A columnist who hides his
identity behind the label of "the
Heretic" recently described your
newspaper as a "second-rate college
daily." I would like to express
my disagreement.
I have read The Cavalier Daily,
always avidly, often with great
intensity, for nearly five years.
Throughout most of that time,
suppose, it has merited the description
given it by the gentleman
with the curious moniker. But
not now. I am familiar with a
great-many collegiate newspapers,
and for the past six months at
least, The Cavalier Daily has
ranked with the best of them.
This praise is not given without
qualification: one still comes across
the familiar bloopers in typography,
spelling style, and accuracy.
But in developing the qualities
that make a newspaper truly
vital and stimulating-the essential
elements of journalistic greatness
-it seems to me that your have
succeeded grandly. Your coverage
has a thoroughness, your editorials
an authority, your presentation
of opinions and ideas a
catholicity which is almost without
precedent in the recent history of
your newspaper, and it is gratifying
indeed to see the change.
It may be that this elevation in
quality is partly due to what appears
to be a general rise in the
level of intellectual activity on the
Grounds. In any event, as I continue
to take pride in the accomplishments
of the University,
take new pride in the attainments
of The Cavalier Daily, now so
much more worthy of the University
than it has been for some
time.
Richard W. Hughes
Yale Law School
