'mm -.11 ifliafwllK ;i-) ' , ■PI 111' Mr :i I:- ...ill • ' if' iJP" ;i:ii!J||: m9 Class _L 3:^^9-7 Book. Copyright "N^.., COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Q m H 2: P H ARE YOU GOING TO COLLEGE? LETTERS FROM A GRADUATE TO A FRESHMAN BY WILLIAM C. SCHMEISSER BALTIMORE EDWARD H. CURLANDER 1913 Copyright, 1913, by WILLIAM C. SCHMEISSER. ©CU346990 /Co/ ToAU Teachers and Instructors for their patience 'tDith US *Jhis book is dedicated HuBt a Woxh V/OU have this Httle volume before you as a result of the knocks received by the author while he was qualifying to be stamped as a college man. The incidents as here set down have been favorably received in the form of informal talks to young men. Therefore these letters may be of interest to freshmen and also give them a lift on their way. Further, father, mother and sister may de- sire to see a thing or two about college besides the commencement exercises. They are wel- come as is the graduate who wishes to see how college of today compares with that of yesterday. W. C. S. BTirat H^ttrr 13 College a Little World in Itself. Suggestions Materalistic not Idealistic. Cut the Short Pants. College Man and Non-College Man. Which College shall I Attend? Athletic Scholarship. Father's Ability to Foot Bills. Athletic Prominence of a College, The Modern Athletic Machine or Business. »ttmh ICrtor ..... 42 Dormitories vs. Fraternity Houses. Fraternities in General. Prep-school Man and Fraternities. "Sophs is Sophs." Sljtrb HJitttr 60 Conduct as a Fraternity Man. A few "Do's" And a "Don't." College Hazing. Class Rushes or Fights. The Female Seminary as a Neighbor. Coeducation. The College Widow. 3anrtl} ^tmr 83 Shall I Take Part in Athletics? Athletics and the Nation. The Best Sport to Tackle. Medical Examination to Qualify. Getting a Fair Show for the Team. The Prep-School Stars. "Athletic Crazy." The Pot-Hunter. Jffiftli ajptt^r .104 Studies and Athletics. Play a Clean Game. Be "Jonny-on-the-Spot." Proper Equipment. The Athletic Grafter. Make Every Play Sure. "Never Quit." A Good Winner and a Good Loser. Is the Other Fellow Always the "Mucker"? College Spirit. ^txtl? ICftor 127 Scholastic Standard to Qualify for a Team. How "To Beat" The Instructor. Getting Ready for Examinations. Why Head The Class? The Value of a Tutor. Relation Between Student and Instructor. fi>rtif«tl) V^tttBt 146 College Politics. Social Functions At College. ttstytli airtor 163 Captain Of the Freshman Eleven. How to Handle a Team as Captain or Coach. . The Physical Condition Of a Team. May I2TH. ^Tf% EAR DICK : — It is needless to say that Irl I was surprised to receive yours of the second instant, and from it to learn that you expect to go to college next fall. My, how the years do roll around! It seems to me but yesterday, when I last saw you in short trousers. College! yes, that was the keynote of your letter, and to think that it is already a little over eleven years since I was a fresh- man at old Moorehead, So your father told you to write to me to find out "what's what at college?" Just like your Dad; he is a business man through and through; he believes in cold figures and facts. He told you that he never went to college, and, therefore, does not know the tricks of the trade. True to his business training, — he never takes on a new proposition without some [13] Are You Going to College preliminary investigation. A wise precaution. The more I allow that letter of yours to filter through my brain, the more it takes me back to the time when I was preparing for college. Like yourself, I also was the first boy in a commercial family to go to college, and knew nothing about college life, — its uses and tradi- tions. I had to feel my way along, and never was smart enough to get a few hints from a man who had been through the mill. My, I often think how easy it would have been for me to have made a failure of my college course. From the questions you fire at me, you certainly want a thorough consideration of the college situation, and you bet that the son of my friend Thomas Dawson will get the best I have on tap. So your father thinks that I have kept about as close in touch with college and its tricks, as anybody he knows. No doubt I know pretty well what the boys are doing, but that is not difficult when you have [14] First Letter several younger brothers, and the youngest is still in college. To tell you the truth, Dick, first after I had graduated and taken a position in the business world, I thought that it was "up to me" to leave childish things behind, and bury myself with my job. But somehow, I found myself sneaking around to the campus on Saturday afternoons after working hours, and on other days attending little college parties at night. After several years had passed in this way, I came to the conclusion that I was deriving a distinct benefit from playing with the boys, and helping them at their college work by handing out a few practical hints from time to time. In this way I have found out that the col- lege course of four years, as it is ordinarily given in the modern institution of learning, may be compared to a little world all in itself. The young man makes a beginning in his freshman class, and ends up with his senior [15] Are You G oing to College year, — only to be turned out into the cold world of business, or professional life, to be- gin all over again. My contention is, that if you learn to succeed in your college life, you will also succeed by applying the same prin- ciples in the world after graduation; that is, in the cold struggle for an existence. The college course, if made use of in the proper way, is a training school which will fit you to work more efficiently in your real career. My "Dos" and "Donts," I wish you to understand, Dick, are not to supplant, but to supplement the work of the professor or in- structor. They do the real hard work, by banging book knowledge into the boys. I shall only suggest a veneering, which, if the timber is of the proper quality, will bring out the characteristic effects which go to make up a sound and progressive manhood. Experience and observation have shown that this finish cannot be acquired by study within the four walls of a class-room alone. [16] First Letter When I begin my hints, young man, please wait until I finish before you cry out "Bosh, father and mother have told me that already," — or whisper "cut out that preaching." A little patience will show you that these few suggestions are given you purely from a ma- terialistic point of view. I shall not tell you, it is better to do this or not to do that, but I shall try to reveal to you why it is advisable to follow these hints. To be brief, I shall show what material benefit you can, and will derive therefrom. I do not flatter myself that the modern college man, in general, can be impressed by idealistic object lessons, but rather I am convinced that he is a materialistic being, pure and simple. He is not satisfied with a general statement as to what ought to be, he wants to be shown how much it will benefit him, before he is ready to adopt a particular code or procedure. A suggestion would probably strike home more speedily if [17] Are You Going to College we had time to figure out the value of its acceptance in dollars and cents. As I figure it, Dick, you will be a little over eighteen when you enter college, — a very good age. The boys, as a general thing, enter ranging in ages, anywhere from sixteen to twenty-one years, and I should say that the average age is about nineteen. It is not de- sirable for a boy to start in on his college course too young, as he is not mature enouga to get the full benefit thereof. On the other hand, if Fate sends a man to college aged much above the average, he may not be able to get in the proper swim with the boys. He has outgrown the turbulent spirits of youth and looks on life with more seriousness. Now that you qualify as to age, here goes for a few lines that may give mother a bump, if she has never thought about the subject- matter of my remarks before. My young man, you are about to take a step, the im- portance of which the average youngster and [18] First Letter his parents often do not realize. The fact is that you are going to take a step into deeper water than that which floats around in close proximity to the family bath-tub; you are going to be brought into contact with Life. You will be compelled to shift for yourself in many ways, at college. All through your primary and grammar school days, you have been under the watchful eye of pater and mater. Now, if you leave your home town you will not see your parents for weeks at a time, and even should you decide to take the undergraduate course in the college in your own town (and by the way, it is of the highest standard), you will be very much less under the parental roof. On being turned loose into college, you have a chance to learn to be inde- pendent, but at the same time, it is up to you to paddle your own canoe. Just a minute, while I give you a picture of what the average young man is when he reaches college. I will let you give him his [19] Are You Going to College physical proportions, but remember that he appears not fully developed. As for his dress, he may be attired in almost anything that looks like a coat, vest and trousers. Yes, those trousers! For heaven's sake, Dick, never let any of your friends go to college rigged up in short pants. If they can't get long trousers to fit them, let them wait until they grow into them, but do not let them take a chance at the campus in such a youthful make-up. Year after next, when you are leaning against one of those trees which have been planted by the class of '56, and are se- renely and peacefully sizing up the freshies as they march to the registrar's office, you will appreciate my timely warning. Ten to one, you will hear something like this, as Bill Jones spies a youngster in short pants : "Say, Bob, see who we have here? By gad, they will send them up with milk bottles before long; it's a fine chance we'll have to turn out a winning .foot ball team this year!" (Re- [20] F irst Letter sponse from Bob, a senior) "Ain't it so, Mabel? You should have seen our freshman class." (Here follows a long dissertation on said wonderful class). So arrives the freshman, equipped with clothes to wear and further burdened with the best wishes and the warnings of his par- ents to choose only good company. To this may be added a certain amount of coin, and a limited privilege to call for more. He comes into strange surroundings, having left his circle of acquaintances, a coterie about which mother and father have been fairly-well in- formed, — to enter into a new world. It is this fact of leaving old friends