The Students Journal
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
BY THE
Students Journal Publishing Co.
RUSINESS MANAGERS.
Frank H. Moore ... Editor-in-Chief
Rollin E. Blackman ... Local Editor
Arthur L. Corbin ... Literary Editor
CHAS. H. LEASE. | WARREN EDWARDS
ASSOCIATES
Jno. H. Henderson ... Literary
W. C. Aitchison ... Local
Frank E. House ... Exchanges
O. H. Parker ... The Hall
The stock of the STUDENTS JOURNAL company consists of non-transferable one dollar shares. Any student, instructor or employee in the University may hold one and only one share.
This paper is on the file at the editorial rooms of the University Review, 286 Fifth avenue, New York, where all college men are given a hearty welcome.
In another column will be found the announcement of Nebraska University's proposition for a joint debate. The students will be called upon to consider this matter at the mass meeting at 12:30 to-day.
THE Washburn Mid-Continent containing orations of all the participants in the oratorial contest, was appreciated by everybody. From late experiences with plagiarism, it may seem worthy of serious consideration whether the Mid-Continent should not be issued at least two weeks before the contest, in order that, if possible, plagiarized orations may be weeded out.
THE members of the editorial board of the Yale News, Yale's daily newspaper are chosen annually by what may be termed a competitive examination. Candidates for positions on the board begin at the opening of school in the fall, to report what news comes to their notice; in a few days this volunteer body is organized for effective work; and its members continue reporting until February when the editorial board for the ensuing year is chosen from them. It is evident that the greatest efficiency in a staff can be secured in this way. The plan could be profitably adopted by the STUDENTS JOURNAL. But even if no change were made in the constitution the appetitive members of the staff who, with the exception of editor in-chief, local and literary editors are the whole of the staff who write for the paper could be chosen by this method. Many advantages could be gained, by having the competition carried on for even a shorter time. All candidates for positions on the staff could compete for about a month at the opening of school, and then those who had done the best work could be chosen for a permanent staff. This plan seems to be the most effective means of improving the quality of work done on the papers.
It is an old story to students to be reminded that opportunities are offered to them of doing work on the college papers. If one desires practical work in reporting he can report the news of some of the buildings or departments, and he will find it profitable if he performs his task well. There are communications on subjects of interest to the students that may be written, besides work of a more purely literary nature. This work for the newspaper can, by a little planning, be made to meet requirements of the English department at the same time, so that a two-fold purpose will have been accomplished, the newspaper benefited and work in English done. Students' papers are, more than other papers, what the students make them; their excellence varies with the amount of aid they receive. It should be remembered that in a certain sense the University is represented abroad by its newspapers, that especially will the character of its students be judged from the newspapers. The students should take care that as favorable an impression as possible, shall be created.
THE Cornell affair has been so fully discussed, that any comment by the STUDENTS JOURNAL would be superlious. It may be profitable, however, to see whether any local application can be made. The fact that the Cornell Freshmen went to their banquet room defended by a body guard of Juniors, who were compelled to use their fists very freely in self-protection; and that the stairs leading to the room were guarded by Juniors who were ready and anxious to use their clubs on any one who attempted to come in without leave, shows that a worse spirit existed than even that of "friendly class rivalry" under which designation much rowdyism on the part of students is excused. It is the same brute spirit, which manifests itself in the haxing of students. Hazing, thanks to the action of the University authorities, has never gained a foothold here, and we have never seen its spirit developed.
But there have been several occasions where reckless acts of the students, though done with no evil intentions, might have resulted just as fatally as did that at Cornell. When the Freshman reception was held a few weeks ago, it is quite possible that those who threw the ill-smelling compounds into the room would just as readily have used chlorine gas. They would probably have thought that the most disagreeable thing was the best for their purpose, and that the only difference in the result would be that the Freshmen would be compelled to leave the room a little sooner. There have been more marked instances than this, of recklessness and foolishness. The year that the custom of erecting a May pole was introduced, the flags were raised on the south dome of the main building after the May pole had been cut down; and in the struggle that followed for the possession of the flags, some of the students narrowly escaped falling from the roof. Last year the flags were raised on the flag staff of the main building, where any struggle could hardly have taken place without resulting in a fatal accident.
If an accident had occurred, the plea that no harm was intended would not be allowed. Men are supposed to have enough sense not to engage in things in which there is a great danger of killing each other, and college students are old enough to be responsible for their acts. If the students of this University have to take some foolish diversion once in a while, they should be careful to choose one in which there is no danger that their excitement may lead them into doing what may easily result in a terrible catastrophe like the one that occurred at Cornell.
