is youthful and fond of fun, and occasionally,
in a moment of thoughtlessness, a number
overstep the mark which is the boundary of
honor and good judgment. But even in these
extreme cases the motive which prompts them
is not of itself a low one. All men are im
perfect and the student is not an exception.
Then why should perfection be expected of a
him ? We can surely show the collegian to
be no less perfect than his fellow man. We
own that there have been deeds committed
which were disgraceful, and the motives which
gave them birth were of an extremely low
nature, but all such transactions are despised
by the body of students. The overturning of
a statue on the Yale campus by a party of
roughs recently, and the prompt indignation
meeting held,by the body of students is a
proof of this, There are many instances in
which college life has been made decidedly
undesirable to men of low tastes and character,
They are, without exception, detested by
students and faculty. The atmosphere created
by college men has an elevating and ennobling
effect, as is shown by the college graduate
holding the positions most beneficial to and
honorable among men. The following is a
quotation from an editorial of one of our most
prominent dailies, relating to this subject:
“ It can be truly said that many of the reports
which reach the public of dissapation and
lawlessness among college students are
grossly exaggerated. There is in no other
class of young men so large a majority who
take life seriously and are preparing them
selves earnestly for its duties. There is no
class of men less given to hypocrisy, and a
man who is not himself out and out soon
comes to be despised by his college mates.
Further, there is more religious and moral
sentiment among students of the present
day, in our higher institutions, than among
any other class of young men. This is
shown by the percentage, who are professing
Christians or members of the Y, M, C. A ,
THE FREE LANCE.
which organization exists in almost every
college. The leading athletes in the colle
giate world are men of the most pronounced
Christian type. A canvas made of a number
of leading colleges, recently, showed that
there were never so many students who are
church members as at present. Yale, Prince
ton, Amherst, Williams, return from one-half
to two-thirds of their undergraduates as pro
fessing Christians.”
Many object to what is known as “ college
customs,” and which are, for the most part,
traditional customs. In fact much of it
appears barbarous, and we can gladly say that
this type of it is fast disappearing. But the
man’s morals are not harmed by such customs,
at least not permanently, since the motives
prompting such things, as class strifes, prac
tical jokes on new students, etc., are not of
themselves impure. Again, they occurred
only during the first two years of the student’s
course and any bad effects, if there be any, is
obliterated by the manly training imparted by
the last two years. It is these last two years
that the student begins to realize that he will
soon be brought into contact with the world,
and prepares himself for competition, com
manding the world to prepare him room.
If colleges are deficient, in a moral stand
ard, they are more harm than good to us as a
nation, no matter how satisfactory their
courses of learning. Hence, from the fact
that our educational institutions are next to
to our religious, the greatest blessing to us,
it follows, that the moral tone of our institu
tions of learning is comparatively high. >
It is certainly evident, from what has been
said, that the average collegian is the equal
or superior, in morals, to the average young
man belonging to any other class. The im
pression to the contrary is simply an example
of transforming a mole hill into a mountain.
What was once known as the “ P. S. C.
Boarding Club,” now bears the name of "The
Vesta Boarding Club."