THE HESPERIAN
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to forty, iB open both to ladies mid gontlomon.
This is ft move in tho right direction. All
admit tho desirability of literary work. All
who have thought upon tho subject, admit
tho nocossity of now literary sociotics. Thoro
are, in tho University, about nine hundred
students. Of these, loss than throo hundred
bolong to any litorary society or to any fra
ternity. "Wo vonturo tho assertion that in
no other school of tho country will a like con
dition be found. Thoro is a demand, not
only for one now society, but for two or
throo of them. Tho now society has been
organized at a very opportune moment. Suc
cess is assured if tho members bo but active
and energetic. Tho old societies bid tho
new one welcome ; all students wish it suc
cess. aTiie friends of tho class of '9G had fondly
hoped that tho class would distinguish itself
by failing to observo that senseless custom
of carrying canes into chapel. Needless to
say, its friends were sadly disappointed. Tho
class, flourishing canes and waving banners,
bolted into chapel and, of course, necessi
tated dispensing with services. The struggle
attendant upon breaking the canes was a
comparatively fortunate one. Clothos wero
ruined, to bo sure, black oyos and bloody
noses wore common, but only one young
man was seriously injured.
It is safe to say that active members of tho
Freshman and Sophmoro classes waste, on
an average, at least one-fourth ft) of their
time from tho beginning of the school year
until after tho final rush in working, plan
ning and organizing for it. It is also con
servative to estimate that at least a quarter ft)
of tho members of each class are so wrought
up and excited over tho result of tho contest
that thoy are incapable of studying for tho
two weeks following tho rush.
Not only is time wasted and studies neg
lected, but in every cane rush life and limb
aro endangered. Within the last four years,
thoro has not been a solitary rush in which
some one has not been seriously injured.
lno cano rush is supposed to decide
whothdr or not tho Freshmen shall bo allowed
to carry canos. Ab a matter of fact, it do.
cidos absolutely nothing. It oxists as tho
rolic of a timo whon it was regarded as tho
propor thing to "haze" every now student.
Tho custom of having cano rushes was intro
duced into our school in tho primitive days
of tho institution by persons who had decided
inclinations for tho profession of pugilism,
In some inexplicable way it has come to bo
regarded as ft iixturo, ovon though tho great
majority of our students have long sinco
turned from ft study of tho rules laid down
by tho lato lamented Marquis of Queonsbury
to tho more practical, though perhaps less
interesting, ones laid down by Allan and
Greenough. Tho now system, by which
class distinctions aro abolished, offers the
most convenient opportunity for abolishing
the cano rush also. It is a nuisance, for it
causes a waste of timo and onergy; it is posi
tively dangerous, as frequent accidents provo;
it is an incentive to rowdyism ; it is a relic of
barbarism ; it has got to go.
The present issue of tho Hesperian begiiiB,
probably, a now era for our college paper.
Responsibilities always follow a change in
any long established custom, and it is with
no little hesitation that wo assume the impor
tan duties that dovolvo upon us as editors of
tho Hesperian. Tho Hesperian of the past
has not been what wo would wish it to bo.
Wo have been awaro of this fact for some
time, not only because of own judgmont in
tho matter, but also, becauso sundry and
other persons have, somi-occasionally, in
formed us of tho fact. Thoy toll us tho Hks
perian has been a mistake, that wo have
had so much spleen to vent that wo must
necessarily use small typo in setting up said
spleen in order to get tho whole effusion in
a single issue. Wo worked hard to combat
such a theory and thus occasioned nn effu
sion of more spleen. What olso could wo
do? Wo know our critics wore right, but
wo could never sustain tho imputation of our
profession by tolling them so. Honco, wo
praised up tho Hesperian and severely criti-
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