of childhood behind and breaking into a new field, only to leave it behind again on graduation, which has at times, inspired the discussion among college men, whether it is not more desirable to attend college in your own town where you can always have your college friends, or at least the majority of them with you after you [31] Are You Going to College graduate. Taking everything into considera- tion, I guess it's a toss-up, as there are only comparatively few men v^^hose life-v/ork al- lows them to settle permanently in one place. Those who follow certain occupations are bound to travel from place to place, and must learn to make new friends easily. Since you have made up your mind to go to college, I shall not take the time to discuss the advisability of going to college. The ad- vantages or disadvantages of a college educa- tion in its broad and general sense, can often enough be found treated in the current maga- zines. The net result of all arguments, pro and con, is that its utility must be determined by the circumstances of each particular case. What may be just the thing for Jack may be poison for Jill. There is one fact that neither you or any other young man, about to go to college, can get away from, — so you might as well put it in your pipe and smoke it. This is, that after you graduate, you must be pre- [ 22] First Letter pared to begin at the foot of the ladder, of whatever occupation you may pick out to follow as your life's work. Especially is this true of the man who decides to adopt a com- mercial career. You are better equipped in an all around way to take up your work than the average man — you ought to know from experience at college, how to do things in- telligently, but you cannot expect to know the fundamental tricks of a particular trade, when you are just beginning. It often is the lot of a graduate to start in on the same basis with a man who has been compelled to make a living right after leaving the grammar school. In fact, in many instances you will be in- structed to take orders from a boy who is younger by several years than you are. He may not, by any means, have the general mental and physical equipment that you have — but he will know more about a particular business than you do. Nevertheless, if you are of the proper stuff, you can readily, with [23] Are You Going to College the equipment the college has given you, learn quicker and outstrip your fellow-workers. You should know how the business methods can be picked up in the shortest possible time, — the grammar school man is still on the first rounds of the ladder of experience. With these few remarks, I turn to the first really important question, which confronts you and that is, "Which college shall I attend?" To answer that query properly for himself and to the satisfaction of his parents, it is necessary for a young man to remember that there are four factors which play an important part, in determining the response. They are : 1st. Where did the relatives and friends of the young man attend college? 2nd. The cost of college course and living. 3rd. The athletic prominence of various colleges. 4th. What can a college offer in the course the student desires to pursue? [34] First Letter As to the first factor, Dick, a close observa- tion of college conditions, will show that tra- ditions of institutions of learning are so strong that a boy who has been raised in a family where older brothers and cousins, not to speak of fathers and grandfathers, have gone to a certain college, will surely, nine out of ten times, follow in the footsteps of his relatives. Of course, it is only too natural that he would care to sit in the same halls ; sing and play on the same campus ; and live and sleep in the same atmosphere that the rest of the male members of his family and his friends have made use of. It is this same tendency to follow suit, which makes many of our young men "dog" the footsteps of their fathers, and become lawyers, doctors and what not, when as a matter of fact, they are not suited for that particular vocation. My observation con- firms me in the opinion that most young men at the age of eighteen or nineteen, do not know what they want to take up as their life's [25] Are You Going to College work. This is due, principally, to the fact that they have not studied the world enough to know what they are suited for, or what appeals to them. Not posted in this, they can hardly make an intelligent selection of a col- lege best adapted to their future needs. It is fortunate therefore, that our college courses now have the general tendency to an all- around development, which gives the student an opportunity to shift the makeup of his course a little when he becomes better in- formed as to his aim in life. Then, under the first head, there still re- mains another very potent force, a force that is nursed by the annual reunions, — a magnet which draws the alumnus back to his alma mater, only to send him out anew all over our country to sing the praises of his college. This interest and enthusiasm for the college and university, Dick, is cultivated to a great extent by all the progressive powers in col- lege, because it means financial support in [26] First Letter days of deficiencies, or in days of contem- plated expansion. No man wants to be inti- mately connected with a work or an institution which does not