University of South Carolina Libraries
PUBI,lSI1ED WEEKI,Y BY Till-'. LITE'RARY SOCIIES Terms.; $1.50 a Year lntered at Columila. S. C., postoftice November 20. 1908 as second class mail matter. !\l )N I). \',I)l,CI,.\ I .R1. P)22 El)lT()Rlt\I STAFF. S. T Sparkman Alitor G. H. Wittkowskv Associate J. E.. M illard Associate BUSI N ESS. J. S. Nunainaker Manager. The Why of College Writing. A short time ago there was a big gathering in this city of all the best college writers of this state, in a conference for the inter change of ideas, the gathering of in spiration and all the rest that goes in to the makeup of .any normal conven tion of this nature. The natural ques tion that springs up spontaneously in the mind of the tillillitiated is, "Wylv?" There are many phases of college life that contribute largely to .the build ing of the talents of the youth of the land for more perfect and worth-while efforts when the period of four years (il the campus is utver. lht there is no one thing 'that contributes more to tle fitting of young men and women for the work-a-day world than (oes some sort of practical training in the art of journalism. It goes without say i that in any mc11ol as small as are the schools (if this section of the coun try, any really first-class publica-tions are improbable. Student bodies are so small that no group can be found to devote all its spare time to the publica tions which must suffer, as a result, from a greater or less amount of ac tual neglect. But we should be primarily interest ed in what the college papers and mag azines DO accomplish, rather than in what they FAIL to accomplish. To us the prime end and aim of -the college publications are to give as many stu dents as possible a certain amount of training inl writing oi subjects in which they are interested, for the consump tion of readers who are also vitally interested. This is the point of view from which college journalism appeals to us almost strongly. Just as good, and probably much better, writing is done in the classroom, but the element of human intenist is lacking and some how all such work seems hard and cold :hein compared to the writi.ng that is done for actual printing anid reading within the next few (lays. The written word has largely sup planted the 'pomken word as a means of "getting across" an idea, and the masses are controlled and taught, in this age, much more generally by books than by word of mouth. The college publications are not.hing more than laboratory courses in the art of trans fering yoIur id(Ia to the other fellow is print. To the man or woman wvho is used to this sort of ting it seems the easy atnd natural method; to thc man or woman wvho is not accus,tomed to explaining or convincing wvith his pen, it 'is mmnatural if not absolutely im possible. Tlhie collegeu and the in stitutions of higher learning are pri marily intended to make nwn and wvom en live better, richer and fuller lives. The college publications are one of the mnny factors on the colleges camn pus that contribute to this nobler citi zenship. A wordj as to what publication does the most goodl. I,eaving aside the question of advertising -the school, or of unifying the student body, or any of the other more tangible and self evident results. THEI PUBLICATION THAT DOES TrHE MOST GOOD IS THE PUBI,ICATION 'HAT GIVES THE GREATEST NUMBER A CHANCE TO WRITE. A final "word to the wise :" The Carolinian and the Gamecock are pub lished for your pierusal but they are also published with the idea of giv ing you the chance to write. Are you taking advantage of that chance? S. :o: Was It WVorth While? The football season ended last Th'lursday. Several scores of men have devoted every afternoon to the game for a quarter of the school year. Several hundred students, and thous considerable amount of time and ener gy to the King of Fall Sports. Thou sands of dollars have been sunk in expeoises of all sorts, ranging from the coaches' salaries to the uniformu oi the players backs. In short there las beenl a tremiendouls expenditure of tinie, energy and money in this college, as inl practically every other college of any size in the country. Is it worth while ? \\ hat are t1,e tangible results of all the big dailies after Thanksgiving .howing the teams that have beein suc cessful and unsuccessful from the standpoint of scores, games won and lost. etc. This is the thing that is ustially in mind when the qrestion is asked, "Did you have a good season?" lit t it is our imble opinion that re stilts of this kind do not