Evening star., 1942-08-30
Big Freshman Crop
May Not Produce
Abundant Talent
Wiemon Of Tigers Less
Pessimistic Than
Usual on Grid.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY,
Special Correannndent of The Sta T,

PRINCETON, Aug. 2o.-Wartime
scholastic conditions In the ancient
Big Three of the East, Yale. Har-
ward and Princeton, certainly will
be reflected this fall in the athletic
situation. Especially will this be
the case in view of the fact that
freshmen will be eligible for varsity
teams at New Haven, Princeton and
Cambridge.
This relates chiefly to the ac-
celeration of courses at the three
seats of learning. Yale, it seems,
has thrown the gates wide open
and, as a consequence, 1t will be
surprising If the entering freshman
class in September does not reach
a total of from 1900 to 1900. Har-
ward, not quite so radical, has none
the less gone a long way and should
admit, at a minimum estimate, 1,100
freshmen.
Princeton, while its first-year class
will be the largest in the history
of this Colonial institution, $50, will
fall far below the enrolment Of its
two older sisters.
viii Be Rushed Through.
Students at these seats Of learn
Ing will be hurried through. Yale,
80 it Is understood, intends to shoot
lot Of its newcomers through in
two years. Harvard, it is reported,
will speed its incoming freshmen
some Of them at any rate-through
in the same period. You even hear
talk Of Is months for gifted few at
Cambridge and New Haven.
Princeton, on the other hand, feels
1t is doing best for its freshmen by
limiting its reduction to three years,
decision which meets with no
objection, If, indeed, it has not the
approval Of the Army and the Navy.
One reason for this relates to the
ROTC field artillery course at
Princeton which is regarded highly
BY the War Department. At the
present time by virtue Of its field
artillery course which has been
operating for two decades Princeton
now has more officers in this branch
Of the regular service than has West
Point. Nassau last June sent 103
graduates of the four-year artillery
course into the Army.
So far as athletics are concerned,
Yale and Harvard may not have as
good pickings out of their 1,100 and
100 freshmen as one might think,
inasmuch as they will be material
selected on the basis of their ability
to weather telescoped courses rather
than on their ability to zigzag up
and down q. gridiron. Princeton
probably hopes SO, at any rate.
Summer student life here in
Princeton probably is = picture
OF collegiate conditions obtaining
throughout the country In these war
days. Some .1,700 undergraduates
scantily dressed In shorts and row.
ing shirts hurry from classroom to
classroom rs the time -honored bell
In the tower Of Nassau Hall sends
forth its hourly summons.
Football? Plenty Of it. Some $50
students are indulging In gridiron
play three days week under the
direction Of Tad Wieman, head foot
ball coach. Most of these players
have elected the sport as required
exercise. Very few of them will
make-or even try to make-the
varsity squad when regular gridiron
practice begins September 10.
This squad will be limited to As
men, an economy measure agreed
upon by Yale, Harvard and Prince
ton. Since, in addition to this num-
Der Princeton has five freshmen who
are gifted sufficiently to try for
varsity honors Wiseman's squad will
run to half a hundred The As
man restriction will be met by hav-
ing five of the players-whose
means are sufIlcient-defray their
own expenses. Volunteers will be
asked to make this sacrifice.
Tiger Prospects Looking Up.
Not in several years has Tad VIE
man, Princeton football coach,
seemed less pessimistic about old
Nassau's football prospects than at
this writing.
Do not understand from this that
Tad is enthusiastic. He never is
nthusiastic-which is just as well,
considering the uncertainties OF the
gridiron game. But he does feel
that the Tigers will enter the forth
coming football season with certain
assets that have been lacking
recently.
One asset will be speed, speed
coupled with a certain amount Of
avoirdupois. Last year, as will be
recalled, Princeton was ponderous
but slow All rival had to do was
to run the ends. Next season op-
posing ball carriers are not likely
to find 50 much free air in the
vicinity of the wings. What the
coach will make of this prospective
speed remains to be seen. He hopes
to make a great deal.
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