THE HESPERIAN.
Hillsdale College claims to have a self registering "(bolo
meter" by which the "amount of vacuum pressure" maybe
immediately ascertained.
Fester Academy Review looks alout the same as it did be
fore. It is rather thin and we would suggest the addition of
an exchange column. The exchange editor, no, the exchange
editor's name is there but it seems to be mainly for show.
The Blackbuntian for October prints the two leading ora
tions of the Illinois State Oratorical Contest at Carlinville, 111.
They are respectively "The Mission ot the Anglo-Saxons"
by F. J. Walsh of Chicago University, and "France and the
Huguenot" byT. H. Micheal of Monmouth College.
Michigan University takes the cake for athletics. While
other college papers arc pleading for gymnasiums and more
interest from students The Argonaut comes out with a four
page sheet with little in but the report of their athletic contest.
This is what we admire. As Francis Parker says "Learn to
do by doing."
The Central Ray receives a welcome to our table. Its de
partment of college news is quite spicy but there are too many
clippings. Almost the entire literary part is not original. It
may be easier to merely clip, and perhaps just as useful, but we
prefer to see the matter go through the mental hash mill, ft
changes the shape at least.
A correspondent of College Chips thinks that Luther Col
lege should pay more attention to oratorical contests because
it makes a specialty of preparing for the ministry. Our ex
perience is that while oratory may le very good thing for a
minister he will lose all other qualifications for that office by
mixing in oratorical contests.
The AWthrresfern thinks college students should learn to
sing. By the waj the Nortlneesterti's funny column has some
good hints, e. g. A poet writes: "I send you my poem, but
I fear 1 made a mistake in not writing a refrain to it." Nev
er mind; we will do the refraining for you. The way in which
we shall refrain from printing it will finish the poem beautifully.
How's this? The Freshmen of the University of California
have adopted for a class hat a white mortar-board. The
Sophs threaten to pulverize ever)- one that makes its appear
ance on the campus. Seriously, class spirit carried tosuch ex
tremes is a curse to any college. Anything that prevents just
recognition of individual worth should be banished from col
lege life.
Our exchange from Notre Dame wastes over two columns
in an effort to criticize the oration which won second prize at
the 111. Or. Contest. Some of the criticism may have been de
served but it should have been given in a more impartial spir
it. It may le very hard for Catholics to smother their pre
judice but their criticisms would le much more forcible did
they do it.
Wc are happy to notice the '. Jewell Student. It comes
from Wm. Jewell College Liberty, Mo. Wc are pleased with
any extension of our exchange list. It gives us a wider range
in which to spread ourselves. The Student is quite a neat
little paper and contains some good pieces. It seems to us
hardly worth while to include in a college paper so much that
can be obtained in any ordinary town paper.
The students of Central Univ. of Iowa sign, on matricula
tion, a pledge requiring: 1st. Abstinence from the use of in
toxicating liquor.
2nd. Abstinence from the use of profane language.
3rd. Submission to the requirements of the Faculty.
4th. That students shall not join any Greek Letter Fraternity.
The Hillsdale Advance fox October 21st contains the third
paper of "Lives of the founders and Builders of Hillsdale
College" which to our dismay is continued. To our mind the
effort would be more forceful written in more moderate and
less extravagant language. If the article with the preten
tious title of "Our March Through the Present" were divid
ed into locals and editorials it would be more appropriate.
The Vidette Reporter says more weight should be given to
delivery than either thought or style. The system in use in
Inter-State Contest gives the deliver)' weight equal to Loth
matter and style. There is much truth in the remark but out
here they do it somewhat differently. The tender youth of
one who fails in delivery is sufficient to excuse any break,
while the evident necessity for encouragement gives him a mark
of one hundred per cent.
The Notre Dame Scholastichas a long article on (he crusades.
Perhaps it is natural for the Students of Notre Daine to look
at the question from a Catholic standpoint, but the writer has
made some conspicuous omissions. He addressed himself to
the prejudices and feelings of his readers. He speaks in
glowing language of the pilgrims and barbar
ous Turks apparently forgetting that the Christians showed
themselves more barbarous than their antagonists. No one
ever strengthened his position by presuming on ignorance in
hs auditors and no true position was ever shaken by the truth
Wc welcome the Hesperian in a new dress, but internally
she is the same "old chip." Her sarcasm is sharp, but if
edged with sincerity would it not cut deeper? Yet in truth, 'tis
a relief to meet a new and spicy condiment in the pot pourri
of the exchange editor's department. Keep it up, brother,
your "chippcrncss" is ever welcome. University Quarterly.
Thanks. We are confirmed in our opinion that, though
variety may be the spice of life, it is not the only spice of a
college paper but must share that title with sarcasm. Much
obliged for the suggestion. So soon as wc are able to find any
sincerity around the Hesperian office you may expect to see
our sarcasm take a better edge.
Apropos of college orations and oratorical contests The 11
detle Reporter gets off the following, on the ordinary college
spout:
"It is strained and unnatural. It tries to draw the hearer
away from the ordinary language in which he thinks, to a
swollen diction which introduces no new thoughts, but only
buries the old ones deeper. It uses the same old stock of met
aphors. It talks a great deal about the cloister, dwells fondly
i.cr the past, invariably says toil for "oork, is immensely con
cerned about the starving peasant, but its pet hobby is civili
zation. And all this is very interesting to sleep under. There
must le a change. What we want is vigor, and life, and nat
uralness. I-ct our orations talk, not rant."
The Vanderbilt Observer comes out with an article on the
extremely new topic "Should the classics stil! be studied?'
College papers need an example in this particular, and we
are glad The Observer has taken the initiative in wading into
here-to-fore unexplored fields of work. It does our heart
good to see something like this on a subject that is of such
great interest to every student. It is a subject on which very
little is written and we return hearty and appreciative thanks
to The Observer for its efforts to throw light on the subject.
How thankful we are that we have one paper among our ex
changes that is willing to be a pioneer in the unknown regions
of thought. It isso much better to have subjects on which
nothing has yet been written. The Observer sets a good ex
ample, and wc commend it for the emulation of our exchange
list.
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