The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 16, 1915, Page 8, Image 8
"PHILADELPHIA JOHNNY"
SPEAKS TO STUDENTS
Tells Interesting Story of His
Prison Experience.
Noted Yeggman, Now Reform
ed, Vividly Relates Life of
a Criminal.
Dr. Morse's class in sociology
was accorded a rare treat on last
Wednesday morning, when
James McCarthy, alias West
Philadelphia Johnny, spoke on
"Prison Reform." Mr. McCar
thay is .an ex-convict of wide ex
perience in safe cracking and
bank robbing, having carried on
his work in South and North
Carolina and the New England
States, but has reformed.
At the age of sixteen he was
convicted of robbing a bank in
North Carolina and lodged in
prison for a term of two years.
He said that he was not guilty
of this crime and came out of
confinement feeling that society
was his greatest enemy, and
that vengeance was his to reek.
The speaker said that good
was in all men, but man is the
product of environment. Just
so much as society creates
wholesome influences and fur
nishes opportunity for proper
development just so much
less will crime be made. This
applies to man equally as true in
prison as in life. Prison should
make for reforn ation of the
criminal. The great trouble is
that the prison makes of good
men hardened criminals and in
stills in his heart hatred for man
kind. What the prisoner needs
is a fair chance, individual at
tention, and a square deal.
Here, Mr. McCarthy told how,
after "turning straight," he was
hounded by detectives of the big
gest agencies in the United
States. Time after time he se
cured good positions only to lose
them through their influence,
"To secure order among pris
oners you must appeal to the man
in them. Human methods must
be used if you ever expect to re
form the criminal," said the
the speaker in closing. Mr.
McCarthy spoke from full ex
perience and made an enthu
siastic talk which was enjoyed
by all.
Students at Inauguration
The student body, faculty, and
trustees of the University -will
take parts in the exercises at
tendant upon the inauguration
of Richard 1. Manning as gover
nor of South Carolina at the state
house Jan. 19. The'y will be in
the party escorting Gov. Man
nipg and Lieut. Gov. Andrew J.
Bethea to the hall of the House
where they will be formally in
nuura!ed
FENCE AND GRANDSTAND ~.
NEEDED FOR ATHLETIC FIELU
(Continued from-page 7) . /
zens the classic hall has scored
many victories, .but who shall
say that the athletic field has
scored fewer?
I have written this to give
those who have little faith in
athletics at college, and perhaps
less knowledge of the subject,'
some faint idea of its wide scope
and. its benefit to man. You
may talk and rave about Eugen
ics, you may legislate and preach
about Eugenics,' but in training
our boys and girls at college in
athletics as well as in classics we
are bringing about Eugenics by
natures great law, the law of
Evolution. The beautiful, whole
some, high-minded girl is going
to mate with the clean, high
spirited, manly man. But I
might go on to such a great
length with this argument tl1at
our dear little Gamecock will
be so full that when he comes to
crow he would burst.
But can we have open air ath
letics, training and contests with
out an enclosed park? Dccided
ly we cannot. It would be
a fizzle, and a fizzle is worse
than a failure. We could not
even make a success of open air
training without it. The park
must be enclosed for any kind
of field sports,or field training;
certainly for contests. Without
contest all . inspiration for train
ing is gone, and without inspira
tion, as I pointed out before,
more than half the benefit van
ishes. Without privacy, the
task of training would bs almost
as difficult as a public recitation
room. Besides, the esprit of the
men would fall below par.
Contests would be entirely out of
the question, as it costs to train
and maintain a team. The gate
receipts are necessary sinews of
war. And even if there were
games, the public does not like
a free show. We cannot have
contests, we -cannot have any
snccessful open air work with
out an enclosure.
Besides it looks pitiful. I
great university with over five.
hundred students, supported by
the State and her boys playing
ball on an open corner lot. It
must not be. More people see
the University in one game, as
the University is seen on the ath
letic field, than see it in a who(
year as seen in any other of her
activities. That isa beautiful ath
letic field with its many curved.
running track, and the diampnd
so nicely adjusted inside, and all
things so well balanced. If we
had a new neat fence, and prop
erly constructed grandstands,
we would all feel as proud as
Cuffy. I was once riding on a
train in Virginia, and hea on
it. M. A
"Self-respect" Subject of ,Inter.
esting Analysis of Character.
