The manner in which the defeat of our team, with
the University of Penna., was greeted by the stu
dent body was something most discouragingly
disastrous, even threatening the life of foot-ball
for the remaining portion of the season, which to
gether with Mr. Haley’s resignation from the cap
taincy of the team, acted in an extreme disheart
ening manner on the players. But we are glad to
say that under the revived spirits of the supporters
of the team and the enthusiastic management of
the team by their newly elected captain, Augustus
Read, they are again in readiness to do battle
with whatever may cross their path.
* * *
THE United States Investor has decided to of
fer |li,ooo in prizes for essays of not more
than one column each respecting American
cities and towns,
We take pleasure in announcing that the fol
lowing distinguished gentlemen have consented
to act as judges to award these prizes :
Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, of Mass.
Hon. Charles F. Crisp, of Georgia.
Hon. Julius C. Burrows, of Michigan.
The prizes will be subdivided as follows :
For the best essay respecting any American city
or town, |!soo; for the second best essay respect
ing any American city or town, $300; for the
third best essay respecting any American city or
town, s2oo.
Each essay is to deal with the merits of the city
or town chosen as its subject, either as a desirable
place of residence; as affording opportunities for
investment; as a place of peculiar location; as
a place of unusual rapid growth ; as a place in
which an unusually . large amount of capital and
labor is employed in any particvlar industry; as a
place possessed of great undeveloped resources,
such as water power, coal and iron, etc., which is
peculiar because it has long escaped attention; as
a place of great historical interest; or as possess
ing any other claim to unique interest or special
attention.
THE FREE LANCE.
In awarding the prizes the judges will consider
the literary merits of the essays, as well as the
merits of the town or city described. They will
not, however, go outside of the essay itself for
evidence that the town or city possesses any spe
cial interest. Any claims which even a well known
city may have to distinction within the intent upon
which these prizes are offered must rest wholly up
on what is said by the essayist within the space of
the column alloted to him. This condition, to
gether with the consideration of literary merit,
will give the essayists an even chance. All the
essays which are intended for competition should
be marked as such and forwarded to either of the
offices of the United States Investor, 19 Pearl
street, Boston; 335 Broadway, New York; 241
Chestnut street, Philadelphia.
GOTTINGEN AND ITS UNIVERSITY.
About sixty-four miles south of the city of Han
over, in the fertile little valley which the river
Leine has formed, as it creeps along from its source
in the Thuringian Forest until it looses itself in
the Weser, is situated the old town of Goettingen.
This historic little place was, at the time of the
poet Heine, celebrated for “its University, its sau
sages, and its beer;” and one can truthfully say
that it is still worthy of its ancient reputation.
The earliest mention of a village of Godling, or
Gutingi, occurs in documents of about 950 A. D.
The place received municipal rights from the Em
peror, Otho IV, about i2ooand wasfor a long time
the seat of the princely house of Brauuschweig-
Goettingen, holding a high place among the towns
of the Hanseatic League. It seems that Goettin
gen was, in the Middle Ages, a town of much im
portance, and in consequence strongly fortified,
for those days, by an earth wall and a deep
ditch or moat. This wall, erected long before
the era of artillery, is nothing more than a great
rampart of earth completely encircling the town,
deflecting here and there from the regular circle
because of inequalities in the ground, but