KNOCK College celebrated, on the 15th of February, its fifty-seventh anniversary; and George R. Peck, who needs no introduction to Kansas people, was the orator of the day. We wish we could give the whole of Mr. Peck's oration, for it treats of a subject upon which too much can not be said, and this is said so well. It is an exhortation to the student to place the highest value on the intellectual, so that he will not forget it after his University days are over; to remember always that the work of the mind is what endures, and what elevates mankind. In the work of gaining a living, everything higher is in danger of being forgotten. "I pray you remember there is, if you will search for it, something ennobling in every vocation; in every enterprise which engages the efforts of man. Do you think Michael Angelo reared the dome, and painted those immortal frescos simply because he had a contract to do so? Was the soldier who died at Marathon or Gettysburg thinking of the wages the State had promised him? Be assured young ladies and gentlemen, that whatever fate is to befall you, nothing so bad can come as to sink into that wretched existence where everything is forgotten but the profit of the hour the food, the raiment, the handful of silver, the ribbon to wear on the coat." We can give no idea of the oration by any extracts, but the following one will be o interest.
How many men and women do you know, who, after they have, as the phrase goes, finished their education, ever give it another serious thought? They have no time; no time to live, but only time to exist. Do not misunderstand me; I do not expect, nor do I think it possible, that the great majority of people can make intellectual improvement their first and only aim. God's wisdom has made the law that we must dig and delve, must work with the hands and bend the back to the burden that is laid upon it. We must have bread; and how inexpressibly foolish it is to suppose that we can live by bread alone. Granting all that can be claimed for lack of time; for the food and clothing to be bought, and the debts to be paid, the truth remains—and I beg you to remember it—the person who allows his mental and spiritual nature to stagnate and decay, does so, not of time, but for want of inclination. The farm, the shop, and the office are no such hard masters as we imagine. We yield too easily to their sway, and so them up as rulers when they ought to b servants. There is no vocation, also lately none, that ents off entirely the opportunities for intellectual development For my part, I would rather have bee Charles Lamb than the duke of Wellington, and his influence in the world is incalculably the greater of the two. Am yet, he was but a clerk in the Indian House, poor in pocket, but rich beyond measure in his very poverty, whose jewels are not in the goldsmith's list. The problem of life is to rightly adjust the prose to the poetry; the sordid to the spiritual; the common and selfish to the high and benificent, forgetting not that these last are incomparably the mor- precious."
INTERCOLLEGIATE DEBATES.
The English department has received a letter from Mr. James Adams, professor of English in Nebraska University, proposing that a joint debate be arranged between the two Universities. So this movement, which has been rapidly spreading all over the west has at last reached us. Joint debates have been held between eastern colleges for a number of years, but not much has been done until this year, by western educational institutions, toward adopting the idea. Now that the movement has begun, however, the idea has been received with the greatest enthusiasm everywhere, and hardly a college paper can be found but that contains accounts of debates either arranged or being arranged.
Mr. Adams states that no better instruction in oratory is offered by his institution than our own; and that its rank in State oratorical contests has been lower. Literary societies are in a flourishing condition there, however, and this may be some disadvantage to us. We hope that Nebraska's invitation will be accepted, and that the students will go to work to obtain in some way, the training necessary in order that the University may be represented creditably. Literary societies seem to be in disfavor with us, and there can be little doubt that the florid, illogical speech that they sometimes develop is not a thing to be desired. But the value of the ability to "think on your feet" to state your thoughts on a subject when called upon to do so, in plain forcible speech is not disputed by anyone. The majority of our students are making no effort to acquire this ability, they take no interest in literary societies, and we can not see that the work of recitation rooms and the various seminaries and clubs offers much opportunity for its development. We believe they make a great mistake, in not securing this training by some means. It makes no difference whether it is a literary society or some other society, but some organizations should be maintained that will give this training. We hope that the invitation will be accepted, and that enthusiasm here for debating contests, will soon equal that of other Universities.
The opera of "Martha" is now in active rehearsal by the School of Music for commencement.
OUR STUDY WINDOW.
The Still Cave (Concluded.)
[At the earnest solicitation of the many readers of "The Still Cave," the author has been induced to complete his brilliant production. At first glance it will be evident that he has lost none of the beauty of his style through his sad misfortune. His own conclusion of the story will give great pleasure to his many admirers.—Ed.]
Every feature of the marshal's tall athletic figure trembled with suppressed emotion. Now he stood clutching convulsively at his broad heaving bosom as if he wished to still the beating of his furiously palpitating heart. Notwithstanding his frantic exertions, he was unable to suppress the expression of the intense favor of his emotions. A bright hoetic dush played nervously on either cheek. He took a long stride forward, peered scrutinizingly from under his right hand as if to assure himself of the reality of the apparition. Then he said in a voice tremulous with emotion: "Great Gosh! Marla!"
Further utterance was interrupted by the woman suddenly falling at his feet with a despairing wail. With her beautiful arms she clasped him tightly about his knees, and poured forth a flood of briny tears upon his dust-stained boots. Long they remained thus in silent embrace, neither speaking nor able to speak.
