The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-11
SUNDAY, E P II, 1904.
"THE sINn

President Northrop, of the state uni
versity, in his address to the students
at the opening of the school year, said:
1.-THE besetting sin of this institution
is the waste Of time over things of no
consequence. You have not much time
anyway. Fit yourselves for your work,
for there never was a time when more
opportunities were offered THAI at the
present"
The excellent advice of President
Northrop calls for a bill of particulars.
Undoubtedly the besetting sin of most
Of our institutions of higher learning
at the present day Is that too much
time is wasted on things of no conse-
quence. But what are they? 1t would
be worth while to nave them specified
by n in charge of a great university,
the one best qualified to give advice and
most certain of his facts. To us, speaking
at longer range and with only general
familiarity with conditions, such &C
800 ~ ~ LUZ SSSiiAo ~
us that any one in the least familiar
with high schools. colleges, universe
ties and the like car easily put a finger
on some mistakes of the day that tend
to promote the superficial in education,
n to impair it's efficiency If not de-
feat its purpose.
A. Lk4>-- IL 5x--
change of standards. The old idea of
the pupil who went to a school for
higher learning was to get an educa-
ton. That must be won at any sacri-
fee and on any terms. Comfort was
nothing. wealth was nothing, friend
ships were not necessary, nothing was
indispensable except the new
of thought to be opened out by the
new opportunities. Mental enlarge
ment and mental discipline were sought
at the cost of everything else. Per-
haps this idea was a trifie too strenu-
Gus, but it was safe. 1t gave us hardy
minds, determined character and reso-
lutte will. The world of thought and
the world of action were the richer
for it.
The idea Of the average modern
young man or woman entering an in
stitution for higher education appears
to be principally ito have a good time"
OF course there is the understanding
that there. will be a course Of study,
and recitations will be made and lee
lures listened to and a certain decent
average of proficiency attained as a
condition of remaining. But after all
We do think, seriously and soberly
speaking, that h students oppor-
tunity is no longer the foremost and
controlling element with the majority.
In the front, where the brightest light
beats, stand the pleasant things con-
nected with college and university life;
the things not calling for seIf-sacriice
or special mental endeavor, but at
tractive totyouth for their own sake.
For the young man there is particu-
larly the athletic side of college life,
which looms as large to him as any
thing in the text books. For the young
woman there is the social side; and
the burden of afternoon teas and re-
ceptions and evening parties and hops
is something that even a society girl
outside of college might hesitate to
take up. For both sexes there is the
interest Of fraternity life, and the Sc
cret societies make large demands
~ time and attention. All of these
things, being non-essentials, are wholly
the offspring Of the notion that the coll
lege student must be largely, II not
principally. occupied in having a good
time" Harmless in themselves. they
push out like lusty intruders the real