invitation to attend a banquet gotten tip by some favorite sons of
the College for no one's benefit except their own, as far as I could
make out. Third, the Alumni Record. Now, as to the first. Of
what earthly good is the Alumni Association (as now constituted)
to a member located as I am ? I may pay my dues and get a
receipt which is the sum total of what I get in return. lam not
allowed to vote for trustees of the College unless I am present at
Commencement time. The dues go to pay for the feeding of a
crowd at Commencement * * * ."
The banquet was " gotten up by some favorite sons of the Col
lege for no one's benefit except their own," yet at the same time
every alumnus was requested to enjoy, and we are pleased to
know that a large percentage of the alumni did enjoy, the bene
fits thereof. Only one thing in connection with the banquet was
monopolized by " a few favorite sons "—the drudgery and dis
couraging work of making the necessary arrangements for it.
Just here it might be Well to quote a portion of a letter from
General Beaver, himself for some forty-odd years an alumnus of
another institution, read at the banquet:—" It is pleasant for me
to know that the alumni of P. S. C. are learning to appreciate
themselves. * * The public gathering of the alumni and
friends of the College is a step in the right direction."
The complaint that the alumni not present at the Commence
ment meeting are not entitled to vote for trustees is well taken,
yet we know it to be a fact that at least one-half of the alumni
present at Commencement do not even take enough interest in
the election of the alumni trustees to think it worth their while
to avail themselves of the privilege of voting. We' agree with
him that all the alumni should be entitled to vote for the alumni
trustees. A heroic attempt was made by the Alumni Association
several years ago to have such a clause inserted in the new charter,
but we have learned upon indisputable authority that the clause
was defeated almost entirely through the influence of a member
of the Board of Trustees who was himself an alumnus. Some of
the local alumni believe that, at some time in the near future, all
of the alumni will be entitled to vote. The Alumni Association
does not and never did " pay for the feeding of a crowd at Com
mencement time." The College has always stood the entire ex
pense of the so-called Alumni Dinner. The dues are expended in