THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
Dr. Dio Lewis has been among us and has given
us several pedes of good advice. We may congrat
ulate ourselves as not having deserved all the scold
ing he fired at us students on the ground of not caring
for our health. Our girls, though meriting partially
his admonishings, have commenced quite a vigorous
system of calisthenics and are in better trim than the
average. The boys, however, deserve every bit of
scolding they got, from not walking straight to night
study. The most conspicuous improvement the
Doctor suggesteds was a new variety of calisthenics.
If the girls would only abandon their old ways and
open their hall for the improved system how we would
all take to calisthenics. We live in hopes of its adop
tion. His criticism on over study strikes us all just
right. We all believe we study too much but have
been waiting for lo, these many years to hear some
one say so.
The closeness of the presidential election goes to
prove what has always been considered true that but
two national parties can exist and that an attempt to
organize a new party on an insufficient platform will
tend to the destruction of that party and to the op
probrium of the cause championed. Such will in
evitably be the case with the temperance cause on ac
count of the premature and uncalled for issue of
prohibition party. From the fact that so many
leaders went back on it, from the undeniable fact
that republicanism has been active in its advocacy as
far as possible, and that the prohibitionists have by
their action kicked, effectually we fear, their best
freind, the cause of temperance has received a set
back of at least ten years in Ohio and fully twenty
years throughout the United States.
Behold the fire rages! The smouldering flames of
discontent have finally bin-,: through and the Univer
sity has suffered some uips during the blaze. But
the "barbs" came to tin. conclusion from evidence
from other institutions that the open literary society
and fraternities cannot exist together and sooner or
later the open society must fall if the fraternities
are allowed to exist in society; and from a few in
judicious steps the frats have taken, it seems as if we
were going to witness the same results. With such
an outlook the "barbs" concluded it would be better
to amend the constitution so as to make themselves
secure in the future, and proposed an amendment.
The discussion prior to its adoption was long and
spirited but ended finally in a call for the aye's and
no's which resulted in a two-thirds majority for the
amendment. Upon the announcement of the vote
the members of the fraternities withdrew, and are
now organizing a new society.
The Legislature is soon to convene for its bi-en-nial
gymnastics. The University welcomes it here;
both professors and students long for its coming.
The professors are looking for an increase of the bi
ennial droppings of cash from the public purse and
for some substantial increment to the conveniences
and appliances of our school. The students want all
this and more. Sundry clerkships in and about the
Legislature need filling. The brainy student is in a
splendid condition to supply these vacancies; they
yearn to assist the movement of the Legislative mills
they aspire after office. All, however, cannot attain
to these lucrative positions. But all may linger in
the lobby or gallery and listen in hushed suspense to
the refined eloquence of some gentleman from
"Sioux" till the wee small hours "come on apace."
They may find a reasonable, nay a truly "pious,"
excuse for a continual flunk for sixty days. They
may dream of the time when they shall dictate the
laws of the commonwealth and grow proud over the
glory awaiting them in the immediate future. They
enrich themselves by "obtaining" a vast amount of
stationery from the deserted halls, after the dignified
assembly has left for parts unknown. They may do
all this, but they can't put off for twenty-four hours
the examinations which come sure and certain at the
close of the legislative turmoil, nor yet can they
make up the time lost, while attempting to regulate
legislation from the galleries of our State Capitol.
Our University is rapidly approaching the best
colleges in the land. All the departments which
have the means stand equal to those of the eastern
schools. Some, however, have been neglected. The
most important department which has either been
neglected or forgotten by the regents is that of Chem
istry. We have a man in this department at present
who, had he the means, would not only make it stand
among the first of the west but also the first of the
nation. We have neither room nor apparatus and yet
there are a large number of students who earnestly
demand the instruction which would be given had
our institution the facilities. The students who have
made application this year may be divided into three
classes; first the Academic, the Agricultural and Med
ical students; secondly those who wLh to do special
work; thirdly chemists throughout the country who
would come to carry on their work. The first class
is the only one which is and can be represented under
the present conditions and even then there is not one
tenth enough room or apparatus for this one division.
The demand for chemists at present is great.
Nearly every industry calls for a practical knowledge
of chemistry and physics. It seems then, that every
college should have a labaratory and the apparatus