stand well in the front rank of its particular line of usefulness. Its in- significance becomes a reflection on the indi- vidual's capability and energy. So, the prac- tical result is that the older alumni put up the money for the buildings and furnish fuel to make the machine go at the proper pace, while the younger graduates see that the enrollment is steadily on the increase, and further, that their college has winning athletic teams. Few of you prospective college men know that your destinies have been settled almost from the day of your birth. How often at reunions or wherever several men get together for a few hours of social intercourse, have I not heard words of a trend as follows: "You boys re- member Charlie Wilson of the class of 1900?" "Sure." "I see in the evening papers that he has an addition to the family, and it is a boy." [27] Are You Going to College (Almost in chorus) : "Good, another ball player for Yale." These few words are in- dicative of the interest and the care with which the alumni watch young America, so as to turn a sufficiently large stream of hefty youths through the gate of their college. A little thought will show what a power of influence in its favor is extended all over our country by a college which has a faithful alumni. It may interest you to 'hear that much pressure is brought to bear, either directly or indirectly, on promising prep school athletes, so that they will enter the proper college. A good find in a prep school is immediately reported to the athletic departments of the colleges, or to some alumnus who is particularly interested in recruiting good youngsters. The major league scouts have nothing on the institutions of learning. This being so, it does not take an eagle eye to catch sight of athletic scholar- ships floating around, but each one is tied firmly to a string which leads to some one of [28] First Letter the bolder colleges. I have not followed your past records closely, but the mere fact that I have not heard your name mentioned at any of the college functions lately, tells me that you cannot be a prep school star. Therefore, an athletic scholarship has probably not been submitted to you for your inspection. Enough for that, and follow me, "Dickey boy," (I feel that I am beginning to know you better already), while I have a look at father's purse. You will probably discover before very long that this is a handy thing to have about the house, but particularly when said house is more familiarly known as college. Now in all seriousness, how much you can spend at college, depends entirely on your father's ability and willingness to foot bills. On the other hand, how much a man must spend de- pends on how few necessities of life he needs, and whether he can get a scholarship or not. There are three kinds of scholarships : first, those that require a competitive test ; secondly, [29] Are You G oing to College those that are handed out by the college authorities to young men who cannot afford to pay tuition, and thirdly, the above men- tioned athletic scholarship which goes to the man who can do a hundred yards in ten-flat or better. The cost of tuition in the various colleges is about the same, and not very high. Of course, where a person's means are lim- ited, it is easier to get along where the average student has less to spend. At some colleges, the social life is far more expensive than at others. Then again, if a young man wants to work his way through college, it is probably at the higher price institutions that he can, with more ease, find some congenial work to do. So you see, "the shoe must fit the foot that is to wear it." But why bother ourselves in your case about cost of college and living. A mercantile report of your Dad which I saw the other day said something about Credit A- 1. Do not understand me to imply that it's up to you to make it too hot for the goose (in this [30] First Letter case a gander) that lays the golden eggs. Not for a minute. All I mean to say, is that as I know your father, I am sure that he wants you to go to college ; further he wants you to go right. Then I'll add, that you ought to go on a reasonable allowance. So much for the "where-with-all" at this time. This factor does not play a very large part in the selection of your college. Now for the factor which brings to an in- stitution its large undergraduate body. That is the athletic prominence of a college. We may almost call it the undertow which often draws a boy against his will, if he does not take a firm foothold in the sands of common sense. An institution of learning may have the best course of study, as well as a faculty superior in every way, and yet it cannot com- pete with a college which has an inferior course, but is strongly represented on the athletic field. Athletic teams and sport equip- [31] Are You Going to College ment are the very best advertisement for a university. Earlier in my letter I have said something about athletic scholarships. I do not believe that these would have been fostered, if it had not been for the fact that the colleges with athletic prominence were in a better position to attract the young prep school men, than their less victorious rivals. After persuasion did not bring about the desired result, some bright individual conceived the idea of tickling a boy's vanity and also his pocket-book by saying to him, "Here, we