At first, I had remained spellbound with surprise and amazement. Now, however, after recovering from my astonishment, time was afforded me to observe what had, upon our entrance, produced the magical halo of rosy brightness around the fairy-like form of the woman. Right behind the spot where we had found her standing, there was burning an old dilapidated lantern of antique workmanship. Owing to some defect in its construction, it was ever giving forth clouds of dark aromatic smoke. The faint light of the lantern shining through the smoke-laden air of the cave had wrapped the woman in a halo of amber-colored light.
"Maria!" said the marshal in a low reproachful tone, in which however there was mingled a sorrowful note of regret and longing; "Maria, how could you thus throw my manly affection to the winds, and leave me a prey to desolation and despair?"
"Don't!" said the woman with an hysterical gasp, and her tears rained down in uninterrupted torrents. "Don't!" she continued, "by all that mankind holds most sacred, by the memory of those luscious pumkinpins ples I used to bake for you. I implore you not to drive me to darkest despair, not to reawaken in my heaving bosom the recollections of my ingratitude and the unendurable pangs of remorse and repentance."
A fresh outburst of grief rendered her last words almost inaudible. During this touching scene, I had remained rooted to the spot upon which I stood. Now however, I began faintly to realize that this was one of those moments in which men live a lifetime. A feeling of the sacredness of their grief caused me to withdraw in silence from the cave and leave them there alone.
After an hour or more had passed, the marshal and Maria appeared, hand in hand, at the mouth of the cave. An expression of perfect peace and trust beamed from their countenances. The full moon shone respendant from the summer sky and bathed the surrounding landscape in a flood of golden light. We betook ourselves down the precipitous delivcy to where our horses were restless, pawing the luxuriant buffalo grass, and were soon rapidly riding homeward over the impressively monotonous stretch of rolling prairie.
On the road home, the marshal related to me the sad history of the woman's eventful life. Many years ago she had been a servant in the marshal's family, honored and respected for her virtue and
integrity. It was however by her skill as a culinary artist that she had won the admiiration of the marshal. But it was her pumpkin pies that were the especial object of his regard. Soon he was unable to do without them. He had them for breakfast, dinner and supper, and as often between times as was convenient.
One day however the marshal discovered a small, a very small, piece of discloth in his pie, and with much indiscretion and lack of proper regard for the feelings of others, called the attention of the faithful Maria to the disappearance of her dishcloth. The poor sensitive creature was so overwhelmed with shame and confusion that, in the darkness of night, she disappeared from the place haunted by so many humiliating recollections. Since then she had lived a life of solitude in this secluded cavern, a prey to grief and humiliation. Her joy at again being reconciled to the marshal knew no bounds, and she was easily persuaded to resume her duties in his kitchen. H.
+ +
The Student.
Aristotle defined man as a political animal. By this he meant an animal which has a tendency to unite with its kind for mutual advantage; but he probably had also in mind the meaning which the words 'political animal' have come to possess at the present time: namely, one that delights in conspiring with some of its kind in order to gain a real or fancied advantage over others. This is now a quite general conception of a politician, but for the word "student" to acquire any such meaning shocks our sense to the eternal fitness of things. Nevertheless we bid fair to bequeath such an alteration of language to our descendants. The hall, which now and then boils up to running over and again settles down to comparative quiet, has again given evidence of its miskakiable nature. Like the geyser, it makes a mighty uphalew if there be dropped into it only a few harmless pebbles. The student body geis as excited over that which means nothing as does the most honored legislative assembly. The student, the animal supposed to be learning the art of abstract reasoning, devotes his time to pursuing a concrete office whose only attribute is its concreteness. The University has become a training ground for the political trickster and demagogue. Many a student, now become a politician, spends his time in scheming either for an office or how to retain his connection with the institution. And he defends himself by saying that he is getting the best of training for life in the great world without. May a merciful Heaven preserve us from pessimism! To take part in the great world incompatible with honesty and self respect? If so let us retire from the great world. May "student" never become synonymous with 'demagogue.'
Who then is the student? What has he been in the past? Putting aside for the time the fact that the student is a human being and is bound like all other human beings to develop the best in him, there are certain things that we like to think of his possessing. There is something nice in hearing him singing along the streets late at night or giving the college yell coming down the hill. We took real delight in his actions and appearance the time he went down two hundred strong to work the streets; think of it—took delight in watching him ridicule the law of the land. But it is pleasant to think of being independent of conditions, and we do not begrudge the student his freedom. He may during the brief space of his college life make sport of existing regulations, perform pranks unheard of in ordinary society, in short, be to some extent an independent individual. Soon enough will he be obliged to curry the favor of an uneasonal world.
Although the student is free, he too has his traditions; and here as everywhere they lend their charm. The Harvard Seniors, though they are allowed first choice of rooms, always select those
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