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UNIVERSITY COURIER
Entered at Lawrence Post Office as Second Class Matter.
VOL. I.
LAWRENCE, KANSAS, MARCH 20, 1883.
No.14
University Courier.
A SEMI-MONTHLY PUBLICATION DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE STUDENTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
BOARD OF EDITORS.
EDITORIAL...C. C. DART.
TOPICS...J. D. McLAREN.
LITERARY...E. A. BROWN, ANNA MURPHY.
SCIENTIFIC...L. L. DYCHE.
NORMAL...G. E. ROSE.
EXCHANGE...ALBERT RIFFLE.
LOCAL...GLEN MILLER, MARY GILLMORE.
PERSONAL...CLARA GILLHAM.
MISCELLANY...W. S. WHIRLOW, ELLA V. KEIST.
BUSINESS MANAGERS. EDMOND BUTLER, B. K. BRUCE.
Subscription, One Dollar per Year, in Advance.
EDITORIAL.
THE annual fight is over. Whirlow and Miller marshalled their forces and led them on to victory. The battle waxed hot and heavy. Blood boiled on every hand. Out of the din and smoke came the cry, "Hutchings had his Brown, Johnson his Stocks and 'the big three' may profit by their example." The "Diamonds" and "barbs" poured the grape and canister into the ranks of their enemy and his banner was trailed in the dust. But coming down to facts, as far as we know, a good program was chosen in both societies. Four or five of '83 were elected to positions of honor and importance. While this subject is fresh in all minds let us ask, "Would it not be well if some method of choosing the representatives could be devised by which so much wrangling and bitterness could be avoided?" How would it do to make that male member,orator,who shall, the session preceding election, obtain the highest grade in chapel rhetoricals and that one of the lady members, who shall secure the highest grade, declaimer? Candidates for debate and essay could hand in trial essays to be graded by a disinterested committee. Were some such plan pursued there would be a better feeling among all concerned, and cries of "fraud," "caucuses," "combinations""big threes," "selling out," etc., would be a thing of the past.
The millenium hasn't come yet. No chronic grumbler shall be there, no dog-in-the-manger, no with-holder of appropriations shall go up therein. Of all useless persons under the shining heavens, the perpetual
fault-finder takes first rank. He is not satisfied with doing nothing himself, but growls because others attempt to do something for themselves and the world at large. The State Journal having become weary of riding the Republican party and prohibition amendment, has mounted the State University hoping to ride it to the death. Said paper does not hesitate to make statements which are false from beginning to end. "The fact is that the State University does not benefit over four hundred families in the State, and half of these are in Douglas county" is not true. And if it were, what of it? Has any other College in the State greater attendance? Has any other representatives from fifty-five counties? Is not a large share of the students of the Emporia Normal, the Agricultural College and the denominational schools from the counties in which said schools are located. It does not require much ability to know that the people of this State are poor—too poor to send their children anywhere to college. The increasing attendance at the State University proves, however, that whenever we have a bountiful year, the people do not hesitate to send their sons and daughters to the "kind of high school" that crowns Mt. Oread. The Journal laments that our school has not a national reputation. Why should it have? Has any University west of the Mississippi such a reputation? No, and few west of Ohio. It takes time to make a school a success. If our Legislature were as liberal in their appropriations as is the Legislature of Michigan, there is no reason why in the course of time, our school might not have a reputation too. But so long as we have a lot of legislators and chronic grumblers who can barely read and write themselves, what hope is there that the school will be sustained and that it will take firm hold on the hearts of the people. If some of the soreheaded politicians of this State had a millstone hung about their necks and were cast into the sea, it would be the best thing that ever happened for the interests of the people—educational and other. The Journal further laments that the Faculty are without brains—mere boys. It is the opinion of disinterested men of some judgment that the members of the Faculty are persons of character, ability and worth, and that they compare favorably with the faculties of other institutions. We presume, however, that Chancellor Marvin and his assistants are willing to sacrifice themselves for men of brains. We have quite a variety of specimens here. There is a manakin and a monkey, but no man of brains. The Professor of Natural History would be exceedingly pleased, no doubt, to obtain a specimen of that kind. A live one would be preferred. It may be asking too much, but, as the State Journal and Speaker of the House think we need men of ability, how would it do to put themselves on exhibition at the University