The times., 1899-01-19
nowoyism Is Always just That.


Trouble has been caused in Two widely
separated cities recently by the riotous
conduct of college students. A party of
men from the University OF West Vir-
ginia went to a theatre one night and
one of them was disorderly, causing a
policeman to eject him. The others took
up the affair and behaved like rowdies.
nearly causing a panic in the house. The
same thing happened in Madison, where
party of students from the Uni
versity of Wisconsin took it into their
heads TO make a disturbance. In neither
case were the consequences serious, hut
that was not the fault of the students.
The thing that usually happens when
college boys get into trouble through such
affairs is that their tutors and their fam
lilies plead for them and public opinion to
some extent excuses them, and they are
let of scot free. But there is really no
more reason why this should be done than
there would be in the case of a party of
rowdies from factory or coal mine. Sup
pose q party of young workingmen were
10 go TO theatre make disturbance and
resist the policeman when he appeared to
try TO hush the matter up? Would public
opinion protect them? Would they be al
loved TO 90 free because boys will be
hoys2" It is absurd to suppose that they
would. Yet there is just as much reason
why these youths should be allowed TO
interfere with the enjoyment of well-coE-
Quoted people as there is for the disorderly
performances of collegians. There is no
more reason why party OF students should
interrupt the actors in theatre by Civ
ing their college yell than there would be
for a party of miners to deafen the audi
ence with cheers for ward politician. Peo-
pie do rot buy tickets for the theatre in
order to hear a college yell. The person
who interferes with his neighbor's enjoy
ment without any adequate reason for the
interruption is ill-bred; the person VINO
does this wantonly and for mere amuse-
ment is somei hing worse lhan ill-bred The
woman who keeps three-story hat on her
head at the theatre or conversCs during
the performance so that people sitting near
her get scraps Of her domestic affairs mixed
with the conversation on the stage, may be
only ill-ured and thoughtless she may
he deliberately RIDE. The young men who
attract to themselves the attention OF a
"a hole audience by making a racket even
il II is 4 college racket and very suitable
TO the campus and the college halls, are
on very much the same level as The woman
with the high hat and the noisy tongue
They should not be protected from the con-
sequences OF their disorderly conduct by
the fact that they happen 10 be living at
college established for the higher educa-
tion Of the human race
There is kind Of morality which might
appropriately be called institutional NOR
aIity.' which leads men to lock not at the
absolute right. or the right as il affects
| The community at large, but TO decide
questions OF right and wrong solely with
| reference to The influence of the part.c-
ular institution with which they happen to
be connected. Sometimes this type og
morality is To be found in the church
sometimes in the college. sonnet; mes IN
| politics. sometimes in charitable soc!t ties:
and though il may be better than entire
lack of morality. it is not a very coOl
kind. RCwdyism in our colleges thanks
to the recent interest in athletics aud the
! constantly improving moral tone among
the students is not As common as il used
TO he; but there are traces of ii stiil II
! a college man make himself obuoxious 10
| the community at large he ought TO b.
willing 10 take the consequences, aud rot
try to hide behind the skirts Of his a ma
| mater.