El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-11-19
Students Have Wrong Ideas
OF College Life; After Good
TimeChiefly;B arbarismExtan
D FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

By FREDER
lIITASHINGTON. D. C.. Nov. 19.-The
w annual war between the facul-
ties OF our Institutions Of higher
learning and the students thereof is
in full swing. At Annapolis change
Of superintendent has taken place.
partly as the result Of hazing scan
dals it is said.
In a southern university. some stu
dents have Withdrawn in a body be-
cause the faculty backed by state law
has interfered with their secret So
cieties- And in many other institu-
1 tons the efforts OF the faculty to
interfere with student activities, such
as hazinE freshmen. forming secret
/ organizations, and making merry in
] general have resulted in q state OF
more or less strain.
On the whole. the professors seem
[ 20 be losing out. They used to in
Z Weigh against dances and against
I letic life OF most colleges goes on
I without any reproach from the iacul-
/ ties. The authorities have capitulated
I partly because they had to do so, and
! partly because they found that ath-
! letics- especially. we're an excellent
/ advertisement and thereby a help in
getting more students and in build
I ing up the colleges.
Students Want Coed Time
Eraternities now flourish in most
2
elent and honorable practice OF haz-
ing. although it is always the sub
Jet OF criticism and punishment is
by no means extinct.
The professors are really bound 20
lose out IN the long run. because the
students viii not attend a college
where the most exciting and interest
ing OF activities are curtailed- The
average college president wants 20
make his Institution an austere and
q ~ Ia d. In
but he also wants to get as many
students as possible. The competition
for students is keen, and the students
insist on going where they can have
good time Hence the president and I
his fellow faculty members find them I
selves between the devil OF student 7
barbarism and the deep blue sea OF ]
oblivion. and the betting is generally [
on the devil.
Professors and Students differ.
To a man who spent four years IN I
two colleges. visited various others.
and belonged to both a national and j
local fraternity, II looks as though I
this lameutable conflict between the J
a fundamental difference OF view
point.
A college or university IS theoretl-
cally place to study. The student /
is supposed 10 come there because he
wants to study. he is released from /
the close restrictions OF grammar
school education because he IS sup
posed 10 be mature enough not to use
his freedom fin a way that will inter
tere with the pursuit OF knowledge
That is the theory upon which the
professors act and upon which some
OF the students act-especially those
who are getting through college with
and studying some special
OF technical line by which they expect
10 make their livings. Il is decidedly
not the way the majority Of under
graduates look at the matter. They
go To college for a good time They
regard Il as an escape from parental
supervision, and-a chance TO spend
little OF dads money without his di-
rect advice or assistance. In a word. ,
the average undergraduates regards J
ais Individuality. which j. essentially
3 barharic individuality.
The Barharie Student.
Il has been stated many times that Z
Zach Individual IN the course Of his
development repeats all the stages
through which the race has passed :
Probably the idea has been over
worked. but II is certainly sugges-
i've Thus boys under IS are un-
loubredlV savaEes in many ways. D
rhey band loosely together like saw 7
.ges; they 90 adventuring Ike saw Z
lges; and they often show savage {
.ruelty both to each other and to ami
nails.
L
3 hat has not been so generally recog-
lied is the fact that the boy OF IS
v 1s has merely advanced from saw
gerry 10 the next stage Of develop 81
nent- which Is barbarism- A typical .
lmerlcan diversity. which Is doml- =
ated BY the students and not by the d
aculty, is a typical barbarism-
Thus all barbarisms 90 In for elah- A
rate organization. The loose tribal y
rganiZariOn OF saVages is superseded 2
I'd -
angling from the head shamans and a
Medicine men down TO the common II
Tarrlors- Each OF these grades is
ighly organized in secret and
Mysterious fashion. each is highly o
salous OF its own rights and Of its v
upsriors. h
This is exactly what you see IN o
oueges. The freshman, II he is a Il
kelly fellow with money in his .
ocket, makes a fraternity his first
lake q certain ribbon society his sec
nd year, another his third year, and
still higher and more esoteric or
anization his fourth year. Each OF
aese organizations is step on the
1clal ladder. Each Of them puts him
trough more or less narrowing
litiauon. and each gives him the
GIT TO wear certain decorations, and
, deal in certain mystical signs, pass
lords. and hand grips And the
hiefs Of these various organizations
re the high priests OF the college
hey are looked up to and venerared
? all. They hold the power OF So
.al life and death.
College Boys Like Indians. 2
All OF this Is almost exactly like !
he organization Of a Pueblo Indian !
illsge- The analogy cannot be here
in detail. but IL is striking
ne same secret organizations, the
lme high priests. the same cruel and
ItravaEant limitations, and the same
ystic grunts and grips are found IN
lch.
Among all barbaric people. there
re innumerable taboos. The same
true Of all our best colleges. The
zrbsrian may not eat this, nor touch ] 4
iat nor do the other. So the young
idshipman may not be seen on the .
rect carrying a suitcase or a pack
&c, in a certain southern college the
udents may not be seen with GER
in village maidens supposed not to
J OF the highest social status, and
many colleges a freshman dare not
lpear in public with a hat on. The m
booE. both OF college boys and Of lu
Librarians elsewhere. are strange and IN
any. The one difficult thing that "a
e aspiring freshman always learns tf
the complicated list Of things that Z li
e bad form" Bad form means II
college exactly what toboo does bs
the life Of barbaric tribes.
Athletes Are WnrriOrs- u
The barbaric tribe always has its 81
ecial class Of warriors who 90 out II