Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK Published weekly by the Literary Societies of the: University of South Carolina. Terms. $1.50 a session, payable in ad vance. "Entered as second-class matter Noyember 20, 1908. at the postoffico at Columbia 8. C., under the Act of March 3, 1879." The Gamecock solicits humorous sketches, essays, verse, etc., and will gladly pub lish such as is available, when accom panied by the full name of the author. Unsigned manuscripts will neither be acknowledged or returned. All checks and money orders should be made payable to Bernard Manning. Bus Iness Manager. Business Manager. Bernard Manning, Sumter. Assistant Business Manager. B. S. Beverly, Virginia. BOARD OF EDITORS. Editor-in-Chief. S. D. I1ich, Blackvlle. Anslatunt Editors. P. S. Speigner.. .......(Euphradian) L. A. Buie.. ..........(Clarosophic) J. H. Brown.. ..........(Euphradian) Athletics. J. H. Sullivan.. . .......(Clarosophic) J. 0. Sheppard.... ....(Euphradian) Locals. M. A. Miller.... . 'A.. .. (Clarosophic) Y. M. C. A. COLUMBIA, S. C., JANUARY 21, 1909. THE LEGISLATURE AND EXAMINATIONS The time that is necessarily occupied by the students of the University in preparing for examiniations prevents the boys from attending as often as they would like the meetings of the Legislature. Then, too, they do not get a chance to hear the speeches de livered by distinguished men at this time. 'lhe Legislature convenes the sec ond week 11 January. The boys have just returned fron the holidays, and the near approach of the mid-term examinations necessitates their getting down to hard work in order to be thoroughly prepared. The test begins about the first of February, and lasts through the 15th of the month. The students have scarcely any time to attend the meetings of the Legisla ture before the first of the month, for they are hard at work. Then, too, the real work of the body of representa tives and senators does not begin in earnest until the first. From the first until the fifteenth the most important bills coie up and are discussed. It is impossible during the examinations for the boys to get an opportunity to be present. After the final test is over, the law-makers are only in session tell more days, and things commence to wind up. Therefore, the students miss something which would benefit them a great deal. Examinations come twice a year,and some arrangements should be made by tile faculty to set tile mid-term ex aminationis at a time wvhen tile Legisla ture is not in session. This op)portunity of attending the meetings of the law-making body of our State is a benefit that tile other colleges of our State do not have. By keeping -up withl the movemnents in the House of 'Representaitives and Senate the stul dents derive much valuable informa tion. Many of the University stu dents have' expressed -tile desire of stanldinig thleir exam1inaitions eithler be fore tile Christmas holidays or after tile session of the Legislature. The students of Carolina are always gladl anld delighted when the repre sentatives. from the different counties mieet -to discuss the conditions of the . State and.rpass laws' for its betterment. They feel that there are great things in store for them to learn. In fact, they take a great deal of interest in the work carried on in the House, and some of the boys would be willing to spend their entire time keeping up with the problems that the Legislature is confronted with and which they dispose of with their best possible so lution. The session of the law-making body is educative in itself to the young men- of the institution, who are inter ested along those 'lines, and also to those who intend to follow different vocations. The young lawyers whom the institution is preparing for t' State are especially benefited. ThL, opportunity gives them a clear insight into the practical side of State law making. It enlightens them on sub jects that they have studied and fits them for their profession more thor oughly. Some of them will possibly have seats in the Legislature some day, and he will be somewhat better fitted for the duty of a legislatureman. A good result would be brought about by the change of examinations. The students would be benefited; there would be nothing to conflict with ex aminations, and the University, too, would be better off in the long run. GYMNASIUM. Now that the mid-winter season has arrived and the weather has become too severe to indulge in out-of-door sports, the student turns after a day of wearying mental work to the gym. to stretch his cramped muscles and to clear his brain of the cobwebs that have accumulated during the day. The process is this: He bundles his gym. suit, his towel and soap, and whatever other articles he may wish to make use of, into a linen bag, or perhaps packs them into a suit case, and fugs them over to the basement of the Science Hall. After traveling through various ditches and over numerous mounds he enters through a back door into a low ceiled, ill-lighted room, and endeavors to find a dry spot to get into his gyn. suit. He then goes out into the gym. proper and wends his way through a forest of iron posts to the handball court. There are two of these courts, but a three-socket electric fixture hangs empty over one like an eyeless mon ster, and unless he has remembered to bring a lantern along, he can only hope to play on the other court. Be ing one of three hundred-odd students who have the privilege of plAying handball, he may get one or two slaps at the ball by.waiting a few hours. If he gets impatient, and tries to find some other form of exercise, various difficulties turn up in every quarter. For instance, the bladder in the punch ing bag is punctured or the rope from wvhich it hangs has broken. Likewise, the ropes on the weights, having served overtime, are out of condition. The dumb-bells and Indian clubs are mis fits with few exceptions. In fact, al most every piece of apparatus is out of order in some way, and the baffled student, in despair, finally decides to take a turn around the running track out on-the athletic field. At last he is back in the dressing room about dlusk, and, after