The Portland daily press., 1873-12-10
BOwdOins' Soldiers.
A VOICE FROM THE RANKS.
BRUNSWICK, Dec. 9, 1873.

BRUNSWICK, Dec. 8, 1873.
To the Editor of the Press:
In your issue of Monday last notice an ex :
tract from correspondent of the Boston Jour
nal, relative to the drill at Bowdoin College.
As piece of false logic it is admirable, and
serves well to show how some men leap at con-
illusions, and establish their premises after
wards, -t-...f.. f.t..-~ '4-n o.. 4-.
1t is weakness of human nature that leads
us, as Macauley expresses it, to least our facts
in the mould of our hypothesis" ..,
This correspondent whoever he may be, is
inconsistent with himself, for, while his object
must be to establish the utility of the drill, he
marshals bis dates and labors to prove-what?
That the time devoted to it is merely nominal
and can discommode no one. A serious mis-
take has evidently been committed somewhere,
for if the drill is advantageous we ought surely
to have enough to make the result apparent;
but if this is not the case it ought to be discard
ed wholly. ,....- --.-,r
Again, in his reference to the increased pros
perity of BowdOin, he is unfair, TO use no
harsher term. He says: "The number of stu
dents was never larger than now, and the
Freshman class which entered this year, at
time when it was fully understood that the
military drill was part of the college instruc-
ton, is the largest ever had in the college,"
This is specimen of his logic, or his honesty,
as you will. 1t is well known that scientific
department. has also been introduced here,
which, under the care of distinguished pro-
fessor, has been eminently successful, and
drawn many students TO the college. Is the
omission of these facts intentional?
There are some men who will 60 to heaven,
if they go at all in spite Of ther sins, and %
which prosper not because of disadvantages
but in the face of them. 1t is as absurd to at
tribute our prosperity to the military drill as to
imagine that Ben Butler is in Congress be-
cause he stole silver spoons in New Orleans.
Take away our scientific department and you
will soon see the boasted good of this new sys
tenn dissolve like the baseless fabric of dream.
Our author closes with bit of whitening sar-
casm couched in the following English: SIT
may be that the College Trustees, as your cor
respondent suggests win abolish the drill at
their next meeting, but if they do SO, in view
of the above facts, before the experiment is
fairly tried, and from the pressure Of effemnacy
without, or spirit of INSTRUMENTATION within
| the college, they will strike harder blow at
the success of the institution than those dream
of who advocate such a course"
1 leave the public to vindicate themselves
from the charge Of effeminacy, confident that
they both can and will. In regard to ourselves
we would say that the imputation cast upon us
is utterly false, and as ridiculous as it is untrue
Among the popular superstitions may be reck
| OQcO bQ6 COIL mon DcloI LldU WndC6Vor SuuQGQLS
| do in opposition to the opinions of their teach
| ers, whether by remonstrance or otherwise, is
| the result of spirit of INSTRUMENTATION; that
in spite of the supremacy wise and good plans
of our instructors we still believe with Milton's
demon, that sH sl GsaW r..l vard god
Our labour must be to prevent that end, -sy
And out of good still to find means of evil.
And when we presented our late petition to
the trustees, stating the case humbly, and as
we thought fairly an editor of newspaper,
n nd ,,,,1o
was found to declare this proceeding an act Of
insubordination, and the taking of an unwar-
rantable liberty! ll.8 ai .-G~,igS --ll
We are not led by any spirit of insubordina-
tion;on the contrary we are happy to state that
some sparks Of divine goodness are yet left in
the breasts of college students, that they even
cherish some regard for their their Alma ma
ter, aud wish her success. But many of them
have lived long enough to learn that gray hairs
do not always bring wisdom, nor old age un-
Outstanding, and when the faculty of any liter
| airy institution reaches that point where their
fancy can be licked, and their eve satisfied only
by a wretched display of blue blouses, and the
sight of few disorganized squads of discon-
tented students executing every geometrical
figure but straight line, their appropriate
theatre OF action is on our Western frontier,
upon the field eff Mars, and not in the bowers
sacred to Minerva iN t'l'-i tli at1,5
would gladly discuss this question at greater
length, and more in detail, but space and time
are wanting at present One word in regard to
the intense unpopularty of tho drill among the
students Who, l ask, is better fitted to decide
upon the merits of measure than those who
judge from personal experience? Certainly not
the casual correspondent of newspaper
But waving all this, we must admit thar no
system of government, though it be direct from
heaven, can be considered fortunate or happy
whose subjects are in continual state of rest
less discomfort This of itself is serious OBJ
lection to the drill, but add thereto our owns
reasons and our motives, the very general and
growing dissatisfaction of the public, and every
the abolition of this department.. STUDENT.