will give you your tuition free." At the present time compara- tively few people know that young Smith is getting a good foundation laid for his life's work. But the chances are, that at least five hundred thousand readers of the Sunday morning papers will remember that Arthur Poe made a ninety yard run and won the foot- ball game for Princeton a few years ago. Again, the public knows when Foster of Har- [32] First Letter vard strains a tendon; but there are hardly a hundred well-balanced mortals who can tell you who won the Inter-collegiate debate last year. Why Dick, you may go through college and never get an idea of what college ath- letics really mean these days. Only a few years ago a manager representing one institu- tion, say "A," would write to a neighboring seat of learning for a friendly game of "what not" to take place on a Saturday sev- eral weeks off. "Come up to our grounds to play us and we will pay your expenses to get here" would write said Mr. Manager. Reply from college "B" would read : "Sure, we will come, we take for granted that game will be played in the afternoon." So everything was fixed. On the day of the game the students and faculty wandered out to the field and applauded the good plays. Now let's see the difference. In many of the colleges today they have a graduate man- [33] Are You Going to College ager on a fixed salary; because it was found that the student manager could not do justice to his studies and at the same time carry a team through its season successfully. Let me give you an outline of this athletic machine, or to be accurate, — ^business. I call it a busi- ness, because it takes a proper mercantile or- ganization to keep the boys from getting swamped and into financial difficulties. As the theory is, that the athletics are to be run by the students, we generally find that each undergraduate class elects one or more representatives, as the case may be, to repre- sent it on an athletic board. Sometimes if an institution has graduate departments, they are also represented on the governing board. In addition to these factions, no up-to-date col- lege forgets its graduates, as they generally have a wider business experience, and at the same time, if properly picked (with accent on the "picked") can also be of financial assist- ance when the season has not panned out well. [34] First Letter So two or three of these men are also found on the board. This board after it has properly organized, selects business managers for the various teams. I use the plural, because it takes a student manager with at least two or three assistants for each team, to do the work effi- ciently. Of course, the graduate manager who is on a salary, has the supervision of all the teams; and steps in with his experience and advice, when the student manager — who gen- erally serves only in his senior year — is up against a tough nut to crack. Take a look at a crowded stadium some autumn afternoon, when a large game is being played, and you will see that it takes a good treasurer to look after the thousands of dol- lars that pour in the gates in a short space of time. Do you wonder that it is proper to have him and the ticket sellers bonded? The athletic board must also have its finance com- mittee, as some teams do not support them- [35] Are You Going to College selves, and must be held above water by the more remunerative ones. In other words, the scholastic season must show a profit in ath- letics. After each team has its managers, it must have its captain, and last, but not least, its professional or graduate coach. To assist these we also generally find an advisory com- mittee for each sport. The arranging of a schedule takes months of hard work, and is often started six months before the contests come off. Contracts must be drawn up, and sometimes arbitration com- mittees called upon, before the terms as to gate receipts can be finally adjusted. Then the professional coach — his terms must be met, or taken down to figures within reason. By the way, you may just as well sink it into your head right now, that if you want a win- ning team, you must have a good coach. All closely contested games are these days won from the side lines. Experienced athletes [36] First Letter know that, and, therefore, are willing to sign up the modern coaches at a high figure. Good coaches are almost born, not made ; and, there- fore, as scarce as the proverbial hen's teeth. How often do you find men like Murphy, Donovan, Courtney and "Hurry-up" Yost? They are few and far between. The progressive athletic organization has also its publicity branch. There are the stu- dent reporters ; but if they do not measure up, then interviews must be arranged with the editors of the leading dailies, so that the col- lege is properly "spaced." The large stadiums have been built and interest must often be paid on the money invested ; hence the gradu- ates and friends all over the country must be kept interested, so that they will attend the games. Then again, when a first class team goes on a trip away from its home grounds, it almost rivals Barnum and Bailey's circus, or a train- load of opera singers. "Day coaches! not on [37] Are You Going to College your life," says the head coach. "We must have parlor cars or our one hundred and ninety pound full-back may hurt his punting leg." Later, when the squad gets to