cation, and because they tend, as no doubt they
do, to create jealousies. They are secret, that
is, the majority, but does not secrecy teach
man judiciousness? "Learn to bridle thy
tongue," reads Scripture, and rejoins Plut
arch, "If a man thinks it is a small matter to
bridle his tongue, he is mistaken." Secret so
cieties give to one a degree of cautiousness
that he could not otherwise acquire; then as
such let us preserve and foster them as healthy
and beneficial institutions. As to depriving
the student of precious moments, the practical
instruction of association with congenial per
sons far overbalances the moments said to be
lost. They arc not lost, for the time a fraternity
man spends in his chapter hall enlarges his
social qualities and gives him a closer insight
into the minds of men than could otherwise be
acquired. I acknowledge that the college fra
ternities create jealousies, but it is the jealousy
that is met with between all institutions of
similar character, it is a rivalry for the lead.
Everything is done to raise the fraternity finan
cially, socially, in the athletics, and in the
studies, above the rival fraternities. It is a
jealousy leading to a rivalry for the highest
elevation and hence should be encouraged.
No serious result has ever been recorded as
arising from these rivalries, and facts have
shown that even before the secret college fra
ternity came into existence rivalries existed be
tween the different " sets of fellows."
Statistics show that those colleges rank
among the highest where good secret fraterni
ties exist in the greatest number and the more
secret and mysterious the more popular the
fraternity.
OUR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
WE arc in the midst of another Presidential
campaign. In city, town and county
throughout every State in our Union the polit
ical parties arc marshalling their forces for the
November conflict. Public interest in the sub
ject is already great and will steadily increase
THE FREE LANCE.
until it becomes the absorbing topic of discus
sion, not only on the "forum" but by the fire
side of every intelligent home.
General interest in the selection of an exe
cutive is not confined to our own people. It
is almost universal. Even in kingdoms and
empires the preservation of order and stability
of the government depend largely on a faithful
adherence to the established rules of succession.
How much more then is it essential in a repub
lic that the executive of the nation be chosen
by a fair and satisfactory method and that he
be the choice of the great body of the people!
Does our present method of election guaran
tee both these results? That part of our Con
stitution referring to the election of President
employs this language:
"Art. 11, Sec. I, Clause 2. Each State shall
appoint, in such manner as the legislature there
of may direct, a number of electors, equal to
the whole number of Senators and Represen
tatives to which the State may be entitled in
the Congress,"
In article XII, under amendments are the
following directions:
"The electors shall meet in their respective
States, and vote by ballot for President and
Vice-President," etc.
It is readily seen from these quotations that
our Constitution does not provide for the pub
lic at large to take part directly in the electing
of a President. To illustrate this take the vote
of Pennsylvania for President in 1884.
For Grover Cleveland there were 392,785
votes cast, for James G. Blaine 473,804. In
addition to this the Prohibition ticket polled
15,283, and the Greenback or Butler party
17,002, making a total popular vote of 898,874
in Pennsylvania. But these votes only decided
which of the political parties should compose
the electoral college of Pennsylvania, or in
other words, it required all this balloting to
select the thirty "Electors" to which Pennsyl
vania was entitled in the choice of a President