7 HE HESPERiAN
CURRENT COMMENT.
OPEN- LETTERS.
Some time ago one of the democratic members of the
legislature was questioned concerning the merits and
chances of the Austrlian ballot bill then be lore the
house committee. He thought that the bill was a good
one and would prevent bribery and political bossism, but he
.said that if the supreme court should hold the submission bill
constitutional he did not want any ballot reform, lie did not
want to see any thing done that would make it harder for the
high license uilc to handle the large floating vote. Last
week the senate killed the bill. It looks as though Nebraska
had been denied the honor of leading a great reform in order
that the whiskey men may more easily bribe citizens to vote
against prohibition.
Many of our public men discuss the different social ques
tion as if they were separate and distinct. They regard the
immigration question as having nothing in common with the
convict labor, rmproved machinery, or tariff problems. Yet
it is safe to say that the opposition to immigration, to convict
labor, to improved machi icry and to free trade finds its
strength in the idea there is not employment for everyone,
that work is a precious thing that must be guarded and saved.
The fear that the Chinese would do so much work that none
would be left to the white man, aroused the opposition of
the laboringmen of California to Asiatic immigration. All
other objections were after thoughts. That the same fear
torments the eastern workmen is shown by their opposition
to European immigration.
Improved machinery means a higher civilization, and yet
during the last winter representatives of the knights of labor
were before congress trying to have the government printing
done on oldfashioned, cumbersome presses in order that
there might be more work for the printers.
Protection finds its strength in the idea that, with freedom
of trade, someone would bring so many goods to this country
that Americans would be thown out of employment. The
same fear may be seen in the demand (or large governmental
expenditures for public buildings, coast defences, and ships
of war. Now work is not an end but a means, a means by
which human wants may be satisfied, and to say that there is
no work is to say that no human being is in need of anything.
Why is it, then that men are idle and freezing while the earth
is full of coal? Why do we have tramps, starving women,
and untilled acres? Are they the result of natural law? Did
He, who sent this great ship whirling through space forget
or neglect to provide for its passengers? It will not do to
say that the opportunites for employment are limited by the
amount of available capital, because labor applied to the nat
ural opportunity will produce capital. To say thatl men can
not work without capital is to say that men cannot work
without first saving up some of the product of labor. There
might be some difficulty is building a wagon if one should try
to wait until he could use it to haul his material. To say that
this distress is caused by pressure of population, is as foolish
as it is wicked. Those who teach this doctrine point to
Ireland as an example of the awful" effects of over population
and yet in Ireland the population has been reduced by the
million without a corresponding increase in prosperity. The
United Stctcs has not one tenth the people it is able of sup
porting, we have hardly fenced in our broad acres, much less
used them, and yet we hear the same sad story of unemployed
men, crime breeding proverty, tenement houses, insane
asylums, and prisons. Why is there not employment for
every man? To refuse to answer this question is dangerous.
To lay the blame upon natural laws is to slander God. What
answer shall we give?
Rah! rah! rah! 1'enn-syl-vnn-i-a!
Please excuse this somewhat lucid exordium; it is merely
an ebullition of patriotic feeling, and is intended to put me
in a proper frame of mind for the writing of this cpittlc.
This venerable and flourishing university is not surfeited
with college spirit, but the students are not to blame for that.
Although the U. of P. has been in existence ever since Hen
Franklin made himself numerous in this village, there has
never been a dormitory system in force. Consequently the
students can't flock together to any great extent. Most ol
them live with their mammas in the the town, which has of
course a tendency to restrain their ardor, as they can't go
out nights and irradiate the heavens with the most vivid
shade of crimson. A few of us come from a distance and are
not burdened with home influences, but we can't be expected
to furnish red fire for the whole college, so we make virtue of
necessity and get up a reputation for studious habits.
These remarks apply principally to the students of the
college department proper. The medical students come here
from all over the world, and nearly all of them live in Hoarding-house
terrace, a venerable pile near the university build
ings. 1 don't know why it is called a terrace, but I suppose
it is to throw a sort of poetic glamor over the place. It
certainly needs it. Hoarding houses here are not what they
should be, but as this is a painful subject, I wont discuss it. I
only alluded to our modest dwellings because they are an
important feature in our college life, and constantly force
themselves upon our attention in more ways than one.
This is not a co ed. university, which is rather unsatisfact
ory to one whose early education has been obtained in such
places, but one gets used to the new order of things. The
change is beneficial, as far as studying is concerned. I
would be understood as speaking generally; the remark is
not true in all cases.
The cane rushes here arc very enjoyable affairs, and are
conducted in a truly scientific manner. Every provision is
made for the comfort of spectators and participants. The
choice seats are the dissecting room windows which overlook
the athletic grounds where the rushes are held. They are
also a desirable place from which to view the intercollegiate
ball games when an admission fee is charged.
The university hospital is conveniently near the grounds,
and an ambulance is always in readiness to convey the
remains to the hospital when anyone gets hurt in the scrim
mage. The arrangements arc really admirable, and the gen
tlemanly managers deserve great credit in addition to the
fees they extort from the students. The cane rushes, etc.,
are always largely attended by the young ladies in Phila
delphia, and their presence infuses a double portion of spirit
into the studcnts.by which the number of accidents is corrcs.
ponduigly increased.
1 like to dwell on this feature of our college life, because it
is so inspiring. It is full of unalloyed pleasure. We who
don't exhibit our prowess in the games, sit with the ladles,
engaged in pleasant converse, and with our fiendish college
yell incite the combatants to their destruction. That is the
consolation we have for not being an athlete. After the
carnage is over we walk off with the ladies to the Philadel
phia "Brown's," while the athletes arc not even able to walk
off with themselves, but are tenderly conveyed to the
hospital covered with glory and gore. The system couldn't
be better; they get the glory and we get the girls.
The evening amusements of .the medical students with
whom I associate are very simple. They consist chiefly of
m