University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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beneficial stimulation of those institutions. The best schools of the State now regard the University as their true guide, counsellor and friend. It is not necessarj- to set forth the far-reaching benefits to the public of such relations, established and fostered as they have Iieen by the practical wisdom and unostentatious labors of the I ' niversity Faculty. . The Faculty has been, since the foundation of the University, a growing body, and in it have always been found alumni of the most famous universities of Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. Besides the usual professional degrees in engineering, law and medicine, the Academic II ,1 Ijt (ffili l Department offers well-matured undergraduate courses leadi ng to the degrees, B.A., B.Lit., B.S., l ' !. TM ' well-organized courses leading to M.A. and M.S. The graduate courses have been strength- vV yWA ' cd and amplified as fast as the teaching force expands, and we aspire to such a development in ; ; If ' 1 f K a few years that it may become consistent with our high standards to offer courses leading to the s Sr ' . .: ' i •• ' Afift doctorate (a degree not now given), in the chief fields of research. Nascent seminaries in various schools give promise as nuclei about which may form organizations like the scientific student societies of the German universities. In a word, the University has shown itself eager to extend its functions and multiply its benefactions to the State, as fast as the prudence of the State, or the munificence of public-spirited citizens will funiish her the means. We would recall our Commencement Day two years ago, and the inspiriting salutation from the repre- sentative head of the oldest to the youngest of the sisterhood of Southern Universities : Witnessing these e ' idences of her abounding vigor and her rapid growth, remembering that she completes this day but the first ten years of her life, I feel that it needs no prophet ' s vision to foretell the long series of her labors and her honors. Well might the laureate of her first decennium adopt the hopeful prayer of the sweet Roman singer : ' Vosque veraces cecinisse, Parcae. Quod semel dictum est stabilisque rerum Terminus ser et, bona jam peractis Jungite fata. ' May we be ever safeguarded against any sinister policies wherebj- educational institutions lose their chastity : may our rulers see and pursue the courses of lofty honor and justice, which alone can maintain this educational purity ; and may we live free from party broils, political or sectarian, adhering unflinchingly to the principle that education is the sole aim of schools ! 15

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I ' NIVHRSITV l ' TliXA .

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3tu cnt lite Student life here is more prc aic than it need be, or ought to 1 . College spirit flutters too much like a candle flame in a gusty atmosphere. Tliere might be more of it if the student body were not so woefully scattered throughout the domiciles of the town. If more than half of it lived upon the University grounds, there would certainly be a more active fsf»il dc corps. We look forward to the era of fraternity chapter houses, new dormitory halls, a University Gymnasium; — then we may expect many good things now lacking. What but the disintegration of our present mode of existence can explain the fact that the college with incomparably the best and most convenient natural advantages in the world should have no boat club? Lake McDonald attracts llie lovers of aquatic sports from all over the world ; yet we supinely refuse to stretch out our hand to take po.ssession of this gift of fortune, which would excite the envy of every college in the United States. Our long, smooth lake, extending as it does for more than twenty miles through wild and rocky gorges, fairly lures to boating. Its advantages have several times attracted to Austin international regattas. Surely jfij- ' . j ' btf ■jjT ' v -- the time is ripe for a University boat club. College spirit has been manifested in football, and our team has done us much credit. The city has stood by us nobly in this enterprise with help and encourage- j ( . ' y f jK, ' qwj Attic- ' Ji meut. Great crowds of students and citizens turn out to Hy ie Park, ' ' • ' ■ iir-a— tiw Jl»- 1 wearing the orange and white, to display their devotion to our eleven. Tulane, Arkansas, Dallas, San Antonio, all were triumphed over ; but . - ,,.■,,■.,. ,L - we cannot pose as cock-of-the-walk, for it was otherwise last vear with Missouri. Athletic spirit is alst) displayed in the Tennis Association, and in season the campus is lively with players on the tenuis iDiiits, Ijascbail, and the lonihiili teams practising with the new coach. In the past the literary societies have played an important . ' A in college life. an l have been foci of college |K litics. But recently .something has lieen ami.ss with the literary societies. Interest in them stems to be at a low ebb. The patriotic should .sec to this. It is not necessary to grind over text-books all the while. Take time to give real thought and research to the lebntes. Audiences canuut be ex|)ecled to as.semble to listen t o perfunctory debates u|k u subjects i6 m