Hampden Sydney College - Kaleidoscope Yearbook (Hampden Sydney, VA)

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weave into verse or prose. The noble history of the College, at times thrilling as a romance, should be inspiration enough for the youthful historian. The great minds that have lived and wrought there should furnish subjects for interesting and instructive biographies. The natural scenery-the woods and streams- and the memories associated with them and the stories others have told of them should give the outline for many an interesting romance. All these could End expression and preservation in THE li.xLl51DosCo1'1i, and give a delicate flavor and local color to the book. I have looked over many animals from large colleges and universities, and the great majority of them are only summaries of statistics, a long array of life- less facts and Figures. And one year-book differs from another only in the names of the members of the clubs, etc. The annual from the smaller college can give more space to fiction, poetry, histories, and biographies. These characteristics stamp the book, lend to it local coloring, and permit some shadowing forth of the delicate tints of college existence and spirit. As we look over the old li.x1.E1DosCo1'Es, we feel a warmth and glow, an eagerness to shout as of old the college yell. Here is something contagious, something personal. something individual. The living spirit behind the facts, the beating heart within the body. fb fewfe 20

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The appearance of the third volume marks an epoch in the history of THE Tir-XLEIDOSCUPli. It was something new. It was free. Free from the old forms and customs and that timorous, imitative spirit that had dominated its prede- cessors. It compared favorably with year-books from the best schools in the country-and still does. The College saw what it could do and became conscious of its power. And this new confidence has shown itself as an inspiration in all the succeeding li.-XLEIDOSCOPES. The book is full of the spirit of originality that trusts not to precedent or custom. It contains well-arranged and interesting historical matter, a pleasing amount of excellent fiction, glowing with college spirit and sounding forth the undertones of college existence. Poetry, however. is still kept in the background. Mr. ul. L. Stuart, '96, and Mr. Alfred J. Morrison, '95, were the editors of this volume, and the latter has contributed some of the best fiction to other KAL121DoscoPEs. Volume sixth, while slight and modest in size, contained some well-written college fiction, and here for the first time poetry begins to take that prominent place which it now occupies in THE Ti.-XLEIDOSCOPE. Nothing portrays our lives as college boys so well as poetry, and for this reason it merits a high place in college annuals. This was recognized by the editors of THE IQALEIDOSCOPE of 1897. Here is all the verse we could wish for, and much that is excellent. This is the distinctive feature of the book. Here we have also a greater develop- ment of the historical and biographical tendencies of THE IQALEIDOSCOPE. It is now seen that THE KALEIDOSCOPE should be made of more permanent and enduring value from a historical point of view. It should contain something of permanent worth and interest: it should not be too temporary in its interest and allusions. The iniiuence of this new tendency is clearly seen in the two volumes that follow. The class histories are cut down to one page, less space is given to fraternities, clubs, and different organizations, and more pages are devoted to historical and biographical matter of perennial interest. Poetry has at last gained the prominent place it deserves. Tina Ii.-XLEIDOSCOPES are something that the College can take pride in. They are of great value as histories of the College during the period they cover, and the future historian of Hampden-Sidney will find in them rich fields of valuable material. The best poetry that has appeared in the ,llaguzinc is here preserved. From the first there has been a strong development of the historical and biographical elements, while the appreciation of the exceeding propriety of poetry for Tnia K,xLE1posco1f1c has been slow. The elements of college fiction and romance have not received due attention, much to the injury of the books, we think. It seems to me that Hampden-Sidney is an ideal school for an ideal annual- a small college with an inspiring and historic past. The legends, traditions, and true stories that are told of the place should furnish themes for the collegian to 19

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Some Distinctive Features of Hampden-Sidney College. By George H. Denny, Ph. D. HE rapid growth of the great modern university with its immense endow- ment has introduced a new problem into the American scheme of educa- tion. That such universities must exist and ought to exist no one can deny: that they are to be viewed as necessities in this age of specialization is equally evident. There are, however, some dangers connected with the evolution of the plans and purposes of those who are shaping the policy of such institutions. In the first place, there is an evident tendency on the part of these universities to combine strictly college li. tt, undergradnatel work with university ti. c.. post-graduatel training, and thus by the strength of financial endowment and great external display to supersede the time-honored under-graduate institutions, which have been the pride and center of our educational system. In the second place, there is a still stronger intiuence proceeding from these great modern universities seeking to infuse into the under-graduate colleges the university spirit and ideals. Hampden-Sidney College is to be congratulated that it has entirely resisted these pernicious tendencies, or rather influences. The aim of the under-graduate student is entirely different from that of the post-graduate., or professional, student: the former is seeking to secure breadth of view and the acquisition of knowledge along a variety of lines: the latter is engaged in specialization along a very limited number of lines. These two aims can not exist satisfactorily side by side in the same institution: and hence the distinctively under-graduate college must and will continue to assert its claim as a distinct and essential unit in our educational scheme, unless we are prepared to destroy the very back-bone of the entire system. It is quite as rational to undertake to dispense with the academy as preparatory to the college as it is to seek to destroy or impair the influence of the under-graduate college. The friends and alumni of Hampden-Sidney feel grateful for its strong and righteous stand against many of the modern innovations suggested by the so-called scientific spirit. It is not to be understood. however, that Hampden-Sidney has not been wisely progressive: for it has kept well abreast the progress of the age. lint the point we desire to emphasize is that it has also been conservative and wisely maintained its high position as distinctively an under-graduate college. the cham- pion of liberal culture, and a solid general education. 2I