mencement week the only resource will be
the use of tents which would be quite novel
if not extremely pleasant. What we need is
a large hotel for both students and friends.
One could be build at a comparatively small
cost and many who are now dissatisfied with
their boarding places and the college domi
tories would avail themselves of such an
opportunity.
ANEW feature in the work of the General
Science students of the Senior Class is
the choice of two electives for the Winter
session. As it was, a student was obliged to
take practicum in Geology and Physics ; now,
however, he can take either the above or
equivalent work in almost any department in
the college. It seems to be giving general
satisfaction so far, and will, it is believed, be
very successful.
WE cannot refrain from again calling
attention to the extremely disa-
greable condition of our streets. During
such weather as has prevailed for the past
four months it is impossible to venture out
without unusual protection against the mud.
Our village people should not allow this to
run on any longer and it is to be hoped that
something will be done very soon.
THE fact that our college is a scientific
institution in its largest sense explains
no doubt to a great degree the lack of popu
larity of any religious organizations in its
midst. In ministerial, denominational and
even classical schools such organizations are
maintained in successful operation without
much individual effort, and are recognized
THE FREE LANCE.
and supported cheerfully and spontaneously
by the students at large. The regular trend
of work in such institutions runs naturally in
this direction, and consequently there is but
little or no difficulty in exciting the students'
interest in religious work and securing his.
personal attention and patronage. On the
other hand, in scientific schools, like our
own, though the absurdity of the doctrine of
the irreconcilability of revelation with scien
tific discovery has long since been con
clusively demonstrated, yet the general cour se
of application to scientific study, and training
in hard. practical work appears, unfortunately,
to have a very strong tendency to divert the
students' mind from religious subjects. Per
haps engrossed in complicated scientific and
industrial problems, he allows the thought to
take posession of him and govern his outward
actions, that he will leave religious topics to
be discussed and religious works to be accom
plished by those who. are more closely
interested in them and who have been more
directly educated with that in view. Never
theless, without further speculation as to the
reason, the fact remains that our religious
societies suffer in scientific schools.
In our own college our Young Men's
Christian Association is not receiving in any
ways near the support it should. Though
some men are constant and faithful atten
dants and workers, yet, as a class, the
students do not uphold it. The college Young
Men's Christian Association is an institution
that is found to-day in by far the great major
ity of the colleges and universities of our
land. Its growth has been. rapid but per
manent. It is accomplishing lasting results
.for good that could be gained in no other