The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-13
BOWDOIN OF TODAY.
The Campus Has Interesting Monu-
ments of New Ideas.

ments of New Ideas.
Walker Art Building Open Sunday s-The
Athletic Spirit and how Directed
Brunswick a Town of 400 Students.
Correspondence of the PRESS
Brunswick, October 12.-Bowdoin Col
lege campus is just now In its very at
tractive fall raiment. The trees have on
their autumn tints, the leaves having
held on even against the high winds and
the rain of last night. The grading of
the campus, which has been completed
for about half the green in front of the
buildings, is very noticeable improve
ment. The old campus, with its irregular
surface, much as it had been ever since
the founding of the college was not with
out Its attractiveness to those who remem-
Der the good old days; but the new cam
pus, with its trimness of the modern
park is more in keeping with the spirit
and reputation Of the institution. The old
pines, historic featurs of the college
grounds, have died out somewhat in later
years; but last spring Mr.. Austin Cary,
a memb Der of the class of 1887 who has
made speciality of tree culture, planted
over an acre to young pines, with the in
tention of restoring the old extent and
beauty of the whispering pines. These
little trees have fourished during the
summer, and are giving promise that the
experiment will be successful
The new athletic field has taken por-
ton of the pine woods, but there are
enough left to maintain the old beauties
of the grounds.
This athletic field, which cost about
five thousand dollars, has become as much
a part of the institution as the Searles
Scientific building or the Walker Art
building. Within it's spacious boundaries
occur the outdoor athletic sports, except
boating, which has not of late years held
so prominent place in the college as it
did few years ago. Since the baseball
season of the spring, the field has been
turfed and Erolled, leaving an even and
yielding surface for football. This soft
ness, while not SO favorable to quick
plays, is less liable to injure the players,
and is undoubtedly preferable on the
whole.
GAS the athletic interests of the college
bring 1t most frequently before the pub
lilo, especially in the football season, it is
quite natural to speak of such interests
first, although the most enthusiastic foot
ball player will readily admit that after
all the sports are but small and secondary
interests in CO llege life.
At Bowdoin, however; athletics have
been very skilfully and wisely engrafted
into the college lie. Prof. Whittier has
for long time been at the head of the
department devoted to the physical
culture of the students. But this depart
ment has gradually extended, reaching
out on the one hand to the athletic inter
ests of the students, and on the other to
the scientific departments of the institu-
ton. The student who enters the college
today is examined physically, and he is
given such general gy1nnastio exercises as
will develop him properly. This system
has been in use for several years. lately
it has been modified somewhat, boxing,
fencing and similar exercises being sub
stituted for the regular gymnasium exer-
cises with the upper olassmen. The fresh
men, however, still have the drill with
clubs, dumbbells, etc., for giving them
the proper development.
This system continues to give good re-
suits and general satisfaction. A salts
factory standard OF physical development
is maintained, although Bowdoin stu
dents are not on the average so large
physically as they were few years ago.
This is due to the fact that more of the
students are coming from the city high
schools and fewer from the farming dis
tricts.
A general supervision of the health of
the students is maintained also. The
professor who has charge of physical
culture is a physician and q bacterioIog-
ist. Any slight illness is examined, and
If likely to be serious, the student is at
once sent home or put under the care of
a practicing physician. Not long ago a
student was found, through inyestipa-
tions in the meteorological room of the the
Searles building, to be affected with in
cipient tuberculosis. This early informa
ton enabled him to remove to Colorado
where his life was saved Such care of
the physical development and condition
of the student is proceeding along with
the growth of the spirit of athleticism.
In concerning themselves with something
which in years gone by was left to the
unalded Judgment of the students in .
dividually, the faculty have reached the
most satisfactory results.
The art building and the scientific
building have enabled Bowdoin to deyelon
in directions that We're the subject If
little general attention in colleges a dozen
years ago. Two-thirds of the subjects
taught in tie Searles building belong to
the very vanguard of the army of modern
investigation. Bacteriology, biology. and
the latest discoveries in physics, are dis
placing rapidly the idea that even clas-
steal college is largely place for Latin
and Greek. The Walker building, where
there has been gathered around the Bow.
doin collection enough of modern works
of art to make it really fine art gallery.
offers facilities for an advanced course in
art. Mr.. Alger V. Currier is at the head
of this department, and while the students
in general are required to acquire only
the first principles of the art of drawing.