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number of our exchanges do not publish any arti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.