The Weekly University Courier
The Largest College Journal Circulation in the United States.
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY MORNING BY THE COURIER COMPANY.
EDITORIAL STAFF :
RUSSELL R. WHITMAN... Editor-in-Chief
E.P. Allen, '01. Laura Lockwood, '00.
H.A. Desai, '02.
LOCAL STAFF:
J. M. CHALLIS, '92...Editor
E. F. Engle, '91..Charles Johnson, '91.
W. M. Curry, '93.
BUSINESS MANAGERS:
H. E. COPPER, | C. A. PEABODY.
Entered at the post office at Lawrence, Kansas,
as sccor d class matter.
THE Christmas edition of the Courier was well received everywhere and gave rise to many favorable comments. Over a thousand copies were issued and in addition to the regular subscribers, copies were sent by the University to all members of the legislature. The facts showing the very material progress of the University along true University lines, attracted much attention and were regarded with pleasure by all those interested in the well fare of the University—and that is coming to mean pretty nearly everybody in the state.
At Oxford three scholarships, one of $175 and two of $200 a year for three years, have been awarded three girl students. University and college lectures in law and music, and the honors examinations in jurisprudence for the degree of B. A. and in music for Mus. B. have been opened to women since last year. Theology and medicine are now the only honor examinations that remain closed, and an amended motion to open the latter is coming on for discussion in convocation this month.—K. C. Journal.
WHILE the COURIER does not believe in undue fault-finding, yet we must protest against the policy adopted by some professors of giving their classes work to do during vacation. We maintain that the University has no more control over the actions of a student during the holiday vacation than it has during the summer vacation. In most instances one professor will give but one or two days work but when each professor gives one or two days work, it would be far better to only give a week of vacation or else stop a practice which makes part of the term a vacation in name only. In many cases a number of the students are perfectly willing to do the work but there are others of whom it is unjust to ask it. If a professor thinks that he knows of work that would be profitable to pursue during vacation he should mention it to the classes and suggest that it would be a good plan to do it, but to make it compulsory is doing away with the very object for which vacation is supposed to be instituted—rest of body and mind by change of work and thought.
THE YOUNG ORATORS OF KANSAS.
From the Topeka Capital.
Web Wilder was one of the judges on "thought and composition" in the Washburn oratorical contest. The other judges marked the orations 100, 99, 98 and so on, but his marking was 55, 60, 35 and 30. Evidently the cultured insurance commissioner does not regard the Washburn boys as approximately correct thinkers and complete masters of style.
It came recently into the lot of a Capital man to examine competing orations for another college oratorical exhibition and the one impression made upon his mind by the experience is so vivid and clamorous for expression as to call forth this article. There were six orations. Singularly enough, all but one were written upon topics nearly identical with those of the Washburn boys. The subjects were all either political or politeo historical. The disposition of all the writers was optimistic, and that is good. The tendency was to eulogize the great American platitudes, so eloquently enunciated generally on the Fourth of July, and to roast that ominous Man on Horseback, the corrupt politician; a tendency which is also good. The orations were all earnest, inspired with that collegiate enthusiasm for sweetness and light, for purity and progress, which if it be subject to the epithet "unsophisticated," is none the less ennobling and prophetic of the leavening of the whole lump in the fullness of time. God forbid such a change in the atmosphere of Kansas college life as shall temper the celestial enthusiasm of the new fledged graduate with a premature realization of the practical hardness of life!
These things, however, are by the way. The impression made upon the examiner of the six orations was the absence of clear originality in thought and the slightness of originality in expression. These faults are not proper alone to Kansas nor to collegiateates, but they are largely due to the common effort of instructors to impress their own ideas upon their pupils. The thought in these orations was good, but its relation to the mind of the writers seemed rather that of a thing evolved. There was not much evidence of original investigation, though a plenty of evidence of good reading. Possibly the want of originality was due in a measure also to the ambition of the orators to formulate thunderbolts which the gods of scholarship themselves are chary of handling.
At the risk of comparison which may be odious, the Capital feels moved to speak of the one exception referred to early in this article. It was no more brilliant than the rest nor did it show any greater capability in the author. But its subject was one that compelled the author to tell what he knew from original observation. There was the play of his own proper mind,
and the exercise to him was therefore in the liberal sense educational. If the growing orators of Kansas will select their subjects from the category of their own experience, not only the thought of their compositions will be more vigorous but their style will be, by a sort of sympathy, more easy and more forcible; their metaphor will be more original and less stilted and they will find themselves more self-seliant by learning that their own minds are to be depended upon for good thinking.
WASHBURN IN THE LEAD.
Washburn was the first of the colleges in the inter-collegiate association to hold its oratorical contest. We have set the mark. Can any other college surpass it? We think not. It was generally supposed that Baker would be our most formidable competitor. But Baker can safely be said to be out of the race. We speak from personal observation, and we believe that we do not allow our prejudice to get away with our judgment. K. S. U, is still relying upon her "natural oratory" and will present an oration yet unwritten. The other colleges never have been in it and they will not be this year. Lets all go to Emporia and see the walk away. Get those horns.—Washburn Reporter.
