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THE HESPERIAN.
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race" style of architecture, scattered about in the immediate
vicinity, tliat have been purchased from time to time and
converted into recitation rooms. The only opportunity for out
door exercise is two brick tennis courts in connection with the
gymnasium. The old Johns Hopkins estate, Clifton Park,
about fout miles from the Hopkins University has been fitted
up with tennis courts, base ball and loot ball grounds, and
the old rsidence converted into a club house. This is at the
disposal of the students but is so far out that it is not utilised
to any extent except on Saturdays.
Tennis and foot ball are taking the athletic energy at Hop
kins nt this time. The fall tennis tournament began yester
day with over forty entries, in seven classes, with a scries of
handicaps between classes. This shows the universal inter
est in this game here; when rully ons thenth of the total
number ol students arc entered in a tournament.
There is an inter-class schedule of games arranged in foot
ball between the undergraduate classes to begin next Satur
day; and meanwhile there have been from two to four practice
games a week.
The way foot ball is played is amusing to look upon.
When one player "interferes with" or 'blocks" another, he
at the same time plants a good "right handcr" where it
will be the most effective in diminishing his opponent's ardor
in the game. If the first trial of this tactics seems to have
more effect upon his opponent than upom him he continues
to follow it up with another; ii the effect is vice versa, he dis
continues at once as a matter of course. If he is successful
in being quite eflcctivc, "beg pardon" and then gets ready
to repeat the performance at the next opportunity. The
"quibbling," "scrapping," pushing, slapping and even hitting
when forming for a "scrimmage" is very amusing. I actu
ally believe the U. of N. boys with their meagre chance con
tests in foot ball could out play any team Hopkins has (out
"scrap?" ncvcrl). I have seemingly perpetuated a great in
consistency in writing from this, the center opreminetts of
American higher education, and confining myself exclusively
to so minor a branch of higher education. I have two reas
ons for doing this. In spite of the fact that the most ener
getic men in our faculty, as well as the best of students have
apparently dom their best to get athletics initiated at the U.
of N., and even when scarcely a week goes by but that some
encouragement or excitement is offered the athletic student
body from the chnpel rostrum by the chancellor; in spite of
these things athletic spirit is dead. The fnct that every
member of the Hopkins faculty with whom I have convcrsr-d
at all on any subject has taken advantage of the opportunity
to advise me (and I am no invalid) to make good use of the
gymnasium, may help the student body of the U. of N. to
believe that their professors mean what they say when they
encourage athletics.
The gymnasium is about two-thirds the size of ours at the
U. of N. It has about a half more npparatus. Dr. Hartwell,
the director gives each student a physical examination
and indicate in a handbook of gymnastics what exercises
should receive especial attention, yet of the 300 lockers there
is not one now to be had. They are all in use. From 5 to 6
V. M., is the ir.ost lively time in the gymnasium; and at this
time each evening there arc usually at least about sixty stud
ents exercising. The result is quite noticeable in those stud
ents who improve this opportunity for exercise.
Hopkins has a yell, and though I have not yet heard it
when it seemed to have the volume of our "O-o-o oh my,"
it has a "clatter" that is quite suggestive of life and spirit.
Wow that we have a gymnasium room and an excellent
nucleus of apparatus, a legislature at hand with a chance for
additions to our good start, with these considerations added
to the usual incitement to athletic life things should
indeed be lively this school year. Also the excitement
that may come from the State Field Day with the record
made last June to sastain and surpass should not be forgotten
Tliis, with the fact that one grasps the run of this branch
of higher education more quickly than he can the workings
of the deeper and more elaborate departments and may speak
more intelligently thereof may be oflered in accounting for
this seeming inconsistency.
Frank .F. Ai.my.
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
CURRENT COMMENT.
The late election was by no means a quiet one. In Ne
braska politics stood way past the boiling point. As was ex
pected, boodle and fire water flowed freely. Anti-amendment
enthusiasm ran so high that in a certain city in the state
voters in favor of the amendment were not allowed to cast
their ballots, and were driven from the polls. This is a dis
grace to the fair name of Nebraska. The ballot box is free
to all citizens and there is something wrong when the major
ity arc allowed to dictate to the minority and under threats
force them to comply with their demands.
The manner in which the elections were conducted in cer
tain parts of the state proves conclusively that as long as the
present method of voting continues in operation just so long
will corruption be practiced at the polls. It is true ttic Aus
tralian plan for balloting should be adopted. This has been
proven to be a success wherever it has been tried.
There was entirely too much dictation given by workers
at thc polls to voters. Ballots were doctored up by party
doctors and distributed freely. The voters were handed
ballots and then seized at the button hole by these physicians
who led them up to 'he polls and saw that they deposited the
proper (or rather improper) ballot. Had tin. Australian sys
tem been in vogue there would have been' ' none of these
fraudulent votes cast. The voter would simply have selected
any ballot he wished to vote and walking into a booth where
no outsider was allowed he would have fixed his ballot to suit
himself, deposited it and walked out without haying a word
of conversation with anybody. There would have been no
ill feeling to cause confusion. The fair and honest vole of
the state would have been taken and no contests over the re
result of the election would have resulted. Would not this
have been much better than the way it now is? Most em
phatically, ycsl
If it is true that "The voice of the people is the voice of
God," then the republican party is indeed in a sorry plight.
In nearly every state the returns show either a democratic or
alliance victory and a republican defeat.
Kansas elected the entire alliance ticket with the excep
tion of governor. Michigan went democratic by a large ma
jority. South Dakota claims the election of an alliance gov
ernor. McKinley, the great tarifi' reformer, was defeated in
Ohio. Ingalls will not return to congress. In Nebraska,
out own state, that jjiivo the piesent republican governor a
majority of something over 22,000 at the last election, the
democratic candidate for governor, Mr. Boyd, has been elec
ted by about 900 plurality, and W. J Bryan, democratic
congressman from the Frst district has been clothed by nbout
G,ooo majority. Besides these states the republican party
has lost all of New England except Maine and Vermont.