rescuing his clothes from puddles of water, lie takes an ice-cold shower, plaes his gym. suit and towel in his linen bag, and returns to his room, having re solved not to return to the gym. again. This is in all essential particulars the process of attending gym. About- the only thing it accomplishes is to im press very strongly one of the most vital needs of/he University. Pri marily, we nped money for a good gymnasium, and that should be the ul timate aim of the University. It is useless to catalogue the benefits that would accrue to the institution through the possession of an up-to-date gym. with a well-lighted, clean dressing room, lockers, and, a set of showers with both hot *and cold water. It is an essential. All universities worthy of the name are so equipped. Many of them have swimming pools, indoor running tracks, baseball cages. And there is no apparent reason why the University of South Carolina, a State institution, founded for the bendfit of the young men of South Carolina, and supported by the State of South Caro lina, should not offer as attractive in ducements to prospective students as any other State institution in the coun try. But if it is impossible to procure an up-to-date gym., at least the gym. which we do possess should be kept in good shape. We 'are particularly for tunate in having a very able physical director; but what have we gained if we do not furnish him the means whereby to carry on his work? Why is it, then, that the present gymnasium is not .kept in good condition? For instance, the gym. floor is so thin and rotten in places that a slight pres sure of the foot will break it through. The condition is inconvenient, not to say dangerous. Again, there are nu merous electric light fixtures in vari ous places, but very few lights. Un guarded lights in a gym. are useless. What is needed is two arc lights in the gymnasium proper, and enough sixteen-candle globes in the dressing room to enable a man to find his clothes after dusk. At least every socket should have a light, and every light should have a wire guard around it. It would cost very little to supply these lights, and they would be greatly appreciated by the students. There is some very valuable appa ratus lying covered with dust against the wall. A wrist machine is otjt of commission for the need of a coupi of bars and some strong cotton rope. The horizontal bars have lost two screws which could be easily replaced. One of the heavy weights has a large single handle where two separate small handles are needed. There are twvo handball courts, but one of them is too poorly lighted to be used. The baths are supposed to be show ers, and to furnish hot and cold water. But the sprayers have all disappeared, and the coal which is used to heat the water in the one diminutive tank is a waste of good fuel. Instead of all the baths being in one room, they are spread out into two. The result is that both rooms are continually wet. Now, one of these rooms has a con crete floor. The most sensible ar rangement, and the one suggested by Mr. McCarthy, wvould be to make this room a shower room, and to keep the other for lockers and as a dressing room. -A line of showers could be ar ranged alongr each wall in the first room, and one large cold shower could be placed in the'centre. One large sink could be placed in the centre of the floor to carry off the water. In the locker room there could be a line of lockers along each wall and a double line down the middle. The plan is a good one, and if possible should he carried out. Another thing that is badly needed ii. an office for the physical director. There are various records and papers which have to be kept, and under the present arrangement Mi'. McCarthy must carry them around in his pocket or else, not keep them at all. Any valuable apparatus which the gym. may happen to possess, or may be so fortunate as to obtain in the future, should be under the especial supervis ion and care of the director. As it is, such apparatus must be exposed to the tender mercies of any curious stu dent who may have a desire to experi ment with it. At other gymnasiums such things are kept locked up in the physical director's office and used when needed. There is a little room off to the front of the gym. which is at present empty and unused, and which could at slight cost be fitted up as an office for Mr. McCarthy. A desk, a couple of chairs, and a few lockers, and the office would be fitted out. As far as track athletics are con cerned, we really have no running track, at all. Any. ordinarily even piece of ground with a decided slope on one side would serve just as well as the track now in use. We need hurdles, vaulting poles, a 'new ham mer, a new putting shot, and almost everything used in connection with this form of athletics. What we need, above all, is money, if not for a new gymnasium, at least to renovate and fit out the gymnasium we have. We need the money, and our only hope of getting it is through an appropriation by the Legislature. Let us all use whatever influence we may have and all the influence our friends may have and all the influence of our friends' friends unto the last degree to obtain for the University of South Carolina a gymnasium up-to-date in every respect. EUPHRADIAN SOCIETY At the meeting of the Euphradian Literary Society held last Saturday night the officers for the next term were elected. All literary exercises were dispensed with. The Society ad journed until the 20th of February. It is a regular custom for the Societies to adjourn two weeks before the ex aminations. The newly-elected officers are:. President, B. Manning, '09; vice president, W. H. -James, 'og9; secretary, R. E. Seibels, 'io; treasurer, I. G. Cain, '10; critic, J. H. Brown, '1o; censor, J. 0. Sheppard, 'i i ; orderly critic, J. H. H:ammond, '1o; recorder, P. T. Wright, '12; librarian, J. E. Simpkins; custos forum, B. J. White. These men will take up the duties of their respective offices immediately after examinations. This is the last Senior election ofs the year. The next election comes off just before college closes, andl is known as the Junior election.