realization of their fondest hopes. Who are the
people that constitute the greater part of a com
mencement audience? Is it not the friends of the
graduating class ; the parent, the brother or sister,
the friend, sweetheart or lover ? All are there to see
their favorite one show off and to rejoice with him
or her in their hard won honor. To sit and
watch a Graduation Day audience is to realize how
deep-ground is the love of this institution. The
strained expectancy, self satisfied pride, the joy of
realized hopes, the smile, the tear, the proud looks
of love all are portrayed and seem to eminate
from the upturned faces like a ray of sunshine only
to be focussed on that half fearful, half joyous
group upon the stage. No ! It is not time' yet
to do away with this time honored custom. These
people will not hear to it. What would be the
use of their coming to commencement at all ?
What do they care for the addresses of the hired
orators, and the other exercises not directly con•
nected with those in whom they are so deeply in
terested ? Commencement would simply be a
closing of college much as the ending of the
spring or winter session. A hurried packing up,
a few handshakes and a final departure. Many of
the most joyous memories 'of a college course
would cease and one of the happiest periods that
it is the privilege of the student to anticipate
would be gone.
\
— OW that the season for out door sports is
near, it is time to commence thinking
...
about our athletic grounds. There is work
yet to do on them that needs pushing. The track
needs to be put in good shape, the base-ball
grounds laid out, a back stop put up and tennis
grounds laid out. Plans for a grand stand should
be gotten up and the work commenced on it assoon
possible. We do not know how much of the
money, that was appropriated for the athletic
grounds yet remains over and above the expenses
of grading and putting in the track ; but whatever
the amount is, even if it is not large, it should not
entirely influence the plans upon which the grand
THE FREE LANCE.
stand is to be • built. If a grand stand is to be
built at all it should be one that is in keeping
with the grounds. To put up a shabby looking
stand just to use up the balance of money on hand
would be very bad policy. It would be much bet
ter to keep what money we have on hand and try
to add more to it until we would have enough to
put up the kind of a building that ought to be
erected on the grounds.
Another thought that should receive attention,
in the very near future, is the selection of some
suitable or appropriate name by which our athletic
grounds ,hall be known. We might honor some
past benefactor of our college by giving his name
to the field or if some one of our alumni should
be so generous as to donate a liberal sum it would
be a fitting honor to give his name to the grounds.
By the way ofa suggestion, should these thoughts
be acted upon we would like to mention two names
that deserve more than passing attention when it
comes to the consideration of to whom we should
pay honoi. Gen. James A. Beaver and Capt.
Chas. W. Roberts, are two names so intimately
connected with the history and success of our col
lege, that it would be impossible to make a more
fitting choice than of one of these names
THE Seniors have decided to adopt the cap
and gown as the proper garb in which to
appear on graduation day. There are
several good reasons in favor of this scheme and
nogood reasons, in particular, against it; so that if
it does establish a precedent it will be one that need
not give the college authorities any ground to
offer objections to.
ATTENTION has been called repeatedly, in
these columns to the, all too, evident lack
of interest by the students in the work of
the Literary Societies ; While the number of stu
dents have been steadily increasing in the past
few years the membership of the societies , have
rather decreased instead of even holding on to the