justify the vast amount of attention that is given to football all over the United States. A winning team attracts attention and favorable comment to any particular college. but in the long run colleges in general cannot be benefitted, for if in especially good season draws high school mncii to Clemson it mutist be at the expense of Carolina, F.rnman, Woford and the other schools of the state. The mere fact that the foot ball team is a drawing card cannot jistify its existence and the extreme emphasis that is placed upon it. It is, of course, true that a football teaMll advertises a school as no other one agency can do, but it is often dilit fil whether the advertisement that is givein, when in the middle of the season charges, counter-charges aIl deinialS are flying inl the air, it is often doihtful whether the adver 'iseet that is given to a school is al ways for the best. Few schools, atid particularly small schools, can build tip strong teams without something of ar unhealthy rept,tation being spread abroad. Human nature takes care of that part of the thing: there have al ways been, and there will always he poor losers. Football may be justified only in a broad and general w\4 y. There ar( always two elements to be considered the players and the stands. Th< players are generally conceded to gair nuich, both physically and mentall1 from playing the game for all it i! worth. A man must be a real man tc play the modern game of football ant deliver to the extent that is expecte aid require(. Aside from the fe% men who are seriously injured, at that imiber is growing less from yeas to year, the physique and all-rounc heakh of the players is built up to - marked degree. The end of the sea son finds the men better men physi. cally than they were before. And mor< than that, if the l)1ay%er really inea. .Nures ill to the call that comes t( him in the crises of the big games lie is sure to conic out of them a bet. ter nun thani he was when he wenl in. A man can grow much in a shori time on the gridiron. It is the fac1 f con.scionsly making tL- suprenie ef. fort along with ten friends and -team. mates in what comes to be considere< alnos.t in the light of a holy causi t hat blrinlgs (lit thle btest that is ini th< men whlo don the moleskins for theii alma mater. 'lThe pllayers themselve: unquhtest ionably profit f rotm the expe. riences of the football season. Can the same be said of the hi,n dIreds aind .thotisands who throng thri the tutrnistiles tol watch the heroes o the gridiron in action? There is a grea deal of talk these days of football hay ingi oIvershot the mark, andit of th datnger of ,thle gamle beiing killed en tirely as a college sport because o its over-developtment. There is mtuel of trtith in the statements that w hear to the e ffect that the sam autount of emphasis on other thing would blring better results than an obtaiined fronm King Football Tlhere are twvo objections to argu imeiits (If this kind. In the first place it wotild he wellinigh imlpoIssile to fin< any other one thing that would cre ate the same amnotet of interest in a many people as this game of football And in the seconid place, this game o footb)all does aii inifinite amount o good to those who hand ove their onie, twvo or five dollar bill at the gates of the plark. Football represents friendly rivalrj of the highest 'type. When this rival ry b)ecomes intense, as ;t so often does then the stands are in a state of fever. ish excitemient duirinlg the game. An< yet sportsmanlike behavior is the futn damental princileI of football ethics Trhe stands mtust not cheer a penalty that might reflect discredit upon the iistitution they are supporting. It is this necessity of restraining the per sonal feelings when the spectators are in a perfect frenzy of excitement that helps the thousands in the stands as much as anything else about the game. It is the necessity for all hearts, minds and voices to be working together in suppont of the team on the field below that disciplines the masses who throng to see the teams of America in action. This country believes in good sports manship as it believes in no other thing. We stand firm for the man who can fight hard and lose fighting hard-and then congratula-te the win ner. We do honor to the school whose student body and supporters can cheer to the last and not be overhearing in victory or bitter in defeat. The great game of Football contributes largely -to the moulding of thousands of lives along substantial lines. It is an in fluence for good as long as it