The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-09-16
AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
Characteristic Scenes at the Opening ofthe Col
lege Year-How Vacations We're Spent.

correspondence OF the Indianapolis journal
BLOOMINGTON. Ind, Sept. 14-"Hello,
what's all this crowd. An excursion"
'Oh, no; it's just the students coming in
to college. The State University is located
here, you know"
Such was the conversation which the
writer overheard as the train on the L.. n.
A. a. C. railroad drew up Tuesday after
noon of this week at the dingy old station
at Bloomington, Ind. and the young men
and women on the train began disembark-
ing, and greeting their fellows already ar
rived, and gathered to meet them.
Properly, college did not begin until
Thursday morning, but as early as week
beforehand the students began to assemble.
The new ones with examinations to pass,
rooms and boarding places to find. came
early that they might be thoroughly set
tied and prepared for work by the time col
lege formally commenced, and the old ones,
alsO-many of thefn-that they might be on
the ground few days ahead of time, to
greet old friends and make new ones. So,
with the arrival of every train. the station
platform was packed with crowd of eager
young folks with sprinkling Of more
sedate older Ones and the chorus of greet
ings, the handshakings, and more
demonstrative tokens of affection of the
feminine portion. might we'll cause an OBJ
server, ignorant of the occasion of the
crowd, to wonder what had ''broken loose"
Each year the scene is, in general the
same, and doubtless find parallels in hum
dreds of other college towns throughout
the country; but the individual features of
the greetings. and the behavior of the mem.
bers of the crowd, vary with the individual
natures of the students. 1t curious and
interesting source of study, TO one who
likes such to miDgle with the crowd and
get glimpses of the bits of life which enter
into the mosaic of the whole, and catch the
snatches of conversation w hich, combined,
rise only in hubbub of human sound.
Here is what we may truly call a man-tall.
broad-shOuldered, with beaming face, bear
ing evidences of a hard summers work in
the open fields; and the hearty manner In
which his big brown hands are gripped as
he sets down his valise, and the cherry ring
of voice with which he is greeted, mark
him as student af merit and general
favorite. No matter If the elbows of his
coat are darned. and his hat and tie are not
of the latest fashion,; he is peer among his
fellows, and recognized as such by virtue
of sturdy manliness of character and plod-
ding systematic work. Then, again. at his
side. perhaps, may be seen another type; the
aristocrat, whose slight-built form and
well-chiseled features bear evidences OF
city rearing, and though by the power of q
brilliant intellect his standing as student
may be as high, if not higher. than that OF
the other, there is not the same heartiness
in the general greeting which he receives.
Here again, may be seen a man well ad-
vanced beyond his teens, his head sprlnkled
with gray by half-dOZen years of teach
ing, who has come that he may the better
fit himself for his chosen profession. And
so on throughout the crowd, every step re-
veals some character or group so individual
as to draw the eve.
This year the individualities of character
seem more plainly visible than ever, and in
no one thing are they shown so pronounced
ly as in the ways in which each has spent
his vacation. and the account he gives OF 1t.
Many of the boys have been out canyassing
for books. Some have failed, and some
have achieved success in varying degrees,
but all alike have derived fund OF expe-
rience, pleasurable and profitable, in the
retrospect. Some have farmed. some have
run threshers or clOver-hullers; others
earned money in some one of the many
ways always open to an industrious and
wide-awake young man.
All this week they have been coming in.
and bustling around. getting settled and
getting acquainted. Thursday morning, at
o'clock, as many of the students as had
up to that time arrived assembled at the
college chapel for devotional exercises
that being the formal opening OF the school
year, as we'll as the customary opening of
the college day. No recitations could, of
course. be held that day, and 1t was de-
voted mainly to getting studies straight
ened out, procuring textbooks and inter-
viewing professors.
consists of twenty three active members,
of whom nine are new to this institution
in that capacity. The changes which have
been made in the faculty since last year
f~ll nr M.,Na l.a tnr nd
general linguistics, vice Dr.. I'll. G.: Won
Jagemann, resigned; DIR. jerks. political
economy and social science. vice Prof. A.
Il. WoodfOrd, resigned; Prof. Barnes, his
tory, vice DIR. X. II. Dabney. resigned;
Prof. c. II. Gilbert. zoology, vice DIR; j. s.
Kingsley, resigned; Prof. Saunderson.
rhetoric and elocutlOn, vice Prof. IL. Il.
Miter. resigned. In addition Messrs. +. H.
Griggs. c. NJ. Carpenter and X. +. Lyons,
of the graduating class of last June, have
been retained as instructors in English
literature. mathematics and chemistry,
respectively. And last of all. the re-estab-
lishment of the law department. this
year remas naS gtb sHfbn ms sS Jnsre ITS heie d.
Banta. the president of our board of trus-
tees With the influx of new blood into the
faculty, the erection of new library build
ing, the re-establishment of the law-schooi,
and the establishment of a gymnasium. 1T
is expected that the university Will enter
npon period of greatly increased vigor
and prosperity: and the first faint indica-
tions of this change are seen already in the
change of method. textbooks and studies
in many departments. and the increased
enthusiasm among the students.
1t is almost impossible to form any ac-
curate estimate of the attendance for this
year as yet, on account of the large num-
ber of old students who always come in a
few days late, and the failure of many of
those already In to register promptly. But
the whole number will probably exceed
that of last year which was three hundred,
exclusive of preparatory students. One
noticeable feature of the attendance this
year is the increased percentage OF fe-
male students over all previous years.
| This being the first year of the re-estab-
| lished law department. its attendance is
most difficult of all to predict. Sixteen
students have already presented themselves
| in that department, and Judge Banta ex-
| poets that fully twice that number Will be
| enrolled before the term is out.
| There is not doubt but that the ami
| versity is steadily growing. both In the
| number who attend and the betterment of
| the work. and Is becoming more and more
worthy TO stand at the head of the public
| school system of Indiana. Let but q few
moro of our Legislatures deaf as generous
| ly with it as did the last, and ii is the hope
| and expectation of the students that its
| rank will be second to mono in tho West
. school for all lndianians to be proud Of.