The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-05
THE COLLEGE DORMITORY.
An Institution That Had Merits and
Should BE Revived.
kansas civ journal.

kansas city JOURNAL.
Every worthy father of a son in his teens
is seriously confronted with the most serl-
Gus problems of life. There is ever in his
heart the fear that temptation may prlng
that disobedience and disregard of parental
rule which is the beginning of all evil AT
no time is this fear so great as when ne
SENDS the tSa so there IS occasion for it, Our
colleges and universities are better equipped
to-day than ever before; every department
is under a specialist, but generally he is a
man who loves his calling with an intensity
that renders his life abnormal; ne KNOWS
his pupils as students, and not as men. Inc
result is that the student goes forth from
the classroom free to do as he pleaSes, until
as too often happens-some scandal ap-
sation or the police serves notice on the
college authorities, then some acton is
taken, which Is generally case OF locking
'ii At he coroner's INQUIRY into the cause of
the mysterious death of a citizen OF nelsh-
boring city, the college life or the son OF tne
it many think that there sufficient mo-
tive for parricide. However that may De,
the fact remains that this boys lie at COL
lege was just such a life as every true
parent desires n son to avoid. His extrav-
agances led him into hopeless Indebtedness
This fact becomes public property not pc
cause his is an unusually grleVous case, out
because his father was murdered Doubtless
he is only one of many, and that very
thought makes the situation serious TO
every parent One dislikes to blame others
for the shortcomings of his offspring, but
he has a right to expect and demand that
such safeguards be furnished as to prevent
disaster.
Dormitories for boys have quite gone out
of style and 1t is a lamentable fact 1t was
said that all the deviltry was Matched in
them but it should be remembered that it
was a comparatively harmless devlltry
Cutting belropes, changing buggy wheels
and front gates are small sins in the light of
some present day offenses. What was done
was soon known and quickly punished, and
after it was all over the perpetrators had
lost nothing of manhood or self-respect A
dormitory would have saved John Collins
from disgrace that will hang to him all the
days of his life. 1t was case of being his
own boss and he failed.
College rules are like criminal law-made
for the weak-and generally 1t is only the
weak who rebel against them. The boy who
is budding into manhood does not like much
restraint but it is Just the time that he
needs 1t most. 1t may be very distasteful
to him to be compelled to retire and arise
at certain hours, but it is very healthful,
morally and physically. At college these
regulations can be enforced only through
dormitories, and for that one reason, If for
no other. they are much needed. Only
through them can the pleasures and recre-
ations of youth be regulated at school. In
the swiftness and freedom of the life of to-
day not much is said about Christian edu-
cation. The demand for ii seems to be going
out, and education, like everything else,
seems TO be regulated on the law of supply
and demand. The day is coming when there