JOURNALISM IN THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS.
23
during the year, the June containing the Commencement speeches. In this editorin-chief Carruth announces that next year the paper will be published regularly every month or not at all, and asks for assistance in getting subscribers. Some of the best college translations I have ever seen, from Greek, French and German, were published in this volume.
The year '78-'79 was a prosperous one for college papers. No less than three ran simultaneously and with more or less success. These were the old Collegiate, and its new rivals, the University Courier, monthly, and the University Pastime, fortnightly. The Collegiate and Courier were in some sense the organs, respectively, of Oread and Orophilian societies. Both were of the same size, about nine-by-twelve, and varying from eight to sixteen pages. The Collegiate seems in some degree, the official paper of the school, the Courier an independent effort of the students. The editorials of the Collegiate, in general, better than those of the Courier, and it published more literary matter, but the Courier had much more live news, and also had good articles.
The Collegiate staff this year consisted of W. H. Carruth, editor; S. M. Smith, Florence E. Finch, W. G. Raymond, assistants; W. H. Simpson, business manager. In January,'79, C.F. Scott took the place of Raymond. On the Courier were Henry C. Burnett, editor, Carrie M. Watson, W. E. Stevens, R.W.E. Twitchell, assistants, and C.V. King, business manager. H. H. Jenkins shortly succeeded King. The Courier this year issued but eight numbers, ending March 10th,'74. It was the first paper published by a joint stock company. The Collegiate got out its full number, issuing its last, with the Commencement speeches, on June 10th.
The University Pastime was first issued on September 16th, 1878, and declared itself devoted to athletics and news. It was quite diminutive at first, but soon enlarged. Fifteen numbers, in two volumes, were issued during the year, nine in volume I, and six in volume II. It ceased with the issue
of April 16th, '79, seemingly for lack of support. The editors and owners were W. M. Thacher, E.C.Meservey,and after a time,R.W.E.Twitchell. It was a bright and newsy little paper, though sometimes rather indiscreet.
In the autumn of 1879, both the Courier and Collegiate came out, W. H. Carruth still running the latter, and Colin Timmons, editor; H. J. Hendricks and Scott Hopkins, assistants; A. P. Connor and A. L. Perry, business managers on the former. A number of those most interested in the Collegiate desired to consolidate the two papers, though the actual owner and editor-in-chief, Carruth, was rather opposed, and held out for some time against it. In the Courier company, Scott Hopkins, Bion S. Hutchins and P. L. Soper endeavored to carry a like movement, but were beaten by a large majority. They then went over to the Collegiate, taking with them the editor of the Courier, Timmons, and started the Kansas Review.
Whether there was any consolidation of the two papers in any fair sense of the word is a somewhat disputed point. After comparing the stories of both sides, and collecting some independent evidence, I have reached the conclusion that no real consolidation took place, that what actually occurred was a bolt of a minority of the Courier company to the Collegiate. I have to support this the positive statements of W. E. Stevens, of Edmond Butler, then connected with the Courier, and of W. H. Carruth, then editor of the Collegiate. Also in the first number of the Review no mention is made of any consolidation, and in the Exchanges of that issue occurs the following: "About twenty of our last year's exchanges have arrived. * * * They came to us when our name was Kansas Collegiate. We hope they will continue their visits to, and feel as much at home with the Kansas Review."
In some manner, however, those interested in the Review obtained the signature of Chancellor Marvin to a statement that the two papers had consolidated. Carrying this about among the business men, they secured