is kept clean. Up to that point it is one of the foundations of American college life-past that point a stain upon the recor(l of any school. Football has be come a tradition in this school as in many others. From year to year Caro lina teams represent the highest and bet that there is at Carolina-4he Carolina cheering sections are equally responsible and accor,ntable for their actions. The man who is thrown off the squad for some disgraceful action (and we are glad there are no such man here) casts no more of a dis honor upon the good nanw of his school than the man who throws a big drunk after a game. Football is a big, a vital thing in our life here now. It will either be made or marred with in the next few years. Carolina has always had an enviable reputation with respect to her teanis, a reputation not always so enviable with respect to her supporters. From this time on we should be more anxious than ever for or team and our studen body to be made lip exclusively of good sports, win or lose. We will have a fine team next year. Let's only hope that we will be worthy of it. The responsibi li-ty for the future of football, and all that it means, is on our shoulders. S. :o: - That Christmas Tree. I-low about that Christmas tree that the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. ct)ibined to give for the poor little kids of Columbia's mill villages who otherwise would have had no Christ mas at all last year? Don't you think it was a mjglty good idea? And, if so, why not put it across again this year? Any of the men and girls on the campus who knew of this litetle party last year and were able to get in on it can vouch for the fact that the small expense is a mere bagatelle compared to the happiness given to the little tots who are brought to Flinn Hall for a Christmas Tree. Each man contributes enough to get some inexpensive pres ents for one boy, and each of the Co eds enough to take care of one girl's pIresenits from ,the Christmas tree. Thel kids are all stlTedC with candyl and plopcorn, given some useful pres ent andl something that will brinig somec little bright spot into their lives for a time and are -then escorted to their respective homes by their "guardians for the night." The trick was turned to the queen's taste last year, thanks largely to .the efforts of Luke Cox and Miss Mary Graydon. Why not call for an encore, fellows? Flinn Hall's there for our use, let's keep up the good work ! S. N(,lear heart, the manm who tips you off to liquor bairgatins, is not called a spiritual advisor. Wingf You can get it at The S Meeting At Chicora. On the night of the 23rd the South Carolina College Press Associat.ion met at Chicora College, where they enjoyed a delightful program. The meeting was presided over by Miss Gladys Adk.insoin of Anderson Col lege. Dr. Bird, president of Chicora, Was inltroduced and onl belhalf of the college, he delivered the address of wekome. l)r. Bird discussed in a very interesting manner the way in which the iame Chicora was g*ven to the college. He also gave some interesting facts about the Hampton Preston home, which is now Chicora College. The next speaker of the evening was Prof. Yates Snowden, populAr Universit.y professor ' and erstwhile journalist. The subject of Prof. Snow den's speech was "The Evolution of College Journalism. "Dr. Sinowden gave some facts of interest about college journalism and instanced sev eral I men who made their start as col lege journalists. He called on the editors of the college muagaziies to maintain a literary standard, even at the risk of cutting the size of the 211agazine in half. The college publi cationis i1 are good indices of the liter alturstanlding of a college and for that reason should be edited with the closest care, according to this speaker. Prof. Snowden's paper was listened to witi close attention. 'lhe next speaker was I)r. Josiah Morse. who wias called onl to take the pla.o of Mr. Charilton Wright. Mir. Wright was prevented -from com ing, due to sickness. Dr. Morse chose as his subjecl "The Ethics of Joulr 11:1 Iisiml." To anlyonle who has ever had the pleasure of hearilng )r. Morse it is needless to say that his address was exceptionally good. 1) r. Morse spoke of the power- of the PIress aid the grave responsibilities which rest on the s' oulders of the modern journalist. lie urged that these illotlders of public opinio al ways put right before everything else and allows themselves to be guilded 1) a desire to serve the eld of mIlorality, in the broadest sense of the