the hotel and has been quartered, each man alongside of his private bath, we again hear the cheerful head coach: "Say, manager, what has be- come of those bottles of drinking water that were to come down with us? These 'pups' of mine want a drink before supper, and this water is not fit to drink." Yes, this is to show you, if you do not know it already, that these young athletes are cared for like the modern race horse. Old Maud S. had nothing on these so-called "pups." "Foolishness" — you say, — "not on your life," respond I, who have coached a good many teams myself. Yet wait ! I must not wander off into a lecture on coaching, possibly more of this anon ; but now I am trying to help you pick your college. This organization of college athletics, nat- urally, makes a great impression on the prep- [38] First Letter school boy. It is true he does not see the inner mechanism, but he knows that all the best men gravitate to the larger colleges and the best coach, and are treated with respect and made comfortable there. He has learned that he cares more to play before a large au- dience, than a sickly gathering of spectators. In short, Dick, he wants to be an actor in a big production. This attitude of mind is per- fectly human, and certainly the best policy to pursue if athletics was the object and end for a man going to college. It, however, should not be, and I know is not with you. So I sug- gest the best rule for a fellow to follow is first to pick out the college, which offers, in the best way, the course he cares to pursue; and then, should there be several of an equally high standard, which is often the case, — then select the one with the best athletic equipment. It just strikes me that if your parents should happen to read this letter, and "I do not care if they do," — they will probably smile [39] Are You Going to College at the fact that I am taking up college from the point of view of the course of study, last. But my observation has been that a boy first gets the idea of college from his relations or friends. Next, he begins to inquire whether father can afford it. Then, it strikes him that athletics are interesting; and lastly, he begins to think of what course he wants to take up. Now, in your case, Dick, after reading your letter over again, I gather from it that you have not determined on any particular course. You say you want something in the way of a general education, and then again, should you fall in love with some profession and desire to follow it, you want to be in a position to turn your course in that direction. What you need, my boy, is something like a blanket in- surance policy; or a medicine that cures all ills for twenty-five cents ! You want a college course to cover all professions and also a com- mercial course. The truth of the matter is, Dick, you had better do a little more investi- [40] First Letter gating for the next few months, and I shall keep my eyes open for something new. But I can promise you that we will get you started in the right direction by fall. I have a few other college things that you ought to know about, but I guess this letter will hold you for a while. My regards to the folks and remember that anything that I can do for the son of Tom Dawson, is a pleasure to Yours sincerely, Harold James. [41] June 8th. '"Q EAR DICK: — I read from your last '1^ letter that you have decided to take a general collegiate course, with the idea of eventually going into your father's busi- ness. You do not believe that you are suited for a professional career. Well, it takes all kinds of people to make the world to go along properly, so I guess you will do for a business man all right. All of us are here to do some work, and if we do that which is assigned to us faithfully, we'll get our credits when the time comes around. And so you prefer to go to Hastings Uni- versity. A very good selection for your pur- pose. I congratulate you and also Hastings. You ask me whether it is better to live in the college dormitory, or in a Fraternity House? Now since you want me to call an [42] Second Letter ace an ace, and a spade a spade, it devolves upon me to tell you that you are not, at this time, in a position to choose. I do not know whether you are acquainted with the fact or not, but no man can get into a fraternity un- less he is asked to, by an insider. So I would not bother about living accommodations until just before I entered college in the fall. If any of your friends ask you about your living arrangements, just talk dormitories. Of course, when it comes to dormitories, — and in fact anything at college, — you will find that the upper classmen always have their pick. I also notice that you say that mother wants to help you to get fixed. Please give mother my best regards and tell her for me, that it is far better for you to pick out your own living accommodations, and then after college has been in swing for a few weeks, she can drop in and pay you a visit, to approve or disapprove of your arrangements. Let "Pa" and "Ma" give you the financial limits, and [43] Are You Going to College then you go ahead, Dick. Of course, mother feels that she ought to look out for her boy, and only justly so, but unfortunately, the average college man does not care to see the sign of apron-strings about the campus. I do not know of any other class of men that is so much influenced