Between the Wars

The Crimson's most important move of thepost-war period was the decision to buy theHarvard Illustrated Magazine. The term"photojournalism" had not yet been coined, butthere was an increasing realization throughout thenewspaper industry that photographs had becomeindispensable to a modern newspaper andpractically every Sunday paper in the country wasgroping its way toward the new age of photographywith a rotogravure section. The bi-weeklyIllustrated contained bland photos of posed shots,but it was the beginning of what is now thephotography board, and with that the modernCrimson was born.

Coverage during the early twenties consistedmostly of rewritten press releases but graduallyimproved as the decade progressed. High pointsincluded an interview with H. L. Mencken, thepolice-instigated "riot of 1927," in which severalHarvard students were assaulted by Cambridgepolice, and a plane crash that nearly exterminatedthe Harvard Band on Soldiers Field.

News at the turn of the decade includedstudents arrested for rioting after a hockey gameand for passing out socialist literature, aprofessor's prediction that Fascism would nevertake hold in Germany, and the prohibition ofRadcliffe women from taking part in a Harvardtheatrical production. When The Crimson ran aneditorial criticizing the drunken carrying-on ofthe American Legion convention in Boston, itbrought the wrath of a nation--and scatteredapplause--on the paper. And for a time, TheCrimson entered the photo-developing business oncampus.

Abbot Lawrence Lowell, class of 1877, wasHarvard's president during the 1920s, and TheCrimson's editorial page made his policies--andautocratic personality--the focus of many acritical comment. His Plans to build MemorialChurch and institute the House Plan met withvigorous Crimson opposition. The anti-MemorialChurch editorial was picked up by the Boston andNew York papers, which seemed incensed that acollege paper would oppose a war memorial. Thiswas the last great campaign before The Crimsonsettled in for several of its worst years.

As the decade aged, morale at the paper--andits quality--settled to an all-time low. Open bookcomments were no longer couched in humor. Instead,disgruntled editors wrote comments such as "God! Inever saw a paper with less news". The financialsituation of the paper did not help the mood atthe paper. During one dismal year, The Crimsonlost $500 and saw a business manager resign indespair.

The academic year 1932-33 ended with thefollowing letter from a College official:

"I am wondering if The Crimson is very proud ofits handling of the epidemic story this morning.The headline states that there was "No OfficialWord About Epidemic in Freshman Class". Actually,there were about 180 'official words', and I gavethem to you myself."

The follow September there was a new dedicationto accuracy and increased coverage. By December,the gains started to slip, and the enthusiasticnews-hounds insisted that the paper be expanded tosix pages. The business board, which at that pointwas still rebuilding, smelled disaster and giantlosses in an enlarged paper. The board rounded upenough votes in the winter executive elections toelect their candidates.

For the second time in Crimson history, war wasdeclared.

Eleven editors left to found their own paper,The Harvard Journal, which gave The Crimson theonly tough fight in its history. The Journal hadthe staff, but The Crimson had the facilities, thebusiness contacts, the tradition--and the edge.

The battle was neck and neck for a few weeks,but the end of the fight was predictable; when theyear ended, so did The Journal. Its editors lostmoney, sleep and study time in their struggle toset up and run a new paper.

The short-lived challenge did wonders for thestruggling Crimson. The Crimson of June 1934 wasinestimably better than its namesake of a fewmonths before.

With the threat beaten back, The Crimson turnedto cover the news of the University, whichincluded a tenure controversy prompted theUniversity to establish standardized promotion andtenure procedures.

The paper also began a campaign againsttutoring schools--institutions dedicated to makingmoney from the laziness and lack of dedication ofHarvard students. It lost six cents in a libelsuit to one of the schools, but after a vehementeditorial campaign and dropping theiradvertisements, the College outlawed their use in1939.