St Johns College - Ozanam Yearbook (Toledo, OH)

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46 THE OZANAM or influence it may have with the students. Which is precsiely why it has no appeal and exerts no influence. And thus is it failing in one of its greatest functions as a school publication. A little less hypocrisy and a good deal more honesty and sincerity would do a great deal to make school periodicals more what they should be-potent factors in school life. Of course, there is the opposite extreme- the ''college-chap-this-freedom type of peri- odical that makes its appearance in some places. The good old faded standby is not half so insipid as this new clever publi- cation. Rarely one of the latter class achieves something positive, as in the case of the recent issue of the Harvard Advocate parodying The Dial. This number was rank enough to be characterized by Judge John Duff of the Boston Municipal Court as obscene, pro- fane, unfit for sale or exposure for sale, and sufficient to corrupt the morals of youth. Now many a magazine like that may be bought very cheaply at any news-stand. It is puzzling why certain Harvard students should go to all the trouble and expense of printing one of their own. An interesting new experiment is being made at Antioch College, Ohio, where the students have been asked to grade their pro- fessors at the end of each quarter. The points that the students are to consider in marking the teacher are: fairness in grading, ability to present subject matter clearly, will- ingness to advise students in religious, voca- tional, and religious matters, value of said teacher to Antioch College. Just what this innovation is expected to accomplish is not stated. It certainly affords the student a long-needed protection from the incompetent instructor. But whether this is the best or even a good way to effect this result is another question.

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THE OZANAM 45 Each is backed by a great deal of what we Americans like to refer to as sound com- mon sense. The first of his plans is to be tried out by Johns Hopkins in the near future. It is name- ly the absolute and final separation of the college as it is now constituted from the uni- versity. Goodnow would make Johns Hop- kins solely a university, rather than a combi- nation of college and university, with the idea that there is in this country room for at least one such institution. Such a sep- aration, he believes, would make for a greater emphasis and seriousness in the pursuit of ad- vanced studies. For American education in general, how- ever, Professor Goodnow proposes a much more radical change. In fact, his proposal amounts to nothing less than the entire aban- donment of the college and of the Bachelor's degree: the first two years of college he would attach to the high school, to make a six years' course, and the work of the last two he be- lieves could very well be achieved in a re- vised university course. The work of the first two years of college, he writes, is in a large measure secondary . . . in char- acter and could be done by the college stu- dent in the secondary school. The rea- son for abandoning the Bachelor's degree would be to discourage those from coming to the reorganized university who intended to study any subject for merely two years. It will, of course, be many years before the real value of Professor Goodnow's pro- jects can be known. It will require many an experiment to test them. But it is our hum- ble opinion that, at least, that part of the plan is valid which proposed to link the stud- ies of the first years of college with the high school course. To one looking back it would seem that much duplication and repetition, as well as a great deal of expense, would be avoided. Either adopt this proposal or change the character of the work done in these years. It could well be more satisfactory. Florence Renan Sabin, Professor of His- tology at Johns Hopkins Medical School, has recently been received into the National Academy of Sciences as the first and so far the only woman member. The Order of the Holy Sepulchre was also recently conferred on Mrs. Howard K. Spaulding of Michigan City, Indiana, for her activities in religion and charity. She is the first woman in America to receive this high honor of the Catholic Church. We thought for a moment the good old phrase had slipped our memory, but here it is, as fresh and appropriate as ever: Woman seems to be coming into her own. When the new editorial board took over the Dartmouth, official paper of the New Hampshire institution, two columns down the center of the front page were devoted to a very frank but good-spirited criticism of Dart- mouth students. Let us quote just one para- graph as a sample: Within three years the spirit which char- acterized Dartmouth and Dartmouth men to the outside world has virtually disappeared. The individuality which was Dartmouth has vanished. The College is sinking fast into the rut of stereotype which marks many an- other such institution in the country. Here in the heart of nature we are trying to become cosmopolitan .... Here at last is an example of what this department has long wished to see-the use of the college paper or magazine as a me- dium of criticism of students and school life. Too often, especially in Catholic colleges and high schools, the school publication is almost sickenly prim and proper. Rotarian-wise, it praises anything and everything-its favor- ite heading being Great Success g it prints and says only what in the very best academic sense it is expected to print and say. In fine, it is a small boy of the old school in his Sunday clothes. It is printed more for the editication of outsiders than for any appeal

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THE OZANAM 41 aments exclaim, after seeing a villain take a desperate chance and fail, Do you know what I would have done in his place? Again, consider the matter from another view-point. Suppose that instead of follow- ing the villain, the path of the hero is most carefully watched. Why, even here there is danger. All of us know that in the modern story, the hero, to use an old expression, is more sinned against, than sinning. What I mean to say is that, although he will unhesi- tatingly retaliate injury done to himself, he will never start the unjust action. No, the villain will perform the first injustice. As soon as the action is under way, we try to imagine what particular form of deviltry the villain may attempt. Having set out to find one, our imagination runs riot until a feasi- ble-looking piece of mischief is found. Sup- pose the villain chooses another manner of evil doing. Then immediately and whole- heartedly we begin to compare the respective qualities and points of success of the two plans. Without mentioning baser results, I have shown how evil effects may arise from even fairly-good drama. Do not, for this reason, think that the only result of the drama upon morals must be evil. Far from it. The ef- fects of the drama are not of themselves ex- clusively either good or bad for morality. As with most things else upon this earth the effects of the drama are just what we make them. J. C. Ret!-gspect Recollections are as a gen- eral rule interesting, but es- pecially so this year which represents the ful- fillment of the long cherished dream-a Col- lege building exclusively reserved for Col- lege students. A resume, then, of the activi- ties of the past year serves to perpetuate to a small degree the events which made our life in the new building most enjoyable. An appropriate exercise upon beginning a year of study was the annual retreat held in October. Rev. Father Francis P. Kemper, S. J., former Prefect of Studies here, pre- sented very thoughtful instructions which made a lasting impression upon all his hearers. We were all better students for having taken part in this all-important spiritual retreat. The University had the honor of having in its midst the Rev. Father John I. Zahm, S. J., its hrst Prefect of Studies, upon the fif- tieth anniversary of his entrance into the So- ciety of jesus, celebrated October 7. The students of both the High School and Col- lege departments joined in a program of congratulation in Westminster Auditorium. The next few weeks of school were spent in organizing the various societies. The Stu- dent Council elected Julius Pilliod as its president and began its activities early in October. The Philharmonic Society held some important meetings. The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin and the Ozanam Literary Society were part of the regular schedule. In athletics we may pass over in silence the triumphs of the basketball teamg these have been recounted in a former issue. We are glad to mention the development of real school spirit which they accomplished. Certainly this year was one of firsts. It was the first time in the history of the school that a dance was held in the name of the University. A student mixer was conducted under the auspices of the Student Council on November 7. Socially, it was a grand success. Financially, it was a triumph, as was evidenced by the appearance of new fur- niture in the college lounging room. The Council presented a Student Shuttle on Feb- ruary 23 as a sequel to its first success. While we are reviewing the social annals we cannot neglect to mention another first Thanks to the initiative of Mary Manse stu- dents a new chapter was written in the his- tory of St. ,Iohn's University when the young ladies of the women's college invited the young men of our own college to a get-to- gether party in Brescia Hall on February 20.