by small things. It is a pity to see how often bully good men handicap their position in college by not being coached up on the importance of small things. Your mentioning the Fraternity House brings me to the subject of Fraternities in general. I am not going to give you a long historical lecture on Fraternities, Dick. Nor am I going to take up the discussion of whether Fraternities are detrimental to democratic col- lege life or not, — ^because, although I am my- self a "frat" man (this abreviation may not meet with favor at Hastings, — inquire), I con- fess that I am unprepared to say whether or not college life would be better off without the fraternal influence. Possibly if I keep in [44] Second Letter touch with the boys a few years longer, I may be able to make a conclusive deduction one way or the other. Those that are opposed to societies argue that they form cliques in the college life of a university and that, therefore, they should be removed. I know of cases where their influence has been harmful and this fact made me observe more closely. Fur- ther, there are institutions where no Fraterni- ties are allowed with the result that select eating clubs and similar organizations have practically taken their place. It seems to me, from what I have read in history and politics, and what I know of the make-up of man, as studied in the laboratory of everyday life, that men or women of similar characteristics and habits, or engaged in the same activities, will sooner or later drift towards each other, — thus leaving those that do not attract them, to find persons who have a mutual interest. There is a good old proverb which reads: "Birds of a feather flock together." I know [45] Are You Going to College that from time immemorial, there have been social cliques; and I am inclined to believe that we shall have them for some time to come. Now, the practical question for you, Uick, and all prep school men, is how to handle this mystery called a Fraternity. For the present, it is with us and very much so. The first thing that interests a youngster, is a fancy pin which he spies on the vest or shirt of a college man. Inquiry reveals to him the fact that it is a fraternity pin; the insignia of a secret organization, which possesses a large house into which only a limited number of men are asked to enter and join, as members. Grad- ually he studies the pins of the college men he meets, and begins to wonder which pin he would prefer to wear. On entering college in the fall, you will, in all probability, be asked to visit some of the Frat houses so that you may meet the boys. Then while you are taking an inventory of the inside of the Fraternity House, you yourself [46] Second Letter are being closely inspected by the members of the Society. Entertainments of all kinds arc given so as to impress the freshman or prep- school man. Older Alumni will shake you by the hand, and let you know what a wonderful Society they belong to. How it extends from the North through the South, and clear from the Atlantic to the Golden Gate of the Pacific. Further, you will gaze upon books like "Who's Who In America," which will show you (just casually, of course) that twenty-five well- known Senators and thirty-five men of letters, not to speak of all the prominent college ath- letes, are members of the particular Fraternity whose guest you are that evening. To be frank with you, my boy, you will hear of all the merits of the Fraternity to which your host belongs, and in some cases also, — I am sorry to say — the demerits of the other Frats, who may be competitors for your hand. I use the term "competitor," because it is an established fact, that several Frats are gener- [47] Are You Going to College ally after the more prominent material in the freshman class. There are three classes of men who are candidates for Societies: first, men who have stood out prominently in the prep schools as athletes or otherwise ; secondly, men who have peculiarly desirable social con- nections, and lastly, the good, reliable man who has prospects of making good and who is a gentleman. The same human characteristic which draws a boy to the colleges which have a fine lot of athletes, also coaxes those same boys into the Frats to which the athletes belong. Hence, you can readily see that the thing for the Frats to do, is to land the leaders and athletes first, leaving their attention as far as the dark horses are concerned, until last. In some col- leges the competition in the selection of men has become so keen, that the Fraternities no longer wait until a man reaches the institution, but they go into the prep schools to pledge or bind him. This, Richard, I consider a very [48] Second Letter harmful practice and should be abolished. Some of the college authorities have taken this matter in hand. They have laid down the rule that no man can be bound to any Society until after his Freshman year. In other institutions, the Frats themselves have done away with this cut-throat competition, by forming agreements under which no man can be approached before he has been in col- lege a certain length of time. This regulation is just, equitable and desirable for both the Fraternity and the candidate for admission. For the world of me, — I cannot see why prep school pledging is not done away with in all colleges. Is it possible that certain faculties are