The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
THE COLLEGE BOYS BOOM.
He should BE Trained to Keep 1t
Clean and In Order.

A Mother of College Boys, in the Outlook.
When a boy first goes off to college, even
the fondest mother, remembering how in
efficient he usually Is in the care OF himself,
almost wishes that he had been born
girl. When he has been there three months,
there are no qualifications to her wish, for
he is too apt to live in disorder and untidi-
ness, and with perfect content.
The average young man of college age re-
CARDS the drudgery of picking up" and
cleaning up as beneath his dignity. He
does not seem to understand that his status
as a gentleman, and as factor IL civiliza
ton, is indicated by his personal condition
quite as much as by his knowledge of Latin.
The world would soon relapse into barbar-
ism of our standards In the matter OF clean
illness were suffered to decline. 1t could run
on without the higher education indef1-
The college sweep usually does his work
in the most perfunctory way, and appar-
quences of his unfaithfulness and of his
young masters Indifference may easily be
imagined. The boys room is to apt to be
a certain outward decency in its aspect
his mother, penetrating beneath, finds his
bureau drawers and closets in state which
makes her Shudder.
Now, why should not a boy be brought up
to be quite neat and orderly as his
sister? In these days it is rarely that he
goes directly, from the care of his mother
interregnum of several years during which
he must look after himself. If he happen to
pensive service and be kept fairly WE'LL
but otherwise he is a poor, helpless fellow
He must have moments when, even If he
be of a filial turn, he must wish that he
had been brought up differently.
II wonder If the sweep does his work now
as he used to in my day. laughed a college
wash the windows once each term. We al
ways knew when it had been done, because
the windows the next day. were covered
with streaks, and a dim twilight prevailed.
SwppninO consisted
middle of the room and reaching out into
the corners, whence he gathered in small
surface gleanings of dust. About two min
utes sufficed for the operation"
A graduate of 80 admitted that matters
were managed in very much the same way
'Tf he understands that he is to be well
fed for good care, you may have it, he
said. The poorest fellows who pay . only
besides the fellows who pay extra"
should count last in all advantages. again
it is the rich boy who gets the most, even
of pure air and cleanly care.
In colleges for girls either neat maids
keep the rooms in perfect order or the girls
themselves, under surveillance, attend to
the matter. In the colleges for boys there
neglect on the part of the authorities to
see that the. janitor does his duty, An
everWorked sweep in &c certain Tain f e0ile eg
way in which, he neglected his work, re-
piled that he had ninety beds to
make daily and seventy rooms to
sweep weekly. with the rest of the neces-
sary chamber-work The boys reported,
with admiration, that he did everything
like lightning" Indignant mothers who
pleaded with the dean" for an assistant
for the wretched drudge were told that the
college funds would not permit such an ex-
travcgance. On this very day, therefore,
that poor fellow, or his successor, is un
doubtedly tearing through that great dorm-
tory, leaving behind him fresh disorder,
half-done work, and i'll odors OF all sorts
a lesson in immortality which no college,
even If il should have to go without a pro-
lessor of psychology or OF medieval philol
ogy in order to do it, should for one day
tolerate.
1t is folly and worse to furnish the col
iege boys room extravagantly. Luxury
is not good for the elastic moral fiber of
youth. 1t is not good for him to possess
satin cushions, lace-trimmed curtains and
expensive bric-a-brac. If, as is usually the
case, the chief use to which these things
are 20 be put is missiles or as armor
of defense in his merry scraps" 1t is
distinctly immoral to habitually abuse fine
and dainty objects. Surround your college
boy with strong and durable fabrics, incite
him in every way TO keep his belongings
clean and orderly. appeal to the college au
thorities to demand better service of their
paid minons, and then leave the happy
undergraduate. with such faith as you can
muster, to what may befall him.