season. In these two branches of athletics
we stand among the foremost, but in the
third we are lacking. In the good old games
of base ball and foot ball our records are re
plete with successes, but in the track and
field sports they are very distinguishably
blank in the contrast, and why ? Simply
because we have not tried them. We have
given very little attention to those manly
exercises which show the worth of the indi
vidual more than any other sport, and about
which the larger colleges vaunt themselves
so much. The principal reason for this is,
without doubt, because wc have not had the
facilities. The material, so far as men are
concerned, is here in plenty, but we have had
no gymnasium, we have had no general ath
letic grounds. Now that both of these essen
tial requirements are here, let us spring
boldly out into this new field of venture.
Let the authorities see that the necessary
and complete apparatus be placed in the
gymnasium at once. Let our track be laid
out, and then let our most promising material
be selected and put in training the entire
winter, each one to his special adaptation, so
that they will emerge from it fresh and hard
ened for the spring intercollegiate games.
There are few things that will give name and
prestige to our institution among its fellow
colleges quicker and more thoroughly than a
few well-earned victories and good records in
general athletics. We have an abundance of
material, our location is all that could be de
sired in this respect, and there is no reason
why we should not stand in the van, not only
in athletic games, but in field and track
athletics as well.
WE hope that the trip taken by the stu
dents in the mechanical engineering
course benefited them, and that their know
ledge of applied mechanics has been greatly
increased by the visit to the Pittsburg Expos
ition and the large mills of that city, Allegh
THE FREE LANCE.
*
*
eny, Johnstown and Altoona. Excursions of
this kind may be made the source of almost in
valuable learning, or they may be turned into
a trip for a general good time, but we feel con
fident that the former has been the case in this
instance, and are glad to see the college mani
festing such interest in the advancement of
its students.
THE old idea that colleges are more of a
hinderance than a benefit to the majority
of young men, is fast being disintegrated and
scattered to the four winds of the heavens.
Even the horny-handed practical man who
has held out out so long and determinedly
against collegiate education, is having his
bitter animosity gradually softened and chas
tened into calm endurance by the uniform
after success of college graduates. We are
apparently leaving behind us that period of
history when a man going to college was
looked upon by practical business and profes
sional men as either the victim of unfortunate
circumstances, or one who was devoid of some
of the essentials of a well-rounded brain and
frittering away valuable time. For the prin
cipal cause of this radical change of senti
ment we must look chiefly to the continuous
good work of the colleges themselves.
True, the character of our colleges, their
system of training, their management and
their standards of entrance and graduation
have steadily improved upon that of the first;
yet they have but kept pace with the other
advances of our age. There has been no
change from the object or general plan with
which they were incorporated. Men still go
to college and stay there a certain number of
years for the purpose of better fitting them
selves for the duties and business of life, just
as they did in days of yore. Though it must
be admitted that the scientific school and the
business college are somewhat recent depart
ures, yet they are but very small branches of