Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-29

ings az college men, was actually leQ
io Ills conclusions ~ the daily OBJ
seryaHons ot college mcn among
whom his life is spent But as Har.
ward il his college home, this might
seem Simply an admission that the
men az that university are Of the
.nabby" variety This is not the
case except 10 the csicut which we
shall presently show,
There has been a wonderful IN
crease II wealth 10 this country in
the Jas, thirty or fifty years we
have an element Of rich mems sons
pro~portionally larger than we had a
generation ago And in this fact We
fina tie seeds al the fabblness II
which The Harvard professor com
plains Moreover, st Is probably true
thar In so far Az the community Of
This college is dominated by the sons
III the very rich. 70 that extent glab-
hlness prevails. The same Is true 81
me other popular universities which
especially attract rich mems sons
/ For il cannot be denied or disputed
that the effect OF great wealth on
the male element Of the second gem
! Grafton Is 10 lower the standards OF
both character and scholarship. The
daughters Of the very rich do not
suffer from looseness of character in
/ the same degree 81 the sons.
But In d~eplorirg the evidence OF
| f~labbiness which appears In a certain
element in the larger colleges and
universities the disease should be
| traced TO It's real source which Is IN
| digested wealth and not the academic
life itself. II these same young mer
were not permitted TO flock 10 tbs
colleges, they would practice and cul
tivate their flabbiness elsewhere
OF course there are exceptions, and
plenty OF them, Of itch young men
who are as serious minded as need
be. They have overcome the handi
cap which circumstances imposed
upon them. There are also plenty OF
college men, or rather boys, Of limit
cd means, who are inclined TO ape
the habits Of the wealthy students
and come out Of college infinitely
worse of than they went In, men.
tally. morally and physically, And
the problem Of the temptations ~
which the manly young man is sub.
sefed II It'd forms unfortunate as
sneiations III college Is a serious one
for parents. There re differences IN
he tone vi academic communities just
as there are differences In the moral
tone al families or civic commani
ties. The young man OF unsettled
habits and character might we'll h
sent To the smaller college charac
terIzod by an atmosphere OF Work
and less freedom and the largcl
freedom Of the university reserved fol
the mature. advanced student Tn
doabtedly the mannc Of life OF the
university community, II not misdi
rected. tends toward the development
of seif-responsibility. self-reliance and
soIf-controi. Not the least important
OF the wholesome influences Of the
college az well as the university Is the
| athletic movement which tends TO de
| yelop hardihood, endurance. courage,
and selfcontrol.
The question raised by Professor
Wendell Is discussed at length by one
OF the most eminent OF writer's among
college presidents. DIR. Charles +.
Thwing. OF Western Reserve Univer-
| sity, In the current number Of Har'
per's Weekly. His conclusions are
we'll worth quoting and might he
read with profit by every parent as
well as every college or university
student In the land,
President Thwing says.
IT Ia therefore. to my thought. clear
that the conditions Of college life Of
The present and Of The last decades
tend to create a condition Of yirIlity
The opposite OF ilabbineas.
Bur the question. yet more impor'
sant possibly. energies. What can
and should the college do TO Keep its
men 80 absolutely remote from flabbi-
mess that no evidence can appear In.
tlmating that they are soft and fac
cid7
The first answer TO be given Ii
that the colleges should cause their
students to work harder. Upon how
little work a student may so through
his college should hesitate TO say
but / do know that al some colleges
the work Is so slight as not TO merit
the name ~ work. There are indeed.
be il at once confessed, reasons foI
establishing in the American college a
merely Pass degree. n. it is argued,