UNIVERSITY KANSAN
Entered at Post Office, Lawrence, Kansas, as second-class matter.
Published every Friday morning by the UNIVER
SITY KANSAN Company.
M. McKINNON, Prosist ent
E. W. CALDWELL, Vice President,
W. A. SNOW, Secretary,
H. S. HADLEY Treasurer,
EDITORIAL STAFF
H. F. ROBERTS, Editor-in-Chief
LOCAL EDITOR.
R. D. BROWS.
ASSOCIATE EDITORS:
R. R. Whittman,
Maude S. ringer,
Dwayne E. Porter,
D. E. Babbitt,
HUSI E. S MANAGER;
C. A. Peabody,
Paul Merrill.
UNIVERSITY DIRECTORY
Societies
SCIENCE CLUB Meets in Snow Hall every other Friday at 5 p. m. p. president, E. E. Slosson; Vice President, E. Case; Secretary, M. A. Barber; Treasurer, Fred Liddecke; Librarian, Prof. Maryin; Reporter, W. S. Smith.
SEMINARY OF HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE. Meets in Room 14. University building, every other Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Director, Prof J. H Canfield; Vice Director, Prof. F. W. Blackmar.
PHILIOLOGICAL CLUB. Meets in Room No. 20 University building, every other Friday at 8 p.m. President, Miss Anna McKinnon; Secretary, Dr Willcox; Treasurer, Jus D. Bowersock.
DER DEUTSCHE VERLEN. Meets at the residence of Prif. Carruth every other Thursday at 9 p.m. President, Miss McKinnon; Treasurer, Miss McKinnon; Treasurer, Miss Elsa Scott.
KENT CLUB Meets in Room 4 University building President, James L. Wallace; Vice President, Porter Administer, Secrutery, Wm. A. Foster; Treasurer, Samuel Feller; Sergent-at-Arms, A. L. Gettyts; Executive Committee, James Nichols, Albert Caughey. Admits Law students only.
MUSIC CLUB. Meets on second and fourth Wednesdays of each month in Room 30, (Music Room). University building, at 3 o'clock p. m. President. Miss Ida Burr; Vice President. Miss Margie Brown; Secretary and Treasurer, Adolph Krebhel.
PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. Meets every other Friday at 8 p.m., President, V. T. Baaz; Vice President, W. S. Amos; Secretary, Miss Laura Grabe; Librarian, J. Simmons; Treasurer, Ed. Youngberg; Executive Committee, J. W. Kennerly; P. Muller; Corresponding Secretary, J. G Peckham; Local Correspondent, H. A. Adams. Admits Pharmacy students only.
THE KANSAS UNIVERSITY LITERARY CLUB. Organized January 31, 1890. Meets in University Club Hall University building, north wing, 3rd floor, every Friday evening at 8 o'clock President, Howard A. Pearls; Vice President, I. H. Morse; Secretary, J. E. Baker, Assistant Secretary, C. H. Sears, Treasurer, H. F. Roberts; Executive Committee; H. F. Roberts, R. R. Whitman and R. D. Brown. Admits all students in the collegiate department.
ADLEPHIC LITERARY SOCIETY. Organized Nov. 1, 1889. Meets in Adelphic Hall, University building, south wing, third floor, every Friday evening at 8 o'clock. President. C. P. Chapman Vice President. C. S. Griffin; Secretary, E. P. Fisher; Treasurer, H. R. Linville Critic, G. O. Virtue. Admits all non-fraternity students in the collegiate department.
Fraternities.
BETA THETA PL. Meets every Saturday evening on 4th floor of Opera House Block.
PHI KAPPA PSI Meets every Saturday evening on 3rd floor of Opera House Block.
PHI GAMMA DELTA. Meets every Saturday evening on 3rd floor of Eldridge House Block.
SIGMA CHI Meets every Saturday evening on the 4th floor east, of Opera House Block.
PHI DELTA THETA. Meets every Satu-
day evening in A. O. U. W. Hall.
SIGMA NU. Meets every Saturday evening on 3rd floor of Eldridge House Block.
PI BETA PHI. Meets every Saturday afternoon at the homes of members.
KAPPA ALPHA THEPA Meets every Sat urday afternoon at the homes of members.
KAIPA KAPPA GAMMA. Meets every Saturday afternoon at the homes of members.
Miscellaneous.
ORATORICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE STUDENTS OF KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY President, Jus D. Bowersock; Vice Pr-
ident, W. W. Brown; Secretary, W. D. Ross; Treasurer, W. E. Rovster; Executive Committee, M. E. Hickey, C. H. Sears, W. E. Curry; Committee on nonfraternity shares, C. S. Hall, E. C. Hickey, D. R. Krebblich.
UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION—President, W. H. Carruth; Secretary, F. Kellogg; College President, Kellogg; clutch tennis Association. Base Ball Association and Foot Ball Association.
CAMERA CLUB meets once per month. President, E. H. S. Bailey; Secretary, E. E. Slosson.
TELEGRAPH CLUB. President, Prof.
L. U Blake; Secretary and Treasurer, W.
S. Franklin.
Y. M. C. A. Meets in University building, Room 11 every Friday at 7:30. p. m. President, E. L. Ackley; Secretary, C. P. Chapman.
Y. W. C. A. Meets in University building, north wing, 3rd floor, every Friday evening at 7:30, p. m. President, Miss Emma Dunn; Secretary, Miss Laura Lockwood.
THE UNIVERSITY REVIEW. Editor-in-Chief, H.F.M. B. Meur. Published monthly by THE KANSAIS UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING COMPANY.
University Journals.
UNIVERSITY KANSAN. Editor-in-Chief.
H F. Roberts. Published every Friday
morning by the UNIVERSITY KANSAN
COMPANY.
THE WEEKLY UNIVERSITY COUERI
Editor-in-Chief, Walter J. Sears.
Published every Friday morning by THE COUERI COMPANY.
At Drake University they "rush" men for the literary societies, much as "Greek" men do elsewhere, if we judge correctly from a statement in the Delphic, which complains of its being carried to excess.
The Baker Beacon of last week was a surprise. We always thought the Beacon was an enterprising paper, but we became sure of the fact when it appeared in its new dress. A fine quality of paper and general typographical neatness add greatly to its appearance. The matter contained is rather better than usual also. We hope the Beacon's management will keep the paper at a high standard, and retain it in the position it now holds of being one of the few college weeklies in Kansas deserving of the name.
We doubt if the generality of the students here have an adequate idea of the value of a good knowledge of parliamentary law. Among the mass of the students outside of the literary societies it is almost entirely unknown. If a greater study were made of this subject, there would be less opportunity for "bulldozing" in college elections where it is generally the case that a few who are well acquainted with parliamentary law can skilfully defeat or baffle their opponents by adroit parliamentary tactics. We do not believe too much stress can be laid on the value of this study merely as a mental training. But more than this, every young man who expects ever to take any part in deliberative assemblies, where he may be obliged to stand up for his rights and can only obtain them through parliamentary tactics, should make the science of parliamentary usage and practice a study. It is practical, it is interesting, it requires close and acute thinking, and it drills the mind to preciseness and exactness. We are glad to see the literary societies toking good hold of the matter.
THE Baker Beacon is a lively interesting paper. The only fault we have to find with it, is that it runs in too much secular matter. General paragraphs about politics and legislation do not belong within the proper scope of a college journal, in our opinion. Otherwise the Beacon is a very creditable paper. The issue of February 19th takes a very sensible view of the status of the weekly newspaper at K. S. U.
It was the policy of the management of the paper last term to publish nothing from exchanges. While there is danger of making an exchange column "chestnutty," yet we believe we owe to our exchanges at least an occasional mention. K. S.U. papers have been criticized this year for ignoring other college papers. Accordingly we have concluded to come to the front again with exchange notes, and shall endeavor to keep them as fresh and interesting as possible
PROFESSORS CANFIELD and Blackmar have instituted a new departure in the Seminary of Historical and Political Science, viz. the establishment of a corresponding membership system, by which prominent men over the State are brought into close contact with the University in its Department of History and Political Science. The scheme has only been in operation a few weeks, but already nineteen names have been secured. The idea is this: Any person in the state interested in topics with which the Seminary deals, is invited to become a corresponding member. This involves the preparation and presentation before the Seminary by each member, once a year, a paper on some topic in Political Science or Economics. The value of this to the students of the University and the department is very great. The University is thus placed in active connection with the outside world, and it cannot help but add to its strength and greatness.
The following is a list of the corresponding members up to date. At this rate the number will be quite large by the end of the term. Included in the list are found some of the most prominent men in the State: Hon. Geo. R. Peck, Topeka; Hon. T. Dwight Thacher, Topeka; Hon. Scott Hopkins, Horton; Judge James Humphrey. State R. R. Commissioner, Junction City; Hon. Noble Prentis, Newton; Hon. D. S. Alford, Lawrence; Hon. James Emery, Lawrence; Hon. Frank Betton, State Labor Commissioner, Topeka; Col. O. E. Learnard, Lawrence; Col. H. S. Moore, Lawrence; Chas. F. Scott, Iola; Hon. H. M. Greene, Lawrence; Rev. W. W. Ayres, Lawrence; Regent Chas. S. Gleed, Topeka; Hon. Fred A. Stocks, Blue Rapids; Rev. C. G. Howland, Lawrence; Hon. Charles Robinson, Lawrence; Hon. B. W. Woodward, Lawrence; Maj. J. K. Hudson, Topeka.
