until every one has grown tired looking for it. The news in it is usually as stale as some of the faculty’s jokes by the time we receive it.” The students of this college underestimate the importance of their college paper. The I'kee Lance is the reflector of our college life and by it the outside world judges the intellectual and lit erary attainments of our students. II our paper is to make an impression, it must reflect some thing of interest and importance, not merely the idle thoughts of an over-worked board of editors. Our journal should rely entirely upon the stu dents for material. At present a large number of our students do nothing for-this journal; a num ber subscribe for it; a portion of this number pay their subscription fees; several contribute articles of interest once or twice a year; all criticize the management and board of editors, and usually the loudest voice raised in criticism is the voice of a fellow who docs not subscribe, or if he docs, fol low his name along the columns of our ledger and you will find that he is back several years with his subscription. It is difficult to assign any reason why the stu dents of this college do not give a more loyal sup port to the Free Lance, cither financially or by contribution of literary matter, but that this is the case must be apparent to any one who takes the trouble to stop and consider the matter seriously. Instead of having articles submitted willingly and competitively, the editorial staff is compelled to beg from one to another until sufficient matter is gathered together to fill these pages. For the sake of our Alma Mater, her standing among our rivals and your own personal enjoy ment and pleasure in reading, and the benefits ac cruing from contributing articles, let the Free Lance receive your earnest support. We want short articles and prefer to publish as few articles as possible of a general character. A number of our exchanges do not publish any arti cles of this character. Two or three short articles are infinitely better than one long article of a gen eral character, that not one in ten will read. LANCE. THE FRE Writing for your college journal is a fine train ing for you and will assist you greatly in acquir ing a good style. Any man who leaves this insti tution without possessing the art of writing clearly, smoothly and logically, will scarce advance with one possessing these qualities. The Free Lance is the journal of the students and until they realize and take advantage of this fact, neither the literary quality of the Lance or students will improve. STATE College may well be ' proud of its Glee and banjo clubs. The concerts given by these clubs are of such excellence that any college in this land might well be proud of the possession of such musical ability. Never before in our history have we had so much musical talent atone time, and never be fore have our musicians practiced so faithfully. The high praise and enthusiastic receptions with which our clubs have met, wherever they have ap peared, reflects credit directly upon the college. A popular and efficient leader, together with a spirit of enthusiasm, enabled the clubs to over come the usual feeling of discouragement which overtakes college musical organizations after the novelty has worn off. The club loses but few of its members by graduation this year and next sea son’s prospects are the highest. From a musical point of view these clubs have been a “howling success”—financially they have proven an utter failure. Want of early advertis ing along the route together with the fact that they toured through a section of the State in which the college is scarcely known are the chief reasons why they were not received by larger audiences. Every one is aware that the clubs arc plunged heavily in debt. We heartily concur with the plan by which the clubs hope to clear themselves and see no reason why a Glee club should not be supported by the faculty and students of a college in the same degree as a foot ball or base-ball team.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers