THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY WEEKLY.
Editor-in-Chief} RALPH ELLIS
Associates } A. H. BASYER
E. B. BLACK
Sporting Editor} FRED A. GILLET E
Local Editor} J W. KAYSER
Society Editor} MABEL BARBER
Literary Editor} CHAS L.VANLEE
Business Manager} M. N. McNAUGHTON
REPORTERS.
J. B. Kleman, Geo. Hansen, Wm. Shaw,
Albert Beach, O.A. Zimmerman, Ray Barton,
J. R. Brady, Mary Burwell, Earl Campbell.
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THE ACTION of the Lawrence police court in the case of the seven sophomores arrested Friday noon, came as a surprise not only to the students directly but to the entire student body. Class fights have become a recognized part of university life and it is unusual to have the municipal police force hold quite so full a hand in the game. For years it has been the custom for the sophomores to attempt to break up the junior promenade and, as Judge Green stated at the trial, a class which fails to make an attempt.at least,would lose caste among their fellow students and would be denounced as "pikers."
The principal charge made against the offenders was the destruction of property, yet this charge was withdrawn upon the announcement that the sophomores would plead guilty to disturbance of the peace. At the trial no one appeared against the students except the officers who made the arrests. The owner of the property involved and the good citizens whose peace had been disturbed, were not in evidence. The students were all on hand early for the trial and consented at once to plead guilty. When the judge announced that the fine would be five dollars and costs there was considerable surprise manifested for it is almost a rule in the local police court that offenders shall be fined one dollar and costs, the total being the familiar $6.50 which is left set up at all the newspaper officers.
In the usual lecture before pronouncing sentence the court announced that it was the desire of the city to put an end to class fights upon the main streets and it was hoped that the arrests and fines would have this effect. It is not likely that such a condition will follow as a result of the lesson for fights can not at all times be confined to any particular area. It would undoubtedly be wise for students to abstain from attack upon property in all cases but as this was not involved in the trial it need not be discussed in this connection
There are bound to be disturbances of greater or less extent upon the streets of Lawrence so long as the university remains in its present location and the citizens have never shown a very strong desire to have it move
away. There are very few people in a college town who do not expect to tolerate some good-natured disturbances on the part of students for such disturbances have never been known to become vicious or in the nature of riots. Whenever damage to property has resulted the students responsible have been ready and willing to pay the cost of repairs. The merchants and business men of Lawrence find in the students their best customers and it is very probable that the student trade is even more dear to them than is the sanctity of historic old Massachusetts street.
In the present case the students should not blame the police officers who made the arrests. They merely did their duty in answering a call turned in by an excited citizen who feared that the Quantrell raid was about to be reacted.
DR. HETHERINGTON in a chapel talk at K. U. last year remarked that Missouri University had the "one man" system in athletics. The results over there have had a tendency to make spectators believe that the "one man idea" might be improved upon.
The Weekly desires to say a word or two about the "one man" system. It has not as yet tried it in an athletic way but it claims to know as much about this method in publishing a college paper as any one can. The present Weekly purports to be the chief student publication of Kansas University, and the best it can say for itself is that it is a disgrace to the school. The idea that a State University of the standing of this can't publish a better paper is ridiculous or shameful. A dozen little colleges about us get out better publications.
This paper doesn't blame the students for not supporting it better, in fact they do more than might be expected. But what's the use of having such a state of affairs existing? Let us change the system. The "one man" system which is the present method will never furnish a university a good paper. It is absolutely impossible for an editor to get work out of a staff of reporters who have no other reason for working than a desire to see a good college paper.
The Weekly has a staff at present that probably works as well as any previous one, but it doesn't do enough. Two or three perform conscientious work, the rest feel that they have attained high enough honors when they see their names printed on the editorial page as members of the 'Board' and consider it useless to win further laurels by rustling copy.
