other colleges. But without being forced
.to make any such confession we are free
to say that we have with other colleges
the few weaklings who "ride" and are
not able to walk at all, and also the man
who has been known to "pony" though
his usual practice and principles may be
far above doing so. It is with these
latter that we wish to make the point of
this article.
"Ponying" becomes indeed a serious
matter in a class or a college when it is
tolerated by the sanction, not to mention
the practice, of the more stable order 'of
students. We believe that a man who
has successfully withstood every other
temptation to "pony" may be, and often
is, overcome by its universal practice
about him. Whenever the number of
those who practice this evil exceeds the
despised few its practice becomes con
tagious • and this is the time of danger
for the strong. It is the time for them
to set a price upon their honor greater
than a "mess of potage" and to vindicate
the moral sentiment of themselves,if not
of the class, by keeping this practice
from becoming a matter of every clay
and universal occurrence.
On the other hand if the better men
of a class lend the force of their example,
by indulging in this practice there is no
one left untainted to make it unrespect
able to "pony" and much practical harm
is clone to the weaker by destroying
their confidence in the reliability and
morality of the stronger. It is the prac-
THE FREE LANCE.
tical testimony to this fact that has led
us to make these statements. It is pos
sible for a student in the above men
tioned way to counteract much good in
fluence he may otherwise exert and take
pains to exert.
While we believe that perhaps a case
might be imagined that it would not be
"cheating" the professor to "pony" yet
we think it impossible for a student to
do so without entailing upon himself
direct and indirect influences of wrong.
However, we wish more than anything
else to impress upon those students who
desire to be careful about their influence,
that the class of students over whom
they wish to exercise a salutary influ
ence, often an honestly discriminating
class, get the impression that he who,
in this matter, enters not in by the door
.
of honest work and true merit, "but
climbeth up sonic other way, the same
is a thief and a robber" in some sense.
1 1 HE time has come when the student
can indulge in the out-door sports
and thus relieve the monotony which he
so often finds in his regular course of
class-room work. Is every one to take
part individually in this wholesome pas
time, or can the Association which was
formed one year ago be renewed ?
How can we permit such an organi
zation to dwindle away, when all that is
necessary for its success is to retain the
interest which was manifested at the be
ginning ? There must be a cause for