Boys take your cups to Gregg & Johnson.
We do wonder what some people in this world would do if they had nothing to howl about. Some individual of the howling cult was kindly permitted by the Courier to occupy two columns of its front page last week, as a vent for a mess of the most nonsensical rhodomontade that it has been our privilege to read for some time. The article is on fraternities. It begins in a fairly reasonable spirit, but gradually, as the writer warms up over his subject he becomes frantic, tears his hair, and eats fire generally. The author of this production signs himself only "Barb," and he is evidently one of the "rank" species. We fail to see how any student of the University with an atom of sense could have written such foolishness, unless he had imbibed a deep potion of the wine made from "sour grapes."
It was not our intention to frame a "reply" to the article in question. Though the KANSAN as well as the Courier is a strong friend of the college fraternities, it is not our policy as a rule to engage in disputes in which nothing is at stake. The artic e in question to any one at all acquainted with the college fraternity system, is extremely absurd and puerile in its nature.
Secret fraternities, as features in American colleges and universities, have long since passed the critical period of their existence, and are now firmly established in almost every institution of higher learning of any importance in the United States. With a vast active and alumni membership, counting statesmen, college presidents, members of faculties, learned divines, and influential men of ali stations in their ranks, the fraternities, as positive factors of our college life, have come to stay. When a man like President Adams of Cornell can openly commend the fraternities as beneficial agents; when one of the most prominent of eastern divines can rise and say from the bottom of his heart, at a reunion of his fraternity, "Next to the Church of God, I love Psi U;" when these and the testimonials of thousands of others stand as evidence of the great good of the college fraternity system, such frantic efforts as those of our barbarian friend, subject their author only to ridicule as an empty declaimer against something of the first principles of whose action and management he is profoundly ignorant. We do not need then to enter into any defense of fraternities in the KANSAN or through the columns of the Courier if they were extended to us for that purpose. To do this would be something like the old man in the late war who got out with his shot gun to help repel an attack on a battery of artillery. We presume however that the writer in the Courier drew his magnificent generalizations from what he considered to be the state of things at K. S. U. Probably he has not been asked to join a fraternity here, and is bitter on account of it. At any rate, while we would otherwise have paid no attention to the article at all, which really does not merit it, a few
words may be not out of place for the benefit of those of our readers outside, who do not know what the fraternities at K. S. U. are. It is really quite embarrassing to a poor, quiet, inoffensive fraternity student to be suddenly shot up to the top of a solitary obelisk in lonely and isolated grandeur, by a single gory sentence like this. "And it is still worse to find in colleges and universities, where democratic equality should reign, this college aristocracy, these cohorts of nobles, the special few, the chosen ones, who by their arrogance and inveterate hatred of those whom they consider beneath them in the social scale, exhibit the same spirit that was wiped out of France in blood." Good! Here is declamation, with a vengeance. The last is particularly rich. We would like to see that spoken from the chapel platform. We can fancy how the "nobles," "cohorts," etc, would squirm and cringe. And the "blood" denunciation is truly eloquent. It greatly resembles some other things we have heard but will not stop to mention.
Our friend then delineates in glowing colors the unfortunate wretch who has been "rushed." We don't believe our friend could have possibly been "rushed" by a fraternity. He exclaims: "He doesn't join. What then? His friends that were, are now his friends no longer. Strangers, they know him no more Is this courtesy? Is that the true gentleman? (Which, the strangers or the courtesy?)” “How about the new man?” and so on like Tennyson's brook, forever, he warbles his lay. He also speaks of fraternity men seeking “new victims to sacrifice at the altar of their God.” This hysterical strain is continued with variations through the whole piece.
"Envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness," these form the sentiment in which it was written. There is only one more statement which is worth mentioning, because it is a statement. The rest is mere slush. This is that the non-fraternity men are the best students. This is not true, as every person who knows the University can affirm. The fraternities, with rare exceptions, include the best students, the most able, intelligent, and talented young men and women in the University. As to aristocracy, if personal cleanliness, and neatness in personal appearance constitute aristocracy, then the fraternity men do certainly have the advantage over the bulk of the "barbs." As there is but little wealth represented here, we do not know where else to look for aristocracy.
We did not intend to say so much concerning a matter so un deserving of attention and now are through.
Now that our "barb" friend has unburdened his mind, we suggest to him that he correct his piece, improve its construction, remove its numerous grammatical errors, polish up its diction, and learn it for the next Oratorical Contest. We think it would take immensely.