The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-03-22
UNIVERSITY ITEMS.
BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.

i
Gle purporting to have been written
by the special reporter of that paper
from the University. The article
bore the unmistakable evidence of
having passed through other hands
than those of the usual reporter Be
that as it may, it is writtea under the
name of the special reporter" and
he, of course, is the responsible par
ty. The burden of the whole article
is the wall of baflied and offended
egotism. In this article, the writer,
who is a member of the Junior class,
is especially aggrieved, because
First, member of the Senior class
so arranged the programme of the
last public performance AS to read
"Senior and Junior Performances, :"
while at the same time the Juniors
were compelled to lead or" in the
exercises; and second, that your cor
respondent, in reporting these per-
formances in the New DOMINION, de
voted more space to the Senior per-
formanocs than to those of the Juniors.
Now both of these grounds Of griev-
ance arc so very insignificant that
the article referred to,coming as it does
from a Junior, is not only egotistical
in the extreme, but decidedly puerile.
For these reasons it would, indeed,
be belittleing on our part to reply,
were it not for the fact that the read
ers of both the New DOMINION and
the Post deserve to have more
thorough knowledge of this reporter
and his movements before giving full
credencc to all that may appear in
his columns.
In the first place, then, in regard
to arrangement of programme above
referred to, it is due that the public
should know just how. this same "Sen-
ior' CHANGED to be instrumental in
arranging the programme for the last
performance. Onprevious occasions
of this kind it was customary for the
Senior mentioned to arrange the pro
gramme Of the Senior class, while
the Post reporter prepared that Of
the Junior class. 1t is also the case
that, owing to the proverbial tardi-
ness of said reporter, his part of the
programme was never forthcoming at
the proper time. Consequently, he
was relieved from duty by the more
prompt action of his friend from the
Senior classs who thus incurred the
reporters everlasting and almighty
displeasure.
Now fol what purpose is college
curriculum so arranged rs to conss'
of four years Freshman, Sophomore
Junior and Scnior--if not that each
one of these titles should show diff
ferent degree Of advancement from all
the rest? What is the use in having
Senior class and the studies attach
ed thereto If this class is not to re-
ceive some distinction over and above
the other classes in college? What
college boy, be he ever so ignorant
and unsophisticated, does not know
that Junior ranks higher than
Sophomore, and Senior higher thai.
n Junior? Hence it is very apparent
that the programme was property ar
ranged
Now, as for the second grievance,
the reporter for the Post shot very
wide of the mark when he claimed
the right of being represented in the
report of any private individual to a
local paper. This is a matter in
which he had no voice, and could not
have complained had his name been
entirely left out of the report. His
90 cents tax was not to pay for hav-
ing his speech reported, but for hav-
ing its subject incorporated into the
programme. so this is, after all, no
ground of grievance, but simply an
offence at what the gentleman deem
ed want of comfy, growing out of
a general sentiment of humanity on
our part. A. reporter can do no
more than give the prominent, lcal-
ing points Of the discourse which he
hears. The shortest two reports Civ
en- by yourcorrespondent in the issue
of this paper of two weeks ago, were
necessarily short from correspond
ing paucity of0these leading points
in the respective performances.
1t is the progipce of newspaper
correspondent, primarily, as we hum
bly, do conceive, to report facts as
nearly as possible, and to be a report
err does not imply being critic
Now, the remarks Of our contemporary
ras,ortor in hic oct a rtinlo In which