professions, and a summer vacation seems a
most fit time to begin. Every man has to make
a beginning, and why should he not use all oppor
tunities within his reach to be as well prepared as
'possible at graduation ? Again a vacation seems
the most oppropriate time, because the students
mind is fresh with the practical application of the
same, does much in fixing them in the memory ;
while, without it, they may easily be forgotten.
Many practical things are taken up during the
Freshmen and Sophomore years, which are not
touched upon in the later years of a college course ;
and we often find people surprised that college
graduates are unfamiliar with some of the most
elementary parts of their profession, simply because
they failed to realize the importance of them by
seeing a practical application of the same. Although
the remuneration for such work is not very large,
yet many whose circumstances demand it, help
themselves considerably in defraying their college
expenses, and, in the end, find themselves prepar
ed to start out in life on a much higher level than
with uneducated men.
On the other hand, as it is impossible for many
of our colleges to withhold evil influences from the
student, a vacation spent in pastimes tends only to
invigorate the petty notions which so many of our
college students bring home with them, and which
are apt to divert them from their true objects, and
to cause them to take less interest in their college
work afterwards. It is not a ceasing from activity,
always, that gives a person his needed rest, but a
change . and no change seems so beneficial to the
student, as that change which both puts him in a
better condition for further study, and at the same
time makes of him a useful man.
Tl-I E second athletic contest of the year will be
held on Tuesday afternoon of Commence
ment Week. While at present our facilities
for out door meetings are not the best, owing to
our need of a track, yet we can have many contests
this month which will not require a track of great
ir HE PgEE LANCV,.
length, and yet will be full of interest for all.
Though we hope in the near futu. eto have a
good athletic ground, we should not wait for that
before we go more strongly inio field sports. We
should begin now with what facilities we have, get
our men in good condition and by practice keep
them in shape, and then next year when an oppurtuni,
ty for contesting with other colleges presents itself,
we will have a good complement of athletics from
whom to close our representatives.
There is lots of undeveloyed material in college,
and now is the time to bring it out. Let the stu
dents go in to make the spring contest a big suc
cess, so that it will not only add additional attrac
tion to our commencement exercises,but will create
a more general interest in general athletics and
bring men into the field who have hitherto stayed
in the back ground.
IN its whole history probably no better good
fortune has ever happened to our college than
the recent appropriation of $150,500 which
was granted it by the Legislature of the State.
It is valuable not only in a pecuniary sense, but
for the fact that it shows plainly the good will
which the people and the Legislature of Pennsyl
vania bear toward the State College.
The appropriation gives great and needed stim
ulus to the work which is being carried on here,
and has afforded means that our college can branch
out into greater usefulness than ever, by being able
to offer in the near future to the young men of the
State a thorough course in Mining Engineering.
It also aids invaluably the work of our technical
courses, giving money for further equipment of the
department of Electrical Engineering and Chem
istry,and providing a commodious and well finish
ed building for the Mechanical, Civil and Mining
Engineering Courses.
The appropriations were made as follows
For Civil, Mining and Mechanical Engineering
$ 1 00, 000.
Building,
Improvements of Grounds and Roads, $3,000,
44
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