the' resperian.
91
EXCHANGE.
The Coup iPEtal has very sensibly concluded to return to
the editorial "we".
A'Chicago preacher mauled three couples on a railroad
train in one day. He thinks of taking out a patent as a
car coupler. Ex
The editor of the Buchtclitc is a brilliant man. In look
tng upon a pile of exchanges he becomes aware that they arc
not all of the same sire. This leads him to the idea that they
ought to be, and then he comes to the bright conclusion that
"handy size . . . would render the whole body of college
journals -...more handy."
The Coup DEtat contains a picture of Mr. E. J. King,
who won second prize nt the late intercollegiate contest, and
for whom they claim first honors, by virtue of a bulldozing de
cision. We wonder if he has given up the $50, .second prize
money he so graciously received. ' Wesleyan still holds first
place, and will represent Illinois at the interstate content.
Elite J0unv.1l.
The exchange editor of the K. S. U. Courier not having
cither.ability or enterprise sufficient to write anything declares
as an excuse that all exchange columns r.rc more or less filled
with nonsense. As an example the ex-column of Thk Hns
tkrian is takenlbodily. This is a pieWy fair joke and withal
a ready way to get ''copy". The Courier is improving in the
wiles of journalism. " "
From the Richmond College Messenger we take the fol
lowing: "Arthur S. Aberncthy, professor of ancient languages
at Rutherford College, North Carolina, is said to be the
youngest full flcdgedjirofcssor in thiscountry. He is only
eighteen and has already won some notoriety as a classical
scholar." How on earth a professor could win notoriety as
a classical scholar is a conundrum worthy of discussion in
the exchange columns of college journals.
The Iowa Wesleyan wants to know if "The Hesperian
will never let up on the M'rats' " nnd then advises us to read
a 'frat' article in the DePauw Ads. As to reading 'frat arti
cles we want to assure the Wesleyan that we read all that we
can lay our hands on but they are rather scarce. Not one in a
hundred of those that are published amount to anything so far
as arguments are concerned. The arguments ;.s a rule amount
to abou'-.as much as the sillynonscnse given in reply by the
editor of the Wesleyan to an anti-frat' article published in
h i per. The Wesleyan editor will do well to ponder that
n .: a sad case when a critic makes the sane mistakes as those
he criticises in others.
V)
The following clipping is from the Current of Ohio Uni
versity. The Current declares that this essay on "breathing"
did not emanate from the original brain of any student,
"prep" or otherwise, in Ohio University. From its "preppy"
flavor it is, we think, safe to set it down however as one on
the "preps:"
"Breath is made of air. We breath with our lungs, our
lights, our liver and kidneys. If it wasn't for bur breath wc
would die .when we. slept. Our breath keeps the life poing
through, the nose when we are asleep. Hoys that stay in a
room all day should not breath. They should wait till they
get outdoors; Boys in a room make bad, unrvholesume air.
They make carbonicide. Carbonicidc is prisoner than mad
dogs. Aheap of soldiers was jn a black liole in India, and a
carbonicide got in that there hole and nearly killed every one
afore morning. Girls kill the breath with corsets that squeeze
the diagram. Girls can't holler or run like boys because their
diagram issqueczed too much. If I was a girl, I had rather,
be a boy, so I could run."
In the Iowa Agricultural College a "fral". an.l a "barb"
fight is going on. One of the "barbs" there, it seems, wrote
to ex-President McCosh, of Princeton, and rcccicvcd from
him the following interesting letter : . .
Princeton, N. J., November 6., 1890.
Mr. E. A. A'reger, 1. A. C, Antes,-a:
Dear Sir. In reply to your letter, dated so far back as
September 27, but unfortunately laid aside, I have to state
that I approve very strongly of college 'societies instituted 10"'
promote study among the students. But these societies,
while they may be private and regulated by the young men
should not be what are called secret societies. When I came
to Princeton I found a number of -such societies. Their in
fluence upon the whole was evil. Some of them -sncp.uragcd
drinking. They fostered party spirit and party work in the
college. At times they interfered with the discipline of the
faculty. In no way did they fo.low ths great end which a
college should keep before it elevation morally and reli
giously of the students. Both the board of trustees and the
faculty became convinced of the injurious influence exerted
by the secret societies and with the concuircncc of llie great
body of students deliberately abolished them. Since this
was done wc have been freed from a number of evil which
troubled us. The students arc satisfied with the five literary
societies which they have and would not return if they were
allowed to the system of secret obligation and oath.
Jmes McCosit.
Ex-President of Princeton College.
Under the caption "Knox Boys at Other Colleges" the
Coup iPEtat is publishing soma interesting articles by its
alumni. The present article deals with Yale. Tljc writer
comes, of course, to speak of the fratcrnit:es at Yale. It is
exceedingly interesting to read in the Coup iPEiat the
beauties of the "frat" system from this man at Yale. A few
passages arc given for illus' ration: "Having mentioned pas
singly the secret societies, I feel it my duty to say something
about them. Indeed, barbarian that I am, I approach these
mystic Greek temples shrines around which satyrs dance
and cyclops feast tripods of modern Apollo: with an air of
curiosity and defiance. ' Bui ilic jealous Jove oiicu
decreed that the esoteric mysteries of one of these, sabred
precincts dedicated to other deities, not the Thunderer
should be ixpused. He hurled a heavy thunderbolt, and
soon the building was on fire. It happened during the win
ter vacation of 1889, and all the priests and devotees of the
temples were absent. The vulgar fireman, not being able or,
willing to force the heavy bars of iron and , massive locks,
effected an entrance through a sky light. And lo! there
were no goats, but buck beer kegs in plenty; no bubbles of
witches, but bottles of whiskey; and the only image there
enshrined was not of the Graces or Muses, moulded by
Phidias, but mirabe dictu et visit I of a little negro cast in a
New Haven foundry. Are all the nineteen secret
societies now existing in Yale, and were also, perhaps, the
eight that died, dedicated, Bacchus, the god of wine, and
to Mercury, the patron of thieves? .1 cannot tell; I . hope
not. But this much I know: 1st, that they do not attempt
any literary work, except by way of a lecture course; 2d, that
the initiation of new members is attended by most grotesque
and boisterous proceedings, and 3d, that as a rule, the stricter
the secrecy, the worse is the class of boys belonging to it.
To be sure, they all try to capture seme good men, bu'th'e
standard of "goodness" in this case is not necessarily that of
moral character or of intellectual attainment: a high athletic
record or general popularity is as sure of election perhaps"
even more so, as a good class room standing or sterling virtue".
TVS