THE HESPERIAN
congenial things of every day life and habit. Or they may find
a pleasure in being in the mere vicinity of each other,and, not
knowing how else to explain it, loudly imagine they arc in
love, only to discover a little latter that they were entire ly
mistaken. There is another way to explain this personal
magnetism, and one should be very careful not to misunder
stand it.
CURRENT COMMENT.
The scientific students have made themselves especially
conspicuous around our sanctum ol late. Their hideous yell
sounds more like the war whoop of a tribe ol Zulus than the
hoot of a respectable band of students. It would be of inest
imable advantage to such fellows to 'See themselves as others
see them" for a short time. But it is an old saying that
every one has a "forte," and wc suppose theirs is to expose
their callow intellects to the world, and at the same time
impose upon the rest of the University in a manner that is
unbecoming even to a student reared in & laboratory. If
they would get out into the sunshine of literary culture and
there bask until the flush of civilization should again return
to their cheeks, to take the place of the brazen hue that has so
long enshrouded them in ignorance, we believe there would
yet be some hope of bringing them back to, at least, a semi
civil izalion.
Several members of the Senior class are reading law in
connection with their regular work here. We are informed
that a class has been organized, consisting of all the law
students in the city, to fit themselves for the senior year in
eastern law schools. The pluck of the boys in this under
taking is a verv forcible argument that a law department
would flourish in this institution. The legislative committee
appointed to look after our needs would do well to take this
fact ibto consideration. Home grown men, it is said, make
the most thrifty and successful citizens. Why, then, apply
ing the same rule, would not men educated at home better
understand and more readily adapt themselves to our condi
tion? The argument that it is not the duty of the state to
educate its citizens, is good in a pure democracy; but in a
government like ours, where all citizens are considered
children and the government the great parent whose dutv it
is to protect and educate them, the argument fails. The leg
islature need have no scruples against introducing something
new, for their predecessors have already made training for a
scientific education, which means professional education is
one of the duties of the state. A post-graduate course in the
sciences enables the student to obtain a professional educa
tion. Since this is permitted by the stale there can le no
argument against a law department except financial aid.
Surely a slate that can afford to reimburse every man w ho
has a claim against it, a stale that can and docs maintain a
militia in pomp and splendor for the sole purpose of adding
dignity to it, need hare no hesitancy in appropriating the
small amount necessary to maintain a law school. The tax
pay ei ol the ute will applaud any action of the legislature
which denotes a move in the line of progress.
.. mi.
College politic arc on the wane. A few months ago the
least disturbance in college affairs would cause the student
politician to ami himself and prepare for the fray. This was
as it should !c. A good friendly fight now and then is an
indication of prosperity and a oIid growth. So long as the
opposing forces do not indulge too deeply in personalities
and resort to the vilest means to win in a contest for some
unimportant office, then there can be no injurious results;
but when college men so utterly forget themselves as to
plunge headlong into the conflict without thought or consid
eration of the record they are making, of the friends they are
losing, or of the results to accrue from their actions in gen
eral, then college politics cease to be anything but a nuisance.
They arc injurious and degrading to the participants, and
unworthy of the consideration or any student who values his
reputation, his honor, or his manhood. Let the students of
the University see to it that in the future no such petty,
selfish and unmanly means be resorted to in our local politics
as has been the case in the recent past. The motive of stud
ents should not be to win unless they can do so fairly.
Unearned laurels arc yalueless- A student may be clothed
in a panoply of seemingly unapproachable honor and hiu
reputation may be unsullied, but just as sure as he dips into
college politics the poisoned darts of the ever watchful poli
tician will le hurled at him from every direction. He will
be charged wilh infidelity to his friends, with bribery, with
falsification in fact, everything that is mean is balanced
against him; his life is made a burden, and his former friends
desert him. It is not our intention to wage war on college
politics. There is no abler supporter of them than The
HEsrr.Ri.w when they are rightly conducted. Friendly riv
alry makes men ambitious and should be encouraged. A
defeat is no disgrace when defeat comes honorably. We
hold that it is belter to be defeated with honor and candor
and courage than to wiu in the companionship of fraud and
insincerity. Ijet the future course of our politics be made
smoother so that after a class or society election students can
greet each other as friends. Don't be found skulking in the
background wailing for an opportunity to knife some one
who did not vote for you, but on the other hand cast his vote
for a better and more deserving one perhaps. All can't be
winners in any game, and the contestants should consider
well this fact before entering and be prepared to take defeat
gracefully, for it will surely come sooner or later.
The theory of a tax on land values alone, as advocated by
Henry George, seems to be making lapid progress in many
of our large cities. Xcw York, but a few years ago, was the
only city that could lay claim to any single tax men. Now
every city in the East can count them by the hundreds. The
number of converts during the last year has been remarkable.
As a rule the larger the city the more firmly is this idea
being rooted. Looking at it through the eyes of a city laborer
the doctrine is a good one, for it would necessarily raise the
taxes on city lots to such a figure that it would be unprofit
able for any man to hold more than was absolutely necessary
to enable him to carry on his business. It would have a
tendency to loner the value of land to a margin where every
laboring man, if he erc industrious and saving, could pro
vide a home for himself and family. It would do away with
the immense speculation in city property and prevent capa
talists from buying eery alternate lot.anJ holding them until
the adjoining ones were covered with buildings, thus
enhancing the price of the speculators, pioperty and gaining
for him an increment which the toil of others wrought. It
would do this and more; it would enable the laborer to get
out of the dark, filthy, damp tenement houses, where a score
or more of families dwell like so many hogs, into the broad,
open sunlight that God inlcnded to be shared alike by all his
creatures. It would tend to raise the morals and increase the
health of every city in as speedy a manner as did the English
reform legislation, which began in the early part of this ccn
tury, purify and strengthen city life.
