idea of establishing a course in mining engi
neering. There are obvious reasons why the
Pennsylvania State College should offer a
means for the study of that subject.
(1) Pennsylvania is one of the leading
states in the Union in the mining industry.
The close relation between the state and the
college would suggest that this college should
be foremost in promoting the interests of the
state. There are many openings for good
mining engineers throughout the state, and if
the college would help supply good mining
engineers it would be doing no more than its
duty.
(2) The location of the college is well ad
apted to the study of mining engineering, as
an hour's ride will bring us in the midst of a
mining region.
While too much should not be expected
from so young an institution as this, yet it
would be worth the while of the authorities to
offer means as fast as possible to satisfy the
growing demand made for a course in mining
engineering
THOSE of us whom fortune has placed
among the students of P. S. C,, have in
evitably observed the distinctive general char
acter of students at this college, and have also
inevitably, and perhaps unconsciously grown
into a more or less perfect likeness of that
character ourselves. Each may conclusively
prove to his own mind the latter statement
concerning himself, if he will re-call how pecu
liar the moral and mental traits of the students
in general at this place, appeared to him when
he first came here. They no longer appear
so, because lie is in unison with them. Nor
does the fact of distinctive characteristics argue
that our students are strangely different from
those of other colleges. Indeed we believe
that there are no two colleges so nearly alike,
that their respective student will not develop
moral, intellectual, and social characteristics
materially different, owing to the respective
environments.
THE FREE LANCE.
*
*
We have been interested in reading enuncia
tions by other college journals of the character
of the students of their colleges, and we ven
ture to follow the example of such journals in
part. We say in part, because we think the
enunciations referred to, have in general been
less interesting on account of being self-gratu
latory and self-flattering than candid reviews
would have been.
The social manner of our student is in gene
ral frank, but not often cordial in a high de
gree. We do not mean that he is not genial
and companionable in nature, but his address
to casual acquaintences, fellow students and
others, and his treatment of them, though
not indifferent, yet are not very affable and at
tentive. This feature is strongly in contrast
with the manner of students in smaller deno
minational colleges, where, we apprehend,
cordiality among students toward one another,
and from habit toward others also, reaches its
maximum. In such a case we sec a number
of students sufficiently limited to allow the
most universal mutual association, and a large
majority are affiliated through one religious
denomination, an element which enters largely
into their association organized and unorgan
ized. The absence of this or anything similar
in our college, the influence of the military
organization, and if we share Henry Ward
Beecher’s opinion of a mathematician stripped
of many of its disparaging features, we may
add, the preponderance of study of a mathe
matical nature, induce a social manner here
such as we have mentioned.
Another feature of our social life, is we are
free from anything like caste. We do not
think this could be more true of any college
than it is of P. S. C. We believe there is a little
flattery here for the fast young man of means
and as much patronage for the young man of
means and personal worth, as well as for the
deserving young man of little means as can
possibly be found. No more uniform recogni
tion of merit will be found in the social stand-