. while there was no public sal.
! of seats whatever.
i Prof William q. Sumner, the socia
/ scientist, said shortly before his death,
You have made foot ball a part of the
| customs of the country
| And that is true. The months o.
october and November are given oveI
| to this sport. So, it was not extraor.
| dinary that under all the circum
stances Harvard should have cas-
! aside conservatism and made tn,
plunge. Harvard's acceptance will mean
a lot to future carnivals of roses a,
| Pasadena.