The Herald, on the other hand, could do no wrong in the eyes of The Crimson, which was "glad to see demonstrated that an energetic and correctly printed daily is not an impossibility at Harvard. We have the best of good wishes for our new contemporary, and congratulate it on its successful debut.... we should be sorry to say farewell to The Echo, but we are willing to accept the principle of the survival of the fittest. It is too early to predict which this will prove to be in the present instance....."

It proved to be The Herald, for, after competing one term, The Echo quietly folded its tent and sneaked away to the land where newspapers whose time is past all go. The Herald had covered the field better than The Echo ever could; it was reporting Harvard news thoroughly, and exchanging news with The Yale News to keep the Cambridge readership aware of New Haven events. In its first year, it issued three eight-page extras after athletic events, most of them out within minutes after game's end. The Herald served the College's need for news, and the College read The Herald.

Nonetheless, starting a newspaper was expensive, then as now, and The Herald found itself facing a mounting deficit. At the end of the first full year, in June of 1883, the paper was running a $700 deficit. In this situation, and aware that the editors of the more established Crimson were eager to get into daily journalism. The Herald began to think of merger. On October 1, 1883, the board of The Herald met to discuss joining The Crimson. In the words of one editor: "After a thorough discussion of the project, a unanimous vote was passed to make arrangements for their union, if suitable terms could be arranged." The Crimson was eager, incredibly so, to make a union. The constitution of The Herald-Crimson was adopted on October 5, 1883, only four days after The Herald had gone for merger, and the daily Herald Crimson, hit the stands on October 8. An editorial explained the merger to the readers:

Although both papers had made for themselves a place in the College world, and although it might have been quite possible to carry them both on successfully, it was deemed best by the boards of both papers to effect a consolidation, and by uniting their interests form a new paper, which, while naturally partaking of much of the character of the--former publications, would yet be free from many of the disadvantages under which they labored, and would possess a much wider range of possibilities than was open to either The Herald or The Crimson... That there is room for literary merit in the columns of a college dally is our firm conviction, and we shall...endeavor to combine prose, poetry, and news in such proportion as will be acceptable to our readers for their daily edification and enjoyment.

Under the terms of the merger, the President of The Crimson was named President of The Herald-Crimson; the Managing Editor of The Herald became Managing Editor of the new paper. It was also agreed, that, after one year, the name of the paper would be changed to The Crimson...

So The Crimson finally took the form which it would continue to have for the next 90 years. As we shall see, the dedication to poetry and literature in the pages of the paper would soon go by the boards, and The Crimson would gradually lose any connection except in name to the biweekly magazine which was its ancestor. But the hopes 'and ambitions, the dedication to journalism and hard work, which had characterized the first ten editors in 1873 would survive in their successors even to the present