old number. A few years ago .when it was the ex ception to not be a member of one of the societies now it is reversed.and it almost seems the rule not to join a Literary Society. True much has come in to our college life within the last few years that apparently might seem to justify such a change. .The different reasons, that might be justified as causes, in the judgment of a student, all depend upon what his conception of the use pia. literary society is. If they are merely places to go to pass time and to meet in a social way the members of the different classes, or places to go for amuse ment, then there are many good reasons for the evident decline of our societies. But if the work of the societies is to impart knowledge, to develop the ability of public speaking, to give ease and facility in off hand speaking, to accustom and in struct the individual in parliamentary practice and to give to the intellect the force of training and method in debate, then we can see no reason, real or imaginary, that the recent years have de veloped, sufficient to account for the backward progress of the societies. WEwould like to call the attention of the proper authorities to a condition that exists in class and drawing rooms that certainly deserves early consideration. The carelessness with which the rooms are swept and dusted is a dis credit to who ever is responsible for their condi tiOn. And aside from the fact of it being dis creditable, it is a decided annoyance, especially in the drawing room. When the student comes into the room, to recite or to .o some drawing, he finds everything covered with dust,, tables, books, chairs, everything coated with a thick layer of dust. If he wishes to draw, everything he lays his hands on leaves a soiling Mark and before he has half completed his drawing the work looks as if it was executed in a boiler house. We do not know who is responsible for this state of affairs, but we do know that it exists, and'also, that there is no reason why it should continue to exist, and the sooner such an annoyance ceases the better it will be for everyone. THE FREE LANCE. It has been said, "Few towns can vie with Hei delberg in the beauty of its environs and its his torical interest." How true this is can only be known to those who have been fortunate enough to visit it. Situated, as it is, in the valley of the Neckar, which winds its way slowly, through a well culti vated country, in its journey to the Rhine, with its well known Castle, University and the famous inn "Zum Ritter," erected in 1592, in the style of ''Otto Heinrichs Ban," and one of the few houses of its kind that have remained to us, it would never be forgotten by the visitor. • One orthe grandest sights, possibly, in Europe is the old castle, placed on a spur of the "Konigs stuhl," to command the whole valley below. It owes its present condition partly to the French, who occupied it for a short time in 1689, and partly to the elements, it having been struck by lightning in 1764. Those who take a pilgrimage to this grand old place, are at once struck with the immense pro portions of both the buildings and the walls sur rounding them. It is true the fortifications are now used as pleasure grounds, the old court yards laid out by modern hands, and the great cask hold ing 49,000 gallons is empty, yet one sees enough in the old ruined walls, the small, once grated win dows,:flom which once thundered forth death deal ing shot, to convince. one of the power it once held. It is here, amidst its ivy clad ruins, that many a poetic effusion has been written and if the magnificent old place remains as it is, that many more will be given to the world. It is. rumored by some, however, that the present Grand Duke of Baden, intends to remodel the old castle into a modern summer residence for himself, thus de stroying many of the romantic scenes it has given birth to. • Next to the Castle, the University commands at tention. It is simply a mass of unpretentious buildings scattered through the town, devoid of -HEIDELBEI?G
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers