New-York tribune., 1900-04-21
EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS.
NEWS OF THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSE
TIES-NOTES OF INTEREST.
HUNDRED YEARS OF COLLEGE JOURNAL
GIVES TRAINING IN ENGLISH


II is now exactly a hundred years since the
first college newspaper, The Gazette, was
founded by enterprising students at Dartmouth
College, and almost hundred years since Dan
lei Webster penned his first contribution to that
sheet. Since 1900 the number of college periodi-
Gals which have risen progressed and declined
Is legion The Yale Literary Magazine" for ex-
ample patriarch and chief among the college
periodicals Of to-day. preceded at Yale by
''The Literary Cabinet" The Atheneum. The
Crayon." THE Sitting Room The Students
Companion" manned by board Of nine anony-
nous editors. who turned out afterward to be
one man; The Gridiron.'' devoted to neither
fapjacks football and THE Medley" Many
other college journalistic ventures have turned
similarly. But while many have Joined the
silent majority. a number exist to-day. The
students of nearly every American college sup
port from one 10 twenty periodicals.
In the larger colleges, naturally, the tendency
of the journals to specialization has been
marked. Several years ago students in Eastern
colleges. full of Yankee hustle and energy be-
came dissatisfied with the al-around. tardy
weekly bi-weekIy. and longed for daily
which should serve up fresh college news. The
first ventures in this line The Harvard
Echo" THE Yale News" and The Cornell Sum-
Other colleges soon swung into line. and to-day
several Of the larger universities, from Harvard
TO Stanford, support daily papers. in most cases
issued FIVE times a week. The weeklies were
thus left to look after the literary interests of
the college, and were taken by the alumni for
their weekly summaries of news and alumni
notes. But even in these fields they not
secure. More pretentious publications like THE
Wesleyan Literary Magazine The Williams
Literary Monthly" The Columbia Literary
Monthly" and The vassar Miscellany alb
sorbed the literary product. The alumni. too
dissatisfied with the meagreness of undergrad
reports Of their doings have taken steps to
secure organs of their The Yale Alumni
Weekly has been running several years. and is
a wei edited and successful sheet The Har
ward Graduates Magazine" now in its eighth
volume, is perhaps the most elaborate and care
fully edited publication of this kind The Cor
nell Alumni News is winning deserved popu-
larity among Cornell men. while The Princeton
Alumni Weekly" seems TO be starting out on
sound basis
The college wags. too. must have their outlet
The Harvard Lampoon," of National reputa-
ton; The Princeton Tiger and The Cornell
Widow are the repositories of many bright
jokes and clever drawings, though it must be
admitted that the gold is mingled with much
dross.
Comparing the first college papers with those
Of to-day, one no:es some marked improvements.
Papers like The Dartmouth Gazette The
Harvard Lyceum" and The Yale Literary Cab
met were like other Journals of the time full
Of florid. Johnsonese rhetoric. Fiction scarce
and of little value. the short story being then
almost unknown; but there were occasionally
bright squibs and parodes-for example. Ever
etts famous parody on Barlow's "Columbiad."
which appeared in The Lyceum' in 1910. To
day, while the stories are often conventional or
inSipid. still good occasionally turns up.
In style the modern college journal shows vast
improvement over its ancestor. True. the tone
is often vulgariZed Icy too free use of slang,
and one sometimes wonders if the writer really
imagined he had something to say; but there is,
Notwithstanding, frequently terseness, a di-
of
Nearly all the college literary journals COM
plain from time to time Of the lack of good ar
70 write. Doubtless times have changed since
young men learned to write by writing and
willing to serve an apprenticeship in the
art before they began TO inftict worthless novels
suffering public; but it is also possible that
there are too many college papers. For with the
MULTIPLICATION Of journals has come a needless
overlapping in the fields to he covered. Many Of
the old all-arOund periodicals which have out
lived their usefulness continue to appear be
cause OF a sentiment opposed to letting them
die. But if the number could be cut down the
Quality Of those left would undoubtedly improve.
Another deplorable feature Of the present sit
uaton is the mercenary spirit which dominates
many college editors college professor who
The Nassau Lit" Board in the fif-
ties remarked recently that in his day the ed
itors printed what they liked and then went
down in their pockets and paid for il. Many
papers are largely because of the
money they bring in. the editors not doing more
than they likey'tO get paid for. Reforms in
such cases are effected with difficulty but If the
honor of a college editOrship could be consid-
cred a sufficient recGmpense in itself, a part or
all Of the profits going to the college library or
hospital fund, some Improvement especially in
the college dailies, would doubtless result.
With all their faults, however, no one would
do away with college journals Furnishing a
mirror OF college life and a valuable stimulus TO
careful writing, they have earned the right 10
exist and they play a justly important part in
the student life Of to-day.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.