Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-05-10
UNIVERSITY MEMBERS
LISTEN AND DISCUSS
Variety Of Subjects Of Addresses
Followed BY Lively And En-
tightening Debate
THE SECRET SOCIETY


ceIlent program al four addresses On
varied subjects was carried out with
out charge. The discussion which
followed was particularly spirited and
and ii was the general
opinion that the session was one Of
the best which has been held this year
Rev Edward d. Johnson was the
isrst speaker, hts SUBJECT being secret
Societies. Mr Johnson spoke Of the
origin Of the college fraternities, anu
their objects, and spoke III the early
History OF other orders. many of which
extended far into the past and were
the result of special conditions Some
of these, lie said, had religious orr
gin. and were the product Of the tines
when men could not Worship freely
while others were based On the neces
sity III secrecy Iii discussing certain
political subjects
The speaker gave some interesting
comments On the different secret or
lers of other races. some of which
had In some measure gained 4 foothold
IN this country. including the Society
Of Assassins, the Thugs Of India the
Malta. the Chinese tongs, the glan.lla
Gael and others. Some facts were
given about the Molly Maguires. an
organization In the coal region Of
Pennsylvania during Civil War times
which was formed to effect industrial
relations, and which had refined sys
tenn of assassination to accomplish its,
objects. Great interest was taken iii
the account Of this society and of its.
destruction through the Pinkerton de-
tecliye, McIarcelin, who became mem
Der and narrowly missed being MUIR
dered on numerous occasions The
speaker said that secret societies we're
for various objects. and could be the
instruments 81 great good and great
.evil
Thc Nervous Impulse
prof M ii Clayton, Of the faculty.
of ST. Johns college, spoke on The
Nervous Impulse ( The speaker
handled this abstruse subject in an
interesting manner. He said that the
nervous impulse from finger tip To-
brain had been explained on four sug
gested theories psychic, molecular
electrical and lnetabolistic. He said
that the strongest reasons were found
to Indicate that the nervous impulse
was conveyed by metabolation or
chemical change. and defined the
nervous Impulse as a wave Of IN
creased naturalization caused by either
physical ar chemical stimulus passing
down 4 respiratory gradient Of the
nerve
The speaker said that the accept
ance of this theory made impossible
the acceptance Of mental telhpathys
mind reading. absent treatment.
double personality. hypnotism, fear Of
ghosts. witchcraft retribution, diyina-
ton. clairvoincy and all superstitution
Recreation lii A Ship Yard
Or. Carroll S. Alden told Of his
eight weeks vacation which lie spent
al u workman III the sllipyaris III
Portsmouth. n. H. and made il clear
that he was speaking of the recrea-
.tions of lite workingnen and not that
on his own III exchanging his work i
ID teacher for thar of carrying beams
.of wood
Tie chief reercations which he found
among the w0rknlen he said. we're
baseball. gospel meetings and swear
ing. He told OF the big noon-tiine
games IN which many of the worknen
participated and Of the gospel meet
ings held BY workingmen who we're
preachers III the open air and how
they we're attended BY from 200 ~
900 Of the workmen, though the talks
we're generally crude and uninspiring
He said that the profanity Jared al
first, but ii was soon evident that the
men seldom had any feeling iii reliev
ing themselves IN this way, and were
hardly conscious Of what they did
Dr Alden said that the men with
whom he had immediate contact went.
about their work without any enthusi-
asm; showed little interest in most
things. and little congeniality with
each other Others engaged in a
higher order of tasks, indicated more
mental activity, he said He also told
Incidents showing how many tried con
stantly TO evade their foremen and do
as little work as possible
Socialism ExcItes Debate.
Rev, James Al Smiley gave an earn
est talk on Socialism as the last
event on the program He began By
saying that socialism Is not divid-
ing-up Of property. as many people
think. but defined it as The public
ownership of the things which should
be used By All and the private owner
ship Of the things which should be pr
yately owned Socialism. be said. is
or sharing, and docs MOI
intend by any means To prevent all pri-:
yate ownership.
Mr.. Smiley said thai In many things
socialism would insure 4 higher degree
of private ownership than before. pa
ticularIy IN the matter Of homes, as
one OF its first principles was to in
sure To every man home and what il
should contain, while nov less than
ona-f ri AZ fla yan0TIp II, His conn ~