THE KANSAN.
OFFICIAL PAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS.
VOL. I. NO. 40.
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, MARCH 2, 1905.
ABOUT W. A. WHITE.
Old K. U. Man and One of Most Prominent Writers to Lecture in Journalism Course.
Among the most prominent University of Kansas men of today is Mr. William Allen White, and his many friends here will be glad to know that he will return to his home in Emporia in a few days much improved in health after a stay of three months at Manitou Colorado. Mr. White has a cottage there, built after his own ideas and when rest is needed he takes his family and goes to the Rockies.
Mr. White was in the University from 1887 until 1892 and was very active in local news
5 Cents per copy.
paper circles. He was editor of the old University Weekly and was also business manager. While here he did considerable writing for outside newspapers which helped pay his expenses. He was very original and those who were here when Mr. White was, and are still here, remember his distinct characteristics. It is said that he used to read all of the exchanges in the Journal office, when working on that paper, before he started to write any copy. This was when he was making trains and chasing locals. But when he got started he got in enough good copy to fill his space in the daily.
Here is a little history that interests most University people: William Allen White, who so sturdily defends Americans in his powerful stories of middle western life,"Stratagems and Spoils," is only thirty-six years old, yet has been for nine years the editor of one of the most prominent papers in Kansas, the Emporia Gazette. He was born in Emporia.
His father, Allen White, a country doctor, was of New England parentage and his mother of Irish descent. Mr. White's parents moved to El Dorado, Kansas, when he was a baby, and there he spent his boyhood and youth. He was graduated from the town high school and later, after a year at the Emporia College, entered a printer's off-
face as devil. He remained there long enough to learn the rudiments of the trade, when he entered the State University at Lawrence.
HIS NEWSPAPER CAREER.
He studied there for four years, working on the local papers as local reporter, printer and editorial writer He took a job as manager of the El Dorado Republican. In 1891 he went to the Kansas City Journal as editorial writer, and in 1892 he was political correspondent at Topeka. When the campaign of 1892 closed, White went to the Kansas City Star as editorial writer.
In 1893, he married Miss Sallie Lindsay of Kansas City, Kansas, and two years later bought the Emporia Gazette. He wrote the famous article, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" in August, 1896, and in the fall of that year brought out a book of stories under the title, "The Real Issue."
A POLITICIAN
White is a practical politician, having been chairman of his ward republican organization, a member of the County Central Committee and amember of the State Central Committee. He works in every department of the Gazette, writes locals, personals, runaway items, local advertisements, makes advertising contracts, attends to the office correspondence, writes the editorials and solicits job work and advertising.
In 1899, the stories which had been running in the various magazines were collected and published. Since then he has devoted himself to writing stories of political life and sketches of a political nature for Scribner's, McClure's, the Saturday Evening Post and other magazines For some of these stories he receives between $1000 and $2000. His very shortest stories bring him several hundred dollars.
Down at Emporia Mr. White has everything his own way from the millinery fashions to the latest styles in houses and the proper way for girls who want to become young women to wear their hair, and, as he puts it, "to hold hands." If a couple in town is guilty of the peculiar outward affection of holding hands the Gazette knows it and something regarding the new members of the "hand holders union" as the Gazette speaks of it, will appear on the third page of the Emporia paper, which by the way has justly won a reputation for being one of the "gossipiest" pages of any newspaper printed in the West. But the Gazette has made the owner hundreds of dollars where other papers in the town lost hundreds of dollars and the Gazette today largely sets the Emporia styles and does more good in its home town than any combination of preachers that occupy the differ-
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NEWS OF OTHER COLLEGES.
President Faunce of Brown Declares Games Are Helpful to Colleges and Students.
President Faunce of Brown University, speaking on "Athleties in College Life" at an alumni dinner in Boston, said athletic games were almost a necessity in that such contests brought out the loyalty of the student body in a manner that nothing else could. The large amount of money expended for football and baseball teams, and the newspaper notoriety attendant upon athletics, were unpleasant features which, in his opinion, could not be avoided.
The trustees of the University of Pennsylvania at their meeting on Tuesday, February 7, voted to grant leave of absence for one year from September 1. 1905, to Professor William N. Bates, to enable him to accept the position of Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens for the year 1905-'06.
Through the generosity of Payne Whitney, captain of the Yale 'Varsity crew of 1898, the boat house at Gale's Ferry will be rebuilt and enlarged, and will be fully equipped in time for the reception of the crew squad in early June. Some changes in the quarters had been planned, but Mr. Whitney's offer will mean more extensive changes than had been hoped for. The dormitory and bath room additions will be especially ample.
DOINGS OF THE CIVILS.
The first engineering society was formed in 1880 and later grew into what was called the Science Club. The first civil engineers had their first organization in 1894, which lasted until 1898. This society proved to be very valuable and was comparatively strong.
Professor Hoad addressed the civil engineering society last Friday afternoon on the "Organization of a Civil Engineering Society at Kansas University."
It is planned to divide the time at the meetings between a speaker who shall make a short address and magazine reviews by individual members of the society. At the next meeting Clyde Baldwin will talk on the "Method Employed by Coast and Geodetic Survey in the Hydrographic Surveying," and E.B.Black will review the "Engineering News." Glen Parker the "Engineering Record," and Oscar Zimmerman, the "Engineering."
The meeting of the Chemical Club tomorrow will be in the nature of a memorial service for Dr. A.B. Prescott, professor of chemistry and dean of medicine and pharmacy at the University of Michigan, who died last Saturday.
VALUABLE MAP BY U. MAN.
Represents Ten Years Work.
The Geology department has about completed a map of the Eastern counties of the state which shows the exact outcroppings of the lime stone formations in the first four tiers of counties from the East. The map is being prepared under the direct supervision of Professor Haworth and represents the result of the Summer field work of the University department for the last eight or ten years.
All the tracings on the map are made from minute data collected by Professor Haworth and his assistants. One man working continuously could not have collected the information which it embodies in less than five or six years constant work.
Professor Haworth is in correspondence with the officials of government survey in regard to the location of our line of the outcroppings in Neosho and Wilson counties. There is a gap in his map, of about five miles in length in Neosho county, which will be traced this week. Professor Haworth feels sure that the government officials are at least five or six miles two far west with their tracings, and the work this week will settle the matter definitely.
PRACTICE BEGUN ON McCOOK.
Plenty of Good Material Out.
Eighteen baseball men met on McCook field Tuesday evening for the first out door work this year.
The men wore the new crimson uniforms and made a fine appearance.
The way they handled the ball shows that K. U., will have a fast nine this year. Capt. J. C. Royer in speaking of the prospects said, "We will have the best outfield this year that K. U., has had in many years. The quick work between the bases and the ability of the short-stop and pitcher to telegraph hot liners to first was wonderful.
Royer, Hoffman, Relihan and Lang are the principal twirlerls while Royer is the best man behind the bat. Four men, Ben Young, Michaelson, Balinger and Ward, are trying for first, while Wilson and Hetherington hold second. Johnson, Brookins and Harlin are the third base players.
Bailey, Dean and Van Cleave are working for the position of short-stop. The fielders are, Sexton and Henderson, left field, Woodford, center field, and Gillette and Neff right field.
Mr. C. W. Bitting, of Wichita, spent Tuesday with his daughter Mary at the Kappa house.