Ill
THE HESPERIAN
WASTE BASKET WAIFS.
This is a pugilistic issue for sovonil
roasons. Partly from principle, partly
ennui, and partly, from general recklessness.
Thoro comes a time in the affairs of editors
when thoy don't care much what they say
or what peoplo think of it. Whon tho
people who are supposed to have wisdom
and understanding, and sympathy with
journalistic troubles choose to bo mortally
offended at a few squibs which wore per
sonal only in that thoy wore applied to the
genius homo, which wore manifestly im
aginary and abstract, it rathar knocks tho
bottom out of ones faith in things and
peoplo. Thin paper was never meant as
an organ for the wounding of personal
feelings. But since it is taken as such it
might as well bo such. Things done in
print stay by one, thoy have a happy
faculty that way. Printer's ink is a fast
color, and as for follies that aro done in
in typo, all the' blood of all the gods cannot
wash thorn out. If a writer has boon care
less and his readers wish to misconstrue
him, ho has no defense or proof. Ho is at
the mercy of tho public and thoy can paint
him as black as thoy please. The only
thing left for him to do whon ho has hope
lessly angered the fow peoplo ho cared to
please is to speedily make every one else
as mad as possible and seek new pastures,
having loarnod the great lesson that ho
should try to ploaso nobody but himself.
Sometimes a great surfit of haterod is
pleasant, 'for general and universal, dislike
rather dull the odgo of individual dullness.
Tho absolute rule of tho one has been
for a long time considered radically wrong.
It is wrong in society, in finance and above
all in politics. For several . years the
political affairs of this University have
been run and controlled by a few young
men whose tastes and ambitious aro of a
nature to yearn and labor for such honors.
Tho condition of things is becoming, not
alarming, but ludicrous. It is proper
enough for peoplo who havo a particular
bent for athletics to rathor "run" the
athletics of tho institution. It is natural
for those who know most about journalism
to influonco tho college paper. It is right
that students who make the strongest effort
in oratory should have weight in oratorical
conventions. But it is not right or honor
able that one man should rulo absolutely in
base-ball, foot-ball, journalism and oratory,
no, not oven if ho wero two. Wo have
nothing to say against the One, ho is
generally a protty wide awake follow with
lots of good points, but we objoct to tho
principle of tho thing. It is undemocratic
and un-Amorican. It is bad for the
opprossor and tho oppressed. It is rathor
strange that young mon of undoubted in
telligence and good sense can find such
apparent satisfaction in winning unlionorod
honors and ungildod fame. It is such a very
small thing to run the politics of a collogo.
Most students with brains enough to antago
nize a college ward boss aro oithor too
busy to worry with it or else thoy havo no
taste for such juvenile scrambles, anybody
who is willing to dovoto his time and his
conscience can bo groat in collogo politics.
.
Tho Junior Promenade created a now
epoch in social life - in tho Univeraity.
Thoro havo been University dancos before,
but one would feign forgot them. The
Fraternity dancos havo generally been very
creditable affairs, but regular University
dancos have boon fow in number and fewer
in merit. The first University dance I
remember was a senior promenade given by
the class of '91. It was given in the
Armory and was a promenade in the
literal sense of tho word. Peoplo were in
vited there to, walk. Tho floor was cleared
to give them room to walk, and patrons and
chaperons wore provided to see that thoy
know how to walk. The furtive throng
assembled and amid the traditional blaze of
lights and bursts of music the guests pro-
y
