St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-05-29
Written for the Caledonian.
College Life.

So diStinctively peculiar is College
life and So marked are its characteristics
that it can almost be called IA miniature
world by itself: whose pleasures as
well as its trials can only be thoroughly
understood by the student himself.
That its associations are not general !;
that its individual whether
for good or for bad-are potent is Il fact
sufficiently proved by Il comparison he
tween the average college graduate and
a person whose character is moulded in
some other sphere of life.
Each of the four years of a college
couIse brings almost entirely different
influences to bear upon the student,
and none of them we think effects such
Il complete change in the habits and
character of the Undergraduate us the
freshman year. III enteiing college Il
new era dawns upon the youth, and he
throws off as it were his old life and
commences new one. For the first
time perhaps, he is away from parental
authority no father is near to advise
experienced by every one sooner or
later, and upon him alone will rebound
the results of his action. Self-reliance
must be cultivated and with it ii feeling
of independence naturally arises. Yet
this rarely breeds self-conceit, which
above all things is soon taken out of IL
man in college. We are aware that
people readily infer that students are
self-conceited when they see them upon
the street, with perfect nOnchalence
swinging their canes and seemingly I'M
conscious of any and everybody. But
acquaintance with them will prove the
contrary we think.
The influences which are predominant
in changing the character of the stu
dent are numerous, and what is more
evident, are powerful. We can with
perfect safety say that mans character
and principles are moulded and deter
mined during ii college course. Enter
ing college at the age which most of
our young men do, their minds are
easily influenced and overcome whether
for good or bad. The most powerful
of these influences and the one which
brings to bear upon the student the
greatest pressure is that eXerted by his
daily companions. Until one has been
in college for some time he will associate
with no particular friends or clique, but
during this period, us he becomes better
acquainted with his class, he is drawing
abound him Il circle of companions with
whom in the remaining years of his
course he will principally associate.
In every class i'll college there are men
of all shades of character-represen
tives of as many different methods of
training. 1t takes but IA short time for a
man to determine the graduation as
it were of his classmates upon the scale
of character. Constantly varying as
this ''Scale" is, it is an interesting study
to observe the courses of its variation.
Different as are the minds of a class
just so diversified must be the influences
which change them. 1t is sad to see
boys who have always been except I'M
der tight rein" turn out for the worse.
Yet these boys are the ones who gener-
ally enter into excuses of every kind
in college, but we must remember that
it is not so much their fault as that of
their parents.
Smoking is by some regarded as one
of the greatest evils of a students life :;
but wrongly we think. Without doubt
it is something to be avoided, vet a
student must not be condemned too
severely if he finds companionship and
pleasure in smoke. BY far the two
greatest evils of college life are drink
ing and general immortality. These are
predominant in some colleges more
than in others, but in every institution
of our land they exist. Of the two it is
difficult to decide which is the greatest.
As regards the former it is not necessa-
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