The Free lance. (State College, Pa.) 1887-1904, November 01, 1895, Image 16

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    1895.] College Boys Past and Present.
reliance that made them effective workers when they got out into
the world. The leading teachers and business men of New Eng
land to-day were treated in this rough and ready style. You may
say then that these boys were of a rather exceptional character—
men of more than the average parts and abilities. They were, so
to say, the pick of the lot. The rank and file preferred to stay at
home and go into business at an earlier day to wasting a number
•of years, as they said, merely to know a few books and become
wiser than their neighbors. These average boys could see only
the useful objects in living. This is the view of the average boy
•or man, I presume, you will find about everywhere. Hence the
average boy could not bear to give up his chance to get a trade or
a farm experience together with some hundreds in the bank just
for the sake of a little doutful advantage to be gained at college—< ’
“ Do I understand,” here I ventured to interpose, “ you intend
to imply that to-day we have more of the avenge boys at college
than formerly ?”
“ Yes, sir; I think it so most decidedly. You can see how this
is very clearly the case. We have now more rich men than were
common in the old days, men who can afford to send their boys
to college. There are two questions to be solved among our
wealthy men to-day in sending their boys off to college. First,
how they shall get rid of Jack and Harry till they get old
•enough to be called properly grown up; and, second, how to get
•on with them conveniently till something opens up in the way of
business enterprise to give them a chance to get to work. So
Jack and Harry are sent to college, and if they happen to make a
mistake and learn something this is all clear gain and better than
was expected. Thus the general average in our colleges is lowered
in comparison with the past.
‘ ‘ Of course this is not saying we do not have a great many ex
cellent men in our colleges to-day. We do have undoubtedly a
much larger number than we used to see, for no doubt a much
larger proportion of our best young men go to college now than
went in the past generation. lam only saying that the general
average of our college men must be at least somewhat below that
■we are speaking about.”
“ Well, do you think, Professor, that our young men have as
high standards or as high ideals as the young men who were in
college with you ?’ ’
" Before I reply to this, my dear fellow, let me say that I do