New-York tribune., 1903-05-03

the evidence had been heard, and the court was
about to pronounce its sentence, the students
calmly pulled from their pockets signed receipts
for their signboards showing that they had been
bought and paid for in the usual way.
1t is plain TO that undergraduates who
have secured trophies" in this way have good
cause to complain against the faculty. Better
cause. indeed. than the other students although
stolen signboards are perhaps. even more highly
priced than the ones purchased. AS THE Grim
sons editorial says. "men have won
dered at the fact and felt unjustly despoed of
their personal property although the faculty,
to be sure, have announced their willingness to
return any of the signboards on condition that
satisfactory proof is given that they were not
"swiped." But even here the students claim, is
an insult. They object to being arbitrarily de-
clared guilty Snd then having to prove them
selves innocent, and many, rather than submit
to this humiliating experience, are willing to
lose legitimately purchased relics which they
have held for years. This perhaps, is foolish; it
only shows how indignant the students are and
how, in their weak, impotent fashion, they IN
tend to oppose the authorities every hand
The justification for the (corporation's) act,
says The Crimson" in its editorial-"which
seems to have been carried in a decidedly
arbitrary fashions that, according to a cor
pOration rule, no sign of this sort may be dis
played in a students room. This rule, how
ever. has in recent years fallen into such d1suse
that most men probably never heard of its ex-
istence. Does ii not seem trife unjust TO sub
ject number of men to the mandates OF set
of rules of which they have never heard? A far
more acceptable method would surely have been
publish these regulations and give warning
that they would again be put in effect without
this warning, there seems to be little dlHerence
between taking these trophies and stealing a
students clothes. especially as the signs were
in many instances the bona fide property or
their possessors.
Another underhanded aspect is added to the
case by the unfortunate time which was Sc
Iected for the removal The university authori-
ties claim not to have Iken into consideration
the fact that the action was taken in vacation,
and that their only idea was to put the REFORM
into immediate operation. This negligence on
their part is very regrettable, as a little more
care would have done much toward preventing
some of the i'll feeling which now exists
AS a matter of fact however, the thing is an
upheaval Of college tradition and college custom
which has grown to be essentially g. part OF
UNDERGRADUATE life. ITO swipe sign. as peo-
pIe for many years have deplored, has come
gradually to be a regular part of a college man
training, and many men would rather part MN vi III
a years training, and many men would rather
psrt with years allowance. than lose the signs
which have so many stories and pleasant memo
ries clustering about them. .,..
SiensI There signs OF every size, shape
and description, from the sign which says:
Fifty Miles to the Next Place, to the one
which gives this rather impractical suggestion
Don't Spit on the Floor. 'he Ceiilng is Coh-
venent g.
over one door is this warning. Look Out for
the Dogr Another has the words, "Biliard
Room or This Way to the Bar" to point out
possible openings for escape. Then there are
penny y-in-thesot machines, stems. spoons
glasses pictures photographs, red lanterns:
motor handles and countless other trophles,
each with it's story of adventure and run
Even
vertising in THE Harvard Crimson for two
large brass signs. valued at about S4O. which
were stolen recently from the front Of his new
store in Massachusetts, The advertise
ment informs people that the shoe man Is not
worrying about the signs, but hopes that the
students will not keep them too long, as ne mas
need of them in his business THE Harvard
Crimson also lost two similar brass signs seE-
eral years ago which were ripped from thelI
baseboards and taken away, and. II the reaI
facts were known, it would probably be re-
vealed that many detectives are now at WORK
tracing down articles which have lately peeh
s.sWiped' by student mischief makers.
No one approves the practice, but on the
other hand no one can deny that 1t belongs es-
eantioiiv to college men, Harvard's action.
therefore in thus making the first bold step IN
eradica ing the evil, is a most vital ana sig
nifiCant one. ,
A meeting of protest against what they termed
the 'high handed" action Of the college author-
tiles was held on Wednesday afternoon. at
tenGed hv between two hundred and three hun
dred students who denounced what had been
dome and appointed a committee of five to con-
slider the matter and report to a later meeting
tc be called for the purpose of hearing the de-
cSiOn reached,