THE HESPERIAN.
In some sort the Christian Association seems inclined to run
opposition to this Amcrico-Tcutonic Kncipc and keeps open
house with a good assortment of recent periodical literature, a
piano, songbooks, and facilities for letter writing. The organ
ization is entirely crccdless except in so far as a certain form
of belief is implied by the name, but its members arc an car
nest, manly lot of fellows and its not inconsiderable influence is
for good.
In connection with the Johns Hopkins House of Commons
I have even noticed at times a hint of political caucussing
such as used to make the U. of N. hum through all its structure
from The Hesperian office to the band room; but it has al
ways speedily subsided and the unmitigated grind gone on as
before. As to the make up of this body more can be learned
from the articles that appeared in the New York Nation some
months ago than I know about it or should care to rehearse if
I did know.
In his recent course of physical lectures on physical culture
in America Dr. Hartwcll, who has charge of our gymnasium
here, pointed out the rather remarkable fact that no institution
south of Mason & Dixon's line has ever distinguished itself in
athletics. I realize as I did not before coming here .that Balti
more is not at the cast but at the south. Clubs from here have
met Princeton men and others but not often with any degree
of success. Towards the latter part of last season a football
team from Swathmorc, a little Quaker college in Pennsylvania,
beat our players most wouilly. It rather tickled us western
men, however, to sec this because we sympathized with the
college cry of the Swathmoreans: "Rah, rah, rah; rah, rah
rah; co-cd-u-ca-tion, rah!" The fellows here are rather giv
en to lawn tennis (played in a brick paved court) than to any.
thing more muscular, and this would of itself in some measure
indicate the latitude. Aside from inter-collegiate competition
however, the gymnasium is an excellent health preserver. Un
der graduates must, and post graduates may, have physical
examination and get directions from Dr. Hartwcll as to the
best course of exercises for them to pursue. For this purpose
the candidate fdls out a schedule giving an account of his
physical history and that of all his ancestors back as far as he
knows anything about them. Then he is turned loose in a
small room filled with villainous looking engines and told to
array himself "in the close fitting costume of the Greek Slave',
uynus the hand-cufis; then Dr. H. enters with a "steel tape'i
measure and proceeds to apply this and other instruments
equally accurate, chilly, and disagreeable to the cringing form
of the examined. The outcome of it all is a book and sched.
ulc carefully setting forth all his imperfections and telling him
what to do and .what not to do. A college without a gymna
sium is sadly behind the times.
Elective studies and special work in single departments has
been and is the hobby here. When young Dr. Ross, of Har
vard, who prides himself on not knowing any history at all
save what is connscted with the history of land tenure visited
here a year or so ago , I have heard it said that he and some
of the narrower Hopkins students of history got together and
had quite a time exulting over what they didn't know. At
present, however, there is something of a tendency the other
'way. Two "minors" are required instead of one, and in the
historical department the counter movement has taken the hor
rible form of examinations in general history. We have, or
will have, bad during the year six of the egotism extractors,
covering the not brief period of history from the rise of Baby
lon 10 the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Such a programme
opens up what I think Oscar Browning would call "a vista of
eternal cram."
While in Nebraska I used to suppose that a good
deal of the adverse criticism directed against the U. of N. was
induced simply by the fact that it was a state institution and
because it had not yet won much of a name for itself. But
neither its endowment nor its fame can shield the J. H. U.
from the most virulent attacks. The Baltimore Sun, the lead
ing democratic paper here, scolds continually and passionately
about nearly everything the trustees sec fit to do. It howls
because the University was not located at Clifton (near which
place the proprietors oi the Sun own real estate); wails because
so much money has been put into the buildings for the J. H.
Hospital; gets sarcastic because so little has been spent on
buildings for the J. H. U. , and becomes almost profane over
the fact that so many of the fellowships are awarded to men
from the northern states. They even tried to make the legis
lature coerce the trustees in certain particulars but could not
succeed in getting this done. To be sure the trustees, are
somewhat more independent than the U. of N. Regents but not
all their ways arc ways oi pleasantness, and not all their paths
arc peace.
"There is neither far nor near,
There is neither there nor here, . .
Nor any long ago"
To that cranky, "Thus and so
Your college should be run."
Warner, 85.
An editorial notice by a southern exchange of Charles Dud
ley Warner's late article in the Princeton Review on "Society
in the New South" expresses sentiments which gain our
hearty approbation. The writer affirms that, with the regime
there also passed away much of the romance, pride, conserva
ism, exclusivcness and provincialism of the South. One
hought we consider especially noteworthy: that the South
had an aristocracy of blood; but in its place they must now
choose between an aristocracy of wealth and one of education
The tone of the article speaks well for the character of the
men who arc to become leaders of this New South in the near
future. With such men wc can strike the hand of unity and
good feeling.
The college press is now discussing the question of college
honors. The qucston is well sustained on both sides. It is
not necessary at present to declare an opinion on the subject ,
but it will be interesting to notice an article which appears in
a late exchange, adverse to college honors. It should be re
marked, however, that the term "college honors" should be
defined or the champions of either side are liable to a misun
derstanding of their opponents. The writer of the above
mentioned r.rticle asserts that college honors (meaning class
honors at the close of the course) are useful neither in business
life nor in any of the professions, and consequently not at all
useful for anything outside of college; that in college the sys
tem can be only good as an incentive to work and a scource oi
personal satisfaction to the winner of honors. College honors
are not a proper incentive to work and tend to blind the stu
dent to the true value of an education by holding before him
the glittering bauble of a "college honor." Therefore college
honors should go. So reasons our worthy friend. Next
The Hesperian has not been very industrious in reading
the latest from Sam Jones and is somewhat astonished to learn
from an exchange that the worthy gentleman has been clas
ing the American College as one of the chosen instruments of
Satan. As far as we can learn the Rev. Samuel bases his ar
gument, or rather his opinion, on the fact that he woulq pre
fer to "learn his AB Cs in heaven rather than translate Greek
hell." The sentiment is true and perhaps elevating, but
we certainly fail to see its bearing on the question at issudl
