UNIVERSITY COURIER
Entered at Lawrence Post Office as Second Class Matter.
Vol.I.
LAWRENCE, KANSAS, OCT. 20, 1882.
No. 4.
University Courier.
A SEMI-MONTHLY PUBLICATION DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE STUDENTS OF 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.
An unusual number of prizes have been offered so far this season. It seems that the older the institution becomes the more the community become interested and the more they seek to increase its usefulness. A few years ago there were but two prizes offered. The Faculty gave these for the best declamations. A year or so ago they added another to the list, making a total number of three. The complete annual list at this time seems to be: The Grovenor prize of twenty-five dollars; the Cockins prize of twenty-five dollars; four prizes offered by the COURIER COMPANY; two by Mr. Dyche; two by Prof. Snow; one by Mr. Bates; one by Mr. Crew; three by the Faculty; making a total number of fifteen, representing a cash value of over one hundred dollars. A great deal has been said and written regarding the propriety of offering rewards in educational institutions, and it may be useless and perhaps impossible to add anything new to the question. No one will dispute the assertion that both good and evil are likely to result
from this practice. And there is scarcely anything of which as much can not be said. Taking the question in its entirety, it must include not only those who are trying to win the prizes, but also the donor. If the latter should draw on his means so as to become financially embarrassed, or if his motives in the matter be selfish and unworthy, then the effect upon himself is pernicious; otherwise it is beneficial, for whenever a person does a good act he is made nobler and better. But what is the effect upon those to whom the reward is offered? We will suppose there are fifty in the class. Now, out of this number forty will receive no stimulus whatever; they, being a little duller than the remaining ten, will from the first see that it is useless to attempt to win. So there can be no benefit at all resulting to a large majority. If anything they are injured, since the prize system tends to draw the lines more closely between the bright and the dull, and as a consequence the latter are made to feel more strongly their own inferiority. Thus the student that needs the most encouragement is likely to get none at all. Of the ten who try to obtain the prize but one will, of course, succeed. Who that one is will depend on more things than mere scholarship. A professor will favor the student that he happens to like, no matter if there are others in the class that have their lessons equally well. Again, the result is likely to depend on the student's ability to deceive the professor. It must then be a mere matter of chance if exact justice is obtained. As regards the benefit accruing to the winner himself, his finances would, of course, be increased, an amount equal to the reward. In addition to this some would say the students were benefitted by being stirred up to greater exertion. But if any are incited to special effort, it is those that have no need of a stimulus. There are some, no doubt, who would seek to obtain a prize simply because of its intrinsic worth, and because they were in need of it. A larger number, however, would seek it in order to obtain a little local celebrity which could be of little value to themselves and of none to any one else. One great difficulty with the prize-system is that it only reaches those who, either naturally or from superior advantages, are sharper than their associates. It is possible that we are undervaluing the system in thinking its good results very meager. It is commonly believed, however, that the pure benefit derived from study ought to repay all efforts that are made in that direction.
LAST Tuesday morning the Dean of the Law Department began his work for the collegiate year of '82 and '83 with a good representation in both the Junior and Senior classes. He is aided by able assistants, and this year promises to be one of more than ordinary import.