University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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extreme delight at having found something concerning one of the products of the latter half of the nineteenth century Cf»86 anb octcttC6 Within the last two or three years this particular feature of college life has been much developed. Among the many other idiosyncrasies of the student is the desire to be connected with something whose foundation is shrouded in the mazes of mystery; to be possessed—burdened, if you please—with some deep secret; to exult at having some of his mates “guessing.” The first of these spurious con¬ cerns organized was the M. O- W. R., which, after a feeble fight for existence, is now quite hors de combat. The S U. N., a club consisting of young ladies only, may now be called, at least, an annual. It remains for time to decide whether or not it shall ever become a perennial. Its growth has been precarious, yet it has managed to hold its own. A spirit of rank conservatism has been so dominant that from an original membership of four it has grown to five. The 4 B H. is another club with a membership of four, who labor under the vain hallucination that t ey jre peculiarly adapted to each other, and that they are possessed of some¬ thing too good to go beyond themselves. The Quipu is our most recent and quixotic growth. If one ask the meaning of Quipu (which the members pronounce ‘ keep you” ) one receives the unsatisfactory answer that it means “keep your nose out of other people’s business.” Not much can be said of what the literary societies are doing; a great deal could be said, however, of what they are not doing. The short session of ’95 heard the death knell of the time- honored Philomathean. The Mathetian would not have survived her long had it not been for the appearance of the Philotimetian, that grew for a while and flourished like a bay tree. This young plant, though promising, was not deeply rooted, and ere the dry autumn of ’96 it too was dead. The young men are conducting with fair success their two societies, namely, the Garland and Grady. @tf6fetlC6 For its age and the support given it bv the state and general govern¬ ment, the University of Arkansas has made good progress in every line save athletics. It is admitted by the majority of up-to-date educatois that physical training is a vital and necessary adjunct to a thorough mental training. Yet the legislature of our state seems to cling to that antiquated and moss grown idea that an appropriation—even though a 7

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“THE STUDIOUS MAN”

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small one—for athletics, is not only a waste of money, but a positive detriment to the welfare of the students, argu¬ ing from the standpoint that too much energy spent in athletics would lead to a corresponding diminution of mental labor. It is true we have a very thorough course of military training, yet while drill develops some parts of the body it does not develop all as thoroughly as good training in athletics. Recognizing the position of the legislature on the subject of athletics, an association was formed in ’94 with a very respectable membership. Quarters were given them in the basement of the main building; a modest set of apparatus was bought and paid for by the members of the association, and things pros¬ pered for a while. Soon, however, interest began to wane; for the maintenance of the embryo gymnasium was a constant drain on the members, and now there is nothing more than a paper organization. In field ath¬ letics much interest is shown. In 1894 a good eleven was organized, and within a few months the team of ’94 did some very creditable work. The team of ’95 added three more games to the U. of A. record, and the one of ’96, after winning two games, was defeated by the Drury College team, whose men were thoroughly trained, and outweighed ours twenty pounds or more to the man. Base ball receives a fair share of attention, and, consider¬ ing the wretched condition of the campus, the ’varsity team has done some good work. The tennis club was organized in 1894, and of all the branches of athletics it is in the best condition. Here, again, the members had to “go down” into their pockets for money to buy the necessary apparatus. What we need is an appropriation of, say, any amount above $2,500. This we must have. It is to be hoped that the present assembly will wake up and realize that a gymnasium in the University will create a new spirit. It is necessary. It is vital ! 8