Again, it may be said that they are not to blame; they have no incentive to work; they receive nothing except approval from conscience when they do work; and conscience is extremely weak in the whip hand.
The Weekly thinks that there should be an entire change of method. Men who have some fitness for the work should be on the college paper staff. Artangments should be made so that
they could as in other schools, get some sort of credit for their literary and journalistic endeavors. The entire order of things should be revolutionized and an effort made, and made now, to work out some plan by which a college paper, which shall be in keeping with the dignity and position of the university, can be published. The Weekly isn't exactly on the hospital list as yet but it feels that its title is no misnomer and feels that it is gradually deteriorating and that unless succor comes soon it will wake up some morning and find a crown and harp by its bedside.
NEXT FRIDAY the first annual inter-scholastic meet of the high schools of Kansas will be held under the auspices of the university. Ten high schools have already accepted the invitation definitely and it is probable that more will send their acceptance soon. The students should remember that the visiting teams are the guests of the university upon this occasion and that it is the duty of K. U. to see that the high school people have a good time. We wish them to come here to continue their studies and the meet will offer a fine chance to give them a good opinion of the university. It depends largely upon the students as to whether this meet will be successful or otherwise and we feel positive the students of K. U. will do all in their power to make the affair so great a success that it will be repeated and more largely attended each year. The idea is a new one at this university but it is not a new thing altogether, for it has been acted upon frequently at other universities with most gratifying results for all concerned.
When these high school lads come to Lawrence they should be given the best that the town has and should be made to feel that we are really glad to see them. The meet will be interesting and should be well attended
NEXT FRIDAY the Kansas debaters meet Nebraska's University team in Lincoln. K.U. will send the strongest debating team that she has had in years against our Nebraska friends and it is believed by all Kansas debate enthusiasts that our boys will not return empty handed. If hard conscientious work and extensive research count for anything Nebraska will have to work to win. Kansas is proud of this debating team and whether they win or loose, she knows that they have wasted no effort and left no stone unturned to bring victory to K.U. this year.
THE K.U.BASE BALL team is having a series of hard luck performances. About all that the boys can do is to grin and bear it, and they're doing it. The boys are learning though, and K.U. students still have faith in their team. What are a few defeats any way? We suspect that the Normal school felt kindlier toward the university after defeating our boys last Saturday than they have at any time since the Normal-K. U. foot ball game last fall.
As the old Sunday School saying goes, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." The only danger is that every little base ball team in the country is likely to get the idea that they can beat K. U., but they can't, and and the wearers of the crimson and blue are getting ready now to tighten up their belts and win a few games just to show the knockers that they can play ball
THE JUNIOR PROM rough and tumble preliminaries last Friday as usual furnished a nucleus for some lurid newspaper articles upon the fierce physical contests to which K. U. students are addicted whenever opportunity presents itself. In justice to the local papers we are bound to say that with a single exception they gave a plain straightforward statement of facts in describing the class fight, but some of the outside papers printed accounts of the difficulty that would give a reader the idea that the encounter rivaled the engagements in which the "fighting 20th" were accustomed to participate
One Kansas City paper, under sensational headlines, printed a report of the affair which for style and method would make a war correspondent turn a good Irish color with envy. The reporter wasn't satisfied with improving upon actual occurrences, but felt that it was necessary to introduce a few new between act features of his own.
This specialty act procedure upon the part of the reporter is very conducive toward adding interest to the story but it has its harmful results.
Nearly every year some difficulty happens at the university, which after being improved upon by newspaper genius eventually finds its way into the small country papers throughout the state and creates consternation. The country readers believe the story as it finally reaches them and are quite willing to believe that the State University must be a very barbarous institution.
The bald facts are enough to report when these affairs occur and student reporters, while they may in justice to themselves and their papers report everything, yet should have the interest of K. U. enough at heart to stop when the end is reached and not embellish the real happenings by writing fanciful additions just because it makes the story more sensational.
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