not in close touch with social conditions in their colleges, — or is it that in certain col- leges the weaker chapters are afraid to stand on a footing of fair competition? I am in- clined to the latter conclusion, because where the Frats get together, action on the part of the faculty is not necessary. [49] Are You Going to College I can see you shake your head now, Dick, and say, "What difference does it make if a man is pledged before he gets to college"? Bear with me a minute, and I will put you straight. I have written to you before, that when a man goes to college, he is generally compelled to pick up an entirely new set of friends. It is another important fact that when he makes a Frat, his time is so occupied with his society brothers, especially if he lives in the Society House, that he makes few close friends outside of this circle. The third fact, — and a very significant one which my observation of boys has assured me of, — is that every boy who goes to college is influenced by his environment. The men that he travels with, will either "make him or break him." Of course, Dick, we can find a good old steady brick anywhere, but the best we can do is to call him the exception to the rule. I further know that a boy who pledges himself before reaching college, cannot know [50] Second Letter the members of a Fraternity well enough to determine whether they will be congenial to him or not. And this first, because he cannot determine what boys will be members of the Frat with him, in his freshman class; and secondly, because he must live on the college campus before he can tell what standing the members of each Frat have in the college com- munity. So you see how you prep school men can draw an awful pig in a bag, in the way of college chums. You may not discover your mistake until after you have been in college six months; and, of course, once in a Frat you can never change horses. Keep your eye open for the Society which treats you cor- dially ; but whose members are not too aggres- sive, and anxious to pledge you. Do this, and you will not live to regret a hasty action. Then again, some boys draw a "lemon" and never know it themselves. I say "themselves," because they are carried on and their character [51] Are You Going to College moulded by the company which they keep, without their getting a chance to study the general effect. The faculty will see the result, and all the other boys at college will know it, only to hand it along to friends in the home town. "Harry Crawford"? (with a smile) Oh ! he is all right, the only trouble is, he got in with a fast crowd at college." Next comes an investigation by father, provided father can believe it of Harry, — and Harry is either called home, or transplanted to another col- lege. H father does not get wise, then Harry will more than likely drift along from bad to worse. Why I know you won't believe it when I tell you, that I have seen brothers, who have belonged to different Fraternities in the same college, come out entirely different, — although raised by the same parents and sent through the same prep schools. I repeat, his friends at college will either "make or break a man." The other day I was talking to a prep school [52] Second Letter boy, along the line of the hints in this letter, and he told me that there was a report circu- lated in their school, that it was necessary for a man to accept the first bid which he received from a Frat, or he would not get another. He further informed me that on account of this bug in their ears, several of his friends had immediately pledged themselves. I simply looked at him and said "what fools these mortals be," meanwhile thinking of a police magistrate friend of mine, who had said to me not so very long before: "Mr. James, I see a good deal of life here, and I have, after due consideration, come to the conclusion that three-quarters of the people are fools, while the other quarter are damn fools." Just to think, Dick, that boys of not less than seven- teen years of age would swallow a story like that! Then again there is a sad side to this fraternity story, which we can not get away from ; and that is, that in some of our colleges the Frats are not playing fair. They are either [53] Are You Going to College cheating the prep school boy, or themselves. Time will tell. I do not want you to get the idea, Richard, that I am opposed to your joining a society. Not for the world ! I am too hot a f rat man myself; but I have tried to show you the danger of pledging yourself to any society be- fore you enter college. Should you be in- vited to any "rushers" for new men, or what- ever they may be called, I would advise you to accept all that come your way. Go to them, and gather all the information you can, so as to place yourself in a position to judge intelli- gently, if you are asked to join. Ask ques- tions of any of the men, and they will be only too glad to answer them; and should you, by reason of your inexperience, get too close to matters which they are not supposed to di- vulge, then you will find yourself gently turned into proper channels. Further, it is very important for you to dress properly. By that I mean, nothing ex- [54] Second Letter treme in the way of styles or finery, but simply neat and above all things, clean linen. You may say "that ideal clothes do not make the man." This is very true