THE HESPERIAN
when it is sufficiently ventilated. The
library is open in tho evenings from six-thirty
to nine-thirty. A large number of the stud
ents take advantage of tins fact and study in
the library evening after evening. Many of
tlirin have, perhaps, not missed a dozen
evi'iiings during the whole school year.
"What are the results t Those students who
have spent so many evenings in the library
are now wearing glasses. Their eyes are
giving out and in order to continue their
work, they are forced to put on glasses for
protection. Many others have not made use
of the library in the .evenings because they
could not use the lights without paining their
eyes. This is the state of affairs in the
library, and instead of getting better, it is
growing worse. Why those persons having
such matters as this in charge do not investi
gate and make a change we are unable to
understand. We have incandescent lights
in the armory; they are in the bowling a ley.
Why are they not in the library ? Do the
authorities think the bowling alley is used
more than the library at night, and conse
quently the lights are more necessary there?
It may be hard on the eyes to keep them on
one of the bowls and also on three pins at
the opposite end of the roll, but we consider
it much more dangerous to the eyes to sit in
the library three hours in the evening, keep
ing the eyes on the printed page. Besides
this, the armory and bowling alley are, used
very little, if at all, in the evening. If the
authorities have the welfare of the students
at heart they will look into this matter of
lights and do all in their power to preserve
the eyes of those ambitious persons who, if
they cannot get good light, will put up with
poor, at the risk of ultimate blindness or, at
least, permanent injury to their eyes. "We
hope this matte- will be attended to immediately.
Yes, we did want to move in soon, but you
see it might not be comfortable with no
lights, no water, no heat, no shelves, no
furniture, lio windows, no doors, nor lloors
in the building." "Then about all there is
to the new library building is four Avails?"
"You are right: that is all there is. You
see it was this way: we staited our building;
with the tacit understanding that the suc
ceeding legislature would appropriate enough
to complete it. " "And they didn't appro
priate ? " "Right again: you see several of
the legislators came here pledged to econo
mize in all departments; incidentally, sev
eral of them came with the intention of mak
ing records to which they can point with
pride ' two years hence when they will want
to return. Some of them imagine that in
defeating the library bill, they have made
such records. You see, they don't know
any better." "And is it really economy to
allow a building, about half completed, to
tumble down for want of money to com
plete the remainder, especially when the
building is an almost absolute necessity
now?" "No, my son, it is not; but some
of the legislators think it is, which only
goes to prove that man's farsightedness may
sometimes be so abnormally developed that
it gets blunt at both ends and sags in the
middle."
-35-
"No, my son, we will not movo into the
new library building this spring, all reports to
the contrary notwithstanding; in fact, it is not
at all probable that we will be comfortably
settled there when you return in the fall.
A CARD.
I wish to thank all those students who, either
by their presence or by their messages, rendered
my recent illness more easy to bear. I would, if
I could, thank each one in person, for my sense
of their kindness is greater than a kw written
wor is IH-e these may express. Herbert Bates.
Th i'resmanh class held an enthusiastic meeting
or March 31, and elected the following officers
for the Spring term: president, Miss Ricketts;
vice president, A. P. Libby; secretary, Miss A.
Brunner; treasurer, L. M.vOverstreet.
Those folk who say our jokes are poor
Would quickly change their views
Could they compare the things we print
With some that we refuse.
The Afrphistophelean
I