Yes K. S. U. does rely upon her "natural oratory," and for practical purposes that is the only kind worth relying upon. That "natural oratory" is appreciated by the practical men of the state we need only to point to the three University victories out of the seven state contests thus far held. If by "natural oratory" is meant the expression of ones own ideas upon a subject within ones grasp in a natural manner and as one is prompted to express them, then K. S. U: will probably never have reason to leave "natural oratory." There is something painful in the oration, written years before, patched up from time to time, new climaxes added here and there, and spoken again and again under the direction of a professional elocutionist until the speaker has become a trained automaton bereft of original ideas.
always win contests, but it will always place University students to the front wherever the plain practical expressions of ones views is required.
A young man who has grown up with some earnest ideas about the social or political questions of the day, who has been observant and has had some practical training in speaking and writing is the best exponent of "natural oratory." It will not take long for such on orator to write an oration, in fact two weeks is quite enough if he has read, studied and thought on his subject as he has, and does not have to spend his time patching up other peoples' ideas. Nor does this kind of orator require a "professional" in order to find out how to say what he believes. Nor does this kind of an orator, when called upon to express himself on an ordinary subject at short call, make a complete fizzle in his attempt to keep up his reputation, as illustrated by a late notable example.
K. S. U. will keep her "natural oratory," thank you. It may not
With the prospect of the establishment of a "Triangular Athletic League" between Baker, Washburn and ourselves in the spring it would be well for those intending to do athletic work in the spring to find some means of training during the winter. The training of each person should be as far advanced as possible when the weather permits out door practice. The teams in base ball and tennis which start in the contest with the best and most thorough preparation will stand the best show of winning. If a number of those interested in athletics will get together and agree to do some training every day or every other day, Turner Hall or the Armory may be easily secured. Calisthenics, work with dumb bells and Indian clubs, with the parallel bar and in running are excellent for the development of the body and can easily be provided for. Do not let another week go past without something being done.
CHANGELLOR SNOW reports that the feeling of the teachers of the state toward the University has undergone a marked change in the last year. While now there is on the part of a majority of the teachers a lively interest in the University and an earnest desire to get their schools in line with University work, a year ago there was to a large extent a feeling of indifference. Chancellor Snow attributes the change largely to the popularity of the Latin-English course established the last year. That is to the substitution of an equivalent amount of advanced work in English for primary work French or German. Nearly all the high schools can prepare in one foreign language but few find it possible at present to prepare in two or more. Probably the chief factor contributing to the change, and one which Chancellor Snow does not mention is undoubtedly his deserving reputation over the state and the confidence and esteem with which he is regarded on every hand.
The word "smoodle," first used in this paper to define a fawning favorite who pulls his professor's leg in order to get his grade raised, is attracting considerable attention. It seems that although the word is new, the thing, if the expression may be pardoned, for which the word is but a symbol is not new and flourishes in every institution under various names and in various stages. In Harvard it is called a "swipe," with this difference that the "swipe" is too cute to wait until examinations to begin its work but takes time by the forelock by often staying after class in order to ask questions about the work and exhibit its great interest in it, and thus curry favor with the "power that is." The
"Swipe" and the "Smoodle" however, are "birds of a feather" and deserve the contempt of their fellow students.
THE COURIER congratulates Prof. Dyche on the successful issue of his collecting trip in the swamp lands of Minnesota and Manitoba. The service Prof. Dyche has rendered the University by his enthusiasm and indefatigable energy in the cause of science cannot be estimated. Surmounting obstacles which would be well nigh insurmountable by many, confronted by discouragements, he has still persevered in his chrisen work and the results of his labor in Snow Hall will stand as lasting monuments to his inestimable service to the University and to science.
THE Athletic Association has been hard at work during vacation looking up suitable material for a dramatic entertainment to be given early in the spring. By next issue we shall be able to give something more definite about the work done. We can assure our readers however, that a strong play will be selected, which when properly staged and mounted, will far excel anything of its kind ever given in University or Lawrence circles.
Smoodling Loodlers.
"The editor of the Kansas University Courier has enriched the language by the word 'smoodle.' He defines a 'smoodle' as 'one who pulls the leg of the professor' in order to get his 'grade raised.'
The Northwestern World, a paper published by the students of the Northwestern University, says in its last issue:
“Since I 'boodle' and 'smoodle' seem to indicate that 'oodle' is the proper termination for new slang we suggest 'loodle' as a name for the student who has postponed his studying until now. 'I can't go, dear boy, I've "hoodled" too much in Latin and have got to cram.' ‘Is A—a good scholar?' ‘He is a 'loodle' in mathematics, but gets languages on time.’”
Words are coined by the dies of exigencies, actuated by the lever of circumstances. "Smoodle" — a fawning favorite—and "boodle"—to postpone an imperative duty—may be the vagarious inventions of college boy philologists. But they are singularly appropriate when applied to city hall detectives who are still holding the gambling search warrants issued five days ago. These "smoodle" detectives have "boodled" over this matter so long that there are grave suspicions that the noodles have been "boodled."
Smoodle. loodle, noodle, boodle are words with rhyme and reason and full of suggestiveness. They should be placed in "Every Detective's Handy Manual" and carefully indexed.-Chicago Daily News.
Prof. Blake experimented during the vacation with his hydrophone, upon which he was at work last summer. Some very satisfactory results were obtained.
Quite a number of new students are coming in for the second term.
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