of a summer vacation practically shut
out from their minds their sense of duty.
This failure must be acknowledged
as a gross error, answerable only by
the staff. Without the slightest desire
to shift the responsibility, or to make
the blame personal, the surviving mem
bers of the old staff assume this posi
tion ; and, —since it is not customary to
publish a September nunjber—hope by
this issue— as a substitute if you like—
to appease much of the wrath incurred.
Although it would seem untimely now
to speak largely concerning commence
ment, yet we wish by a reference to
part of the program, and to the few days
since our return to college, to be able
to repay you in a small degree for the
anxiety which our negligence must have
caused.
WE see no reason why this year in
field sports should not be our
best. Although many of our best ath
letes—those who have done most to
raise our standard—graduated at the
last commencement, we still have as
good material as ever.
Many will not admit this, for the
reason that very few of the old students
who have not been members of the first
base ball nine, or the first foot ball
eleven, have kept up systematic training
in those or other sports. Eew trained
men, if any, can be looked for among
the students who have just entered here
for their first time.
I*HE FREE LANCE.
But these reasons do not indicate that
we are lacking in material, simply be
cause it has not been developed. The
question is : “Will these men take more
interest in sports than they have done
heretofore.” If not, why not? Let us
inquire into the incentives which we have
for students a who wish to engage active
ly in field sports. As it is perfectly
plain that all students cannot belong to
our representative base ball and foot
ball clubs, we see few inducements in
these lines for those who are not very
well adapted to them. Besides' these
two sports, with the exception of lawn
tennis, we have had no other field sports
at all. As we have no track, of course
we have no walking or running contests,
two of the most beneficial exercises,
both as regards health, and the training
of men for most all other field sports.
We have a gymnasium of which we
may justly feel proud ; ecpiipped far be
yond our ability to use it intelligently.
As it would be an unprofitable scheme
to let loose a drove of cattle in a field
of green corn, with no one to look after
them and keep them from tramping all
over the field and recklessly wasting the
fodder, so it is with throwing open a
gymnasium to a body of students with
out furnishing it with an instructor.
Where there is no established system
of training, students invariably use such
pieces of equipment as best suit their
pleasure, without regard to the benefit
which they may derive from them. In