NEVER before were brilliancy, beauty, and culture so fully represented on the ball-field as they were by the audience which graced the benches of Holmes Field on Class Day afternoon; and never before had such a gathering greater cause for rejoicing in the success of their favorites than did the numberless friends of Harvard on that victorious day. They saw a record of severe defeat wiped out by corresponding triumph, yes, more than corresponding. Five to Zero was overwhelmed, submerged, buried deep beyond the possibility of resurrection, while Ten to One was written out in letters of light equally legible on the smiling faces of Harvard and the mournful visage of the Blues.

The day was a glorious one, a lively breeze being the only objectionable feature. The Nines were promptly on the field, each presenting its full strength, and all showing by their preliminary practice the results of careful work, and vigorous determination to win or die hard. But great are the uncertainties of base-ball! Yale entered the contest confident of victory; a confidence theoretically well founded, but practically disastrous to reputation and pocket. Harvard, on the other hand, had learned by bitter experience the danger of excessive confidence, and knew that the game could alone be won by steady, persistent work. This feeling, with the added inspiration of surroundings, time, and place, gave our fellows an impetus toward success that was irresistible, and that swept their opponents into almost nothingness.

When all played so well, with so much vim and steadiness, it is perhaps unnecessary to speak of individual accomplishment. But yet too much praise cannot be given to the excellent playing of our pitcher and catcher, the backbone of the Nine. Tyng's batting was something immense; his old reliable black-walnut bat knocking Carter's "effectiveness" into thin air. Ernst pitched in a way that none of those Yale fellows could find out, and he, too, did good work at the bat. The bases were splendidly played, their guardians never failing to do their duty, however difficult. Latham and Dow accomplished good things in their positions; Leeds did his little well; and Tower so impressed the enemy with his skilful appearance that they did not dare to offer him a chance; at the bat, however, he showed a spirit of willing "sacrifice" that was truly admirable.

In a word, the Nine played a splendid game, and won a creditable, yes, a glorious victory. Nor must we, upon whom their glory reflects, fail to recognize the untiring efforts of their energetic captain and their own persistent and devoted practice.

It only remains to keep up the good work until the 30th, when they will enter upon the decisive struggle with the chances largely in their favor.

The game opened with the visitors in the field. Thayer showed excellent judgment in waiting for good balls, but failing to get them he took first on called balls. He successfully stole second and went to third on Carter's wild throw. His dives into second and third were marvellous and amusing. Tyng then commenced his series of hard hits by a beauty to the left, on which Thayer scored. Ernst hit safe to right, and Tyng scored. Two runs to begin with, which were loudly cheered. To Yale the first three innings yielded no returns, no man reaching first base. Wheaton's hit in the first inning was well taken by Latham. In the third Tyng made a glorious three-base drive down between centre and right, which won for him uproarious applause. He soon scored on Tower's sacrifice hit to second.

The fourth inning gave Wright a base hit, but no runs were made. Morgan in this inning got the first base hit for Yale by batting a pretty one to left. But Bigelow soon after struck a hot liner to Sawyer, who caught and quickly fielded it to first, catching Morgan and getting a beautiful double play.

Thayer opened the fifth inning by a pretty base hit to centre, and, assisted by good running and hits by Tyng and Tower, got in his run. For Yale, Bigelow struck out; then Clark struck a hot one down by Leeds, who stopped it beautifully, but threw too quickly, and by his excusable error Clark got second. Later a passed ball gave him his run, which proved the first and last of Yale's accomplishments. In the sixth Leeds struck out, but Wright and Latham got their bases on good hits, and scored on bad errors by Clark. Sawyer got first on Clark's error; Thayer hit a hard one to Brown, who muffed it. Bigelow's bad error then gave Sawyer his run, making the third in this inning, which showed much demoralization on the part of Yale. Downer in this inning hit a safe one to left, got second on Tyng's poor throw, but was caught while too ambitiously trying to steal third. Carter got first on a pardonable error of Thayer's, but his good fortune availed him nothing as the next strikers retired on good catches by Dow. The special features of the seventh inning were a pretty foul tip catch off Leeds's bat, and a good fly taken by Sawyer.

In the eighth Latham got first and second on Clark's wild throw; Sawyer was out on a "tick and a catch"; Thayer hit safe to left, and Latham, aided by his superb running and Brown's poor throw, scored another run. Tyng then swung the black walnut for another safe hit and brought in Thayer. Downer's good base hit over second was of no avail, as he was soon left. Ernst began the ninth inning by a safe hit over second, but was forced out by Leeds's poor hit to Clark. Errors by Downer and Williams gave Latham first and second and Leeds third. Wright's force hit brought in the latter, and our score thereby reached the satisfactorily round number of ten. Yale retired in one, two, three order, the last man by a superb foul fly taken by Thayer after a long run.

No one feature of our Nine's play was more praiseworthy than their excellent base running; there was no lagging or misjudgment in this respect. Morgan's catching was the brilliant feature of Yale's play. Though making a few unusual errors for him, his general play was very fine. Carter did not prove as effective as before, but he is always a hard man to hit. The rest played rather poorly, as the score will show. Their occasional brilliant plays were fully recognized, and applauded by the audience in an impartial and courteous spirit, which New Haven audiences would do well to imitate. The umpiring was excellent, and thoroughly satisfactory.

SCORE.

HARVARD.

IB. R. PO. A. E

Thayer, C. 2 3 3 1 1