P CIF FOUR
STATE COLLEGIAN
Published on Thursday of each week during the
college year by the students of The Pennsylvania
State College in the interest of the Students, Fac
ulty, Alumni and Friends of the college.
Entered at the Postoffice, State College. Pa., as
second class matter
Editor In Chief
C. N. FLEMING, 'O9
Assistant Editor
J. K. BARNES, 'O9
Associate Editors
P. B. BENNETCH, 'O9.
A. W. FISHER, 'lO.
K. B. LOHMANN, 'lO.
J. F. MATTERN, 'lO
D. R. MASON, 'll
Business Manager
N. B. HIGGINS, 'O9
Assistants
F. H. BERKEBILE, 'lO
C. F. PRESTON,
SUBSCRIPTION.
01. 50 per year or $1.25 if paid within 30 days after
date of subscription.
THURSDAY, MAR. 4, 1909
EDITORIAL.
The Press Club has been per-
manently organized and will begin
work at once. The field of usefulness
for such an organization is very
great. Its object is to send news
concerning the college to papers
throughout the state, and in that
way make the college better known
and at the same time make sure that
news which is published is authentic.
How much this latter point needs to
be emphasized is easily recognized
when one reads such paragraphs as
the following in the country papers
of the, state:
"Last Thursday a number of stu
dents were injured and a serious ac
cident narrowly averted in a class
fight at State College between the
freshmen and the sophomores. The
freshmen bad a special train to take
them to their annual banquet at Wil
liamsport. There was a free fight in
the attempt of the upper classmen to
prevent the freshmen from getting
away. Freshmen were tied to trees,
locked in barns and freight cars and
dragged by their heels across lots.
the sophomores carried the fight
into the coaches and kicked out car
windows and smashed car seats.
They put soap into the tank of the
locomotive tender, which would have
caused the boiler to "foam" and
possibly caused an explosion if it
had not been discovered. About
half the freshmen class got away
and held their banquet. The re
mainder stayed at home in a dam
aged condition under lock and key."
We can laugh at things like this,
but when we think that they are
very likely to keep prospective stu
dents from coming to State they be
come more serious. If the Press
Club can overcome this evil of ex
aggerating, which seems to be very
common among newspapers when
they get hold of college news, it
will have served a good purpose.
P. L. WETZEL, 'll
The General Assembly of Penn
sylvania in the session of 1907 pro
vided for the appointment of a Com
mission to codify and revise the laws
relating to the public school system
of the state. The report of this
Commission was presented to the
House of Representatives at the
opening of the present session by
the Hon. Harry S. Lydick of Alle
gheny County. It defines the com
mon schools and the normal schools
and establishes two colleges of edu
cation, the one to be a part of the
University of Pennsylvania and the
other a part of the University of Pitts
burg. Question has been raised and
criticism heard because the proposed
THE STATE COLLEGIAN
The Proposed School Code for Penn
sylvania.
code omits mention of The Pennsyl
vania State College, an institution
formed by compact between the
Federal and State government more
than forty years ago and recognized
as part of the public school system
of the state by official appointment,
by frequent legislation, and by in
creasing appropriations. The failure
to include The Pennsylvania State
College in the proposed school code
was not due either to intention or
neglect on the part of The Commis
sion, but to the death of President
Atherton and the interregnum which
followed.
In order to fill the omission and
to complete the Code, a proposition
has been made to insert an additional
article which defines the college as
the state college of Penn Sylvania
and part of the public school sys
tem, and entitled to exercise all
rights, duties, and privileges as
such. The article does not change
the existing organization of the col
lege, but provides a summer session
for instructing teachers of common
schools in Agriculture, Manual
Training, and kindred subjects.
It is hoped to have this definition
of the college incorporated in the
School Code before it passes either
branch of the Legislature. The
proposition is now in the hands of
the Commission for endorsement
before being presented to the House
of Representatives.
The Pharsonians.
The trials for end men in the
Pharsonians were held last week
with the result that four new men
were chosen— Nicholson, McCoy,
Waha, and Carson 'll as substi
tute. The specialties committee is
on the alert for any good stunts
which can be used on a trip, while
in the circle a desirable place as
interlocutor is open for the right
man. Anyone wishing to try for
this latter place should hand his
name to either Armstrong, Waha,
or Hoffman.