word. Dr. Morse said that tile four things wIich above all others the jounnalist shotild strive for, were public health, purity, tile propagation of tile tiitth anlid the dissemination of knowledge. Dr. Morse malde a pro fouind impression o hiis hearers. The last. speaker , was Mr. G. A. litichanan, of the Columbia State. The subject Of Mir. Ithanan's paper was "The Revival of ijyilng." In ),is paper Mir. lichanan l iscussed at some length reallim itn modern literature. His paper was oie of high literary merit. and was Ithotoughlly enljoyed. :,-uck is otne of the coming jotirnailists of tie State anld ('1tarolina is glad to claii hilm as ai alutnufs. Aliter the I-Cgitht'r meeting tile dele gates were tendered a receptioll inl th beailifiull paIrlors of the college. Refreshmllents and tttttsic were enjoyed by those presvnt. WHERE ARE THE FRESHMEN GAPS? Wl'~tier' itn the sessioti a vetry itm iortatnt mieetinlg (of the student-body wast held( fot' thle p)urpose oft discuiss lng the k(itnd of head-piece fotr the Frteshmtten. As a r-estult (If the meet intg a comilttee was applolitntedI by the ch-lait- to decide 'on the mo1(st stiltable beadgeatr. lThe wvriter is o fthe oplinioni that this commiittee r-eportedl back toI the student-body and were inistructed to lace(' ani ordter- for the calps. These caps were suppIlosed to have been goItteni in time fot' the Cletmson game. TI'his game has conme and gone but the caps failed to arrive. ield's Drui 1443 Main Street state Book In The State Newsnaner Buildim~ The chief object in the wearing of this honored head-piece is to make the Freshmen conspicuous at the foot ball games. The football season is now over, but that is no reason why we should not have these caps. Af ter Christmas the basketball season will be on and followed with baseball. They will serve their purpose at these gaies. Further, the Freshmen should be designated from the other students oil the campus. Our, campus is open and we do not have the true class spirit here that is to be found at a military college. Consequently it is a hard thing to distinguish a Fresh man from an supper classman. Some may contend that it is too late inl the year for this head-piece, but if any of you saw the Greenville News the other day you noticed that an en tire columns was given over to a write up about the new Freshmen caps for the Furman Freshmen. Now, fellows, we do not want to let we would like for some member of Purian get ahead of us. Therefore, the committee to Conie forward and give uIs somlie definite information in regard to this matter, an(l then for the student-bod.y to take some action. C. T. SNOWFLAKES. Any student walking on the camplus or gazing out of his window about 3:30 o'clock Slnday afternoon noticed some white particles falling from the sky. Oni a (lose obser-vation they found these saile white particles to be noth ing other than snowilakes. We have been having quite a bit of (ol weather the last few days, and lost of us were not surprised to see the thlikes falling to earth; but it is the writer's op)inion that this is rather eai-ly in the year for these white flakes to put in their appearance. In fact, lie has never seen any signs of snow as earl-y as November before. C. T1. Professor Dabbs is representing the Einglish Department this week at the ianial meeting of the National Coun cil of English Teachers in Chatta nooga. He will read a paper on "What the College lias a Right to Expect of the High School." He is accompanied Iy M rs. Dabbs. 1 - :o: People I Know. A)b3y who never wears a hat, and who used to wear a palm-beach on the rainy days of winter, but who now devotes all his tittie to cultivating the acritaintaiices -.of girls w;th hiutono biles. Aiother huly's mai wllo is one of Chicora's sweetest papas, and who can usually be found in 'the balcony of the Imperial on Monday afternoons. A Columbia co-ed wlho has brown bobbed hair, and who thinks that one of the varsity ends ought to make All Southern. w folubi boys wvho wvill he glad whnfoball is over because it con flicts withI the hiutinmg seasoni. A one-girl man who hopes that the uni'versityv will he movedl closer to the 1300 block of I1,aurel Street be fore lie gets his LLB. A dimelititive football canid(ate who wvishies that lie coulild vote at least ten times in the Columbhia muncipal elect ion and:mt the reby acqluire- (dinigles iii a certaiti desiredl household. A co-ed wvith red hair wvho wonders wvhether shte wvill get aniothier vaca t1on by request this year, as she (lid last spring. 1 Store Store