The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-02-20
COLLEGE NOTES.
Sam Houston
Johu Davis, Editors.
UNFAIR.

ONF AK.
We wrote some time since about
e. ,aminations, but this time we wish
TO speak of ali injustice to all students
which is practiced in most schools
and colleges. d1tn"
Two students enter college, and SO
through side by side. The one works
day and night and masters all before
him. He is through and takes the
highest rank. The other idles away
hisaime, Is drag to his class, is al
ways in trouble, and sights all his
work; yet the faculty for some un-
known reason passes him, when by
strict grade he could not pass even
the lowest standard. Finally they |
graduate; and, on Commencement
day, the good student and the poor
student stand side by side before the
public and receive the same diploma.
No difference is made.
They 60 out into the world with the
same recommendation in their hands
(the one who labored hard, and the
one whom the faculty gave grade in
order that he might pass the stand
ard, A diploma having on it the
same words. A diploma signed by
the same president. This is a thing
which almost every faculty of every
college does,
! What an injustice is this to students,
to parents, and to the college wlnch
does this.
In the first place 1t is an injustice
to the poor student himself to be
3thus s'passoG'' through college. For
4 wiiitlshsira 4 staCsSdit- scfiges III ali below
sixty or seventy on the scale of one
hundred, he is wasting his time when
he is taking complete college course,
and when a facuity gives him grade
and keeps him in college just to have
it said that he graduated, they are
simply stealing these years of the
flower of his life
Again 1t is an Injustce to his par
ents or guardisal to keep one in
sctool al their rxpense-protsably a
poor father or mother toiling and
undergoing prSvations to keep one IN
school who will never be Anything as
a student They would have taken
him away if they had known tac true
condition of things. But the college
'4gave him grade to pass hiaa', and
thus kept them deceived.
And then itie an injustice 80 the
college TO give & student who is sworth-
less a passing grade. The students
who 60 out from, a college aae the
ones who make "a reputation for it.
The students who are sent out ao-day
will be the standard by which the
college will be Judged twenty yeas
from now, and wherever such a
student goes he destroys the rAputa-
ton of the college and does it great
and lasting injury.
But the greatestinjustice of all is
the injustice done those CT the college
who are worthy and able students:
for the public will always judge a
college by its poorest students. And
wherever he may apply for work he
is looked on with suspicion because
he may be just like the student who
was passed through college. In other
words he has worked honestly in
college, but on account of the slack
ness of the college, the recommendation
which it gives him to the public is of
no value to him. 1t is rather a detri-
ment to him,
l wonder if teachers ever think of
this. We students do; and those of
us who want to dc any good are dis
couraged when we see such things
going on.
This is written in general way but
we want every one to make special
application of it to himself. More
will be said on this line later.
During the meetings held in the
College, statement was made by
| DR.. Bachman, that he knew of no
place in all his travels and work,
a person could live a Christian life
more easily than here in our own
Maryville College. While we had
realized to certain extent the Chris
tam influence of our college, yet We
had not considered that it was SO
powerful, looking at it from that