The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-02-21
Needs Of Mississippii's Colleges
BY Kate Markham Power.

/ A"' y kF'f w ~ NhhsfA u ~ -
in domestic life, it is in the life of the
State.
That the money which Is thus carried
out OF Mississippi Is sufficient zach year
10 accomplish great things Is another
reason for trying to keep il AT home.
If all of my readers were women like
myseli-women who had tried at some
time in life To mend some treasured gar.
ment, aud had found out the difficulties
incident th~Ireto--l could make myself
clearer, When "A piece OF goods is sufi.
GENTLY woru to need repair, a new piece
is added to it. After a bit another repair
il necessary, and thus il goes, until utter
Il while the goods itself is gone and moth
ing remains except n lot OF patches, put
on at different times. and perhaps by
different hands, and the whole thing IL
1T only for the rug bag. II Is 80 at the
university. Tho old buildings have been
repaired so often and by SO many differ.
cnt parties that there has been no sym.
metry about IL and practically no good
results from it, The whole thing is 6t
only for the architectural rag bag. In
the law building, for instance, there are
great cracks in the walls, and a part of
one of these walls fell out some time ago.
OF course, Il blind man could tell that
this building is unsafe as we'll as IN.
attractive. Indeed, the architect, Mr..
Hunt, has already condemned the place.
In the library there are SO many things
to be complained OF by a casual observer
that ! do not know where to begin. In
asmuch as this ia Il place for the keeping
of books, let me remind you that tho
rain m through the roof in It's own
sweet way, with nothing TO modest or to
make it afraid, and only the books to in.
terccpt It's passage. II was my pleasure
to be in the home Of one OF the profess
sors-Dr, Muckenfuss-~and 40 old was
everything, SO worn the building, so bad
the walls, so uneven the steps and so out
of plumb the whole miserable structure,
that even the sweet spirit and beautiful
home. making qualities OF his wife, Mar.
garet Galloway, were taxed to their ut.
most TO make the place anything Of a
home.
As for the furnishings of the old uni
versity buildings, a respectable kitchen
would shut its door In their faces.
A new order of things obtains now,
however. and things will be better. Tho
truth of the whole matter IL that a new
order Of things will obtain throughout
the institution heuccforth, and things
will he better all around.
| dislike to seem TO sec only the dark
side, SO will turn to brighter things just
here, and this Is so bright, and made 30
happy and hopeful for tho uniyeraity's
future, that | am impcllcd to rejoice thus
publicly over it.
OF course, all Of us know that our uni
yersity-like most other institutions OF
It's nature, where hundreds of young men
are together assembled-has been very
severely criticised for the evils common
to mems colleges, and we know, also,
that these criticisms have been ut Ger.
tain times all too well founded. There
has not always prevailed there the high
standard which Mississippi has a right to
} expect in her university.
Things had reached n critical time
when the new chancellor took over the
affairs, in July, last, and determined,
{ with the help of his superb faculty and
/, the students, themselves, TO wipe out the
| stain which has rested on her fair name
for so many years. This reputation for
l immortality, dissipation, extravaganza
and %idleness, while not by any means al.
} ways just, was enough so to make 1t
very hard to contradict. And II had
gained sufficient ground in the State TO
3 have become a great injury to the uni
, yersity.
. Noting the material with which he had
to work, and seeing, with his wonder
! fnl insight into character, that be was
dealing with gentlemen, he decided to
propose to them the honor system. To
this suggestion the students at once
agreed, and. forming q council of homer,
made up of representatives from every
) class. they took over the control Of the
affairs Of the university wherever they
pertain to the student body, and they
b have taken hold with q grip which has
in 1t the strength Of youth and d deter
mination which might well do honor to
men Of maturer years. /
In many ways already have the stn-
dents shown the worth Of the new plan,
and in a remarkable manner have they
gone to work TO wipe out the stain that
former wild" students have left on the
university's fair name.
Only the students themselves can do
this, and that they are doing it, and do.
ing IL eiIectually, speaks admirably for
the fine young manhood Of Mississippi
which Is gathered here beneath the grand
old oaks which shade the campus.
With this new rule in force there now,
and with an appropriation for the proper
equipment Of the present and the cree
ton of new buildings, the young men OF
this State need only one thing more to
/, make them go TO the State University,
az now the girls go TO their great school,
the ]. !. q C., at Columbus. This is an
appropriation for the building of dormi.
tory accommodations, where the boys
may live in comfort for much less than
y II necessary for them to pay now at
the boarding houses in Oxford. This "
not meant as a reflection on the cost OF
board in these boarding houses. Run, M
they are, on a small scale, and every.
thing bought at retail, IL Is, Of course,
/, impossible 10 get q lower rate. And the
I oxford boarding houses cannot accommo
date anything like the number Of stu.
dents that ought to be at the university.
A dormitory, with dining hall and all the
|, appurtenances thereto, under the control
OF the chancellor, would solve the ques.
ton Of attendance for a great many Mis-.
sissippi boys who are ambitious to 90 to
!, their States greatest educational institu-
ton, but have not sufficient means TO
do II.
Now, in conclusion, let me beg the
people to whom this great institution
belongs TO right about face and start out
afresh TO make it again what it once
was. In the days when only classical
training was given at any Of the great
universities, our own, being On an equal.
ity with the best, sent forth sons, and
many Of them who ranked with the best.
The long list Of great men who bad their