Rabbi Merfeld spoke. on "Self
respect" before the association
on last Wednegd4y evening in t4e
first meeting-gince the holidays.
The speaker said that man is
a complex being. When we talk
we do more than move our lips,
or else we would be mere,graph
ophones. When. we walk we do
more than move our feet, for we
are more than automatons. There
is in us a power that controls oqr
actions-the power of self. The
psychology of self-respect in
viewing our complexity would be
'we are but the composite of all
our yesterdays.'
"Self in the individual is the
God in man. It is the incentive
that impels on to noble actions,
to worthy deeds. All thingsdepend
on self. Ambition controlled by
self, is a blessed instrument for
the uplift of mankind; ambition,
uncontrolled, causes the evil of
covetousness.
Men are better thinkers now
than were men in ancient times,
but is the moral tone of the pres
ent time better? Men have more
ideas now but are they iiob.er?
The. speaker thought that they
are not. We have become too ma
terialistic. We have gone back
wards. But we have not arisen to
our higher selves. Only through
self-respect can this be done. If
we ever get on the right path,
respectability is easy. Those who
control themselves have reached
the highest aim of true and wor
thy rightousness.
gentleman tell another that he
had stopped to see a foot :all
game in Columbia, and the park,
track, and gridiron were gems.
That was just after the comple
tion of the running track and I
wa3 very proud of it.
But can we get the fence. and
grandstand? That is the ques
tion. And. if I may use slang
for once the answer is "sure."
When I first came here nearly
twenty-one years ago we had no
park or grandstar.d. At that
time the number of students
was about one-fourth the pres
ent number, and the number of
alumni, I dare say, a thousand or
twelve hundred less than now.
The College was fighting for its
very life and only kept in exis
tence by personal influence and
hard fighting. By hard work,
and the faithful support of stu
dents and alumni the fence was
built. The state was far poorer
than it is today. Can we not do
it now? The answer again is
'"sure."
Legislators, Trustees, Faculty,
Alumni, Stuidents, hearken to me,
let us get the fence and grand
stand.
GOING CHOSEN CAPTAINt
0 9 1 FOQTB itEAM.
(Continued from page 1)
since that game Going has play
ed 'steady and consistent ball.
He started his football career at
guard, but when McGowan was
shifted , to quarter, "Doe" wia
placed on this vacant tackle. In
the Citadel game that, year he
broke up play after play and was
very prominent throughout the
entire game. The past season
Going was placed at tackle and
end, numerous injuries to other
players necessitating this shift
ing. In spite of the handicap
this placed upon him, "Doe"
played a good, steady and ag
gressive game and could be de
pended upon at all times.
. With such a capable man at
the head of the football.team for
the coming season, Carolina
should put oat a winning eleven.
A good start ha; b3an made in
this di,e:tio- by tha gle:tion of
Going as captain.
BASEBALL PRACTICE TO BE
GIN AFTER MID-TERM EXAMS
Continued from page one.
The schedule follows:
March 22-23-24-Lafayette
in Columbia.
March 27-29-West Virginia
Wesleyan in Columbia.
April 2-3-Guilford in Col
umbia.
April 9-10-Oak Ridge in
Columbia.
April 15-16-Davidson in
Columbia.
April 19-20-Wake Forest in
Columbia.
April 22-Wake Forest at Wake
Forest.
April 23-A. & M. at Raleigh.
April 24-Trinity at Durham.
April 26-U. of N. C. at
Chapel Hill.
April 27-Guilford at Guilford.
April 28 Roanoke College at
Salem, Va.
April 29-Catholic University,
Washington & Lee, or Wood
berry Forest. (Not closed.)
April 30-Davidsoa at David
son.
To Chapel by Class.
Hereafter the student body will
sit in chapel according to class.
The seniors will of course have
first choice of the place they
will sit. This custom is in vogue
at many other colleges. It is be
lieved this course will result in
increased class spirit.
Dr. W. M. Riggs, president of
Clemson College, will soon come
to Columbia to make arrange
ments for the Carolina-Clemson
game for next year. He will con
fer with Guy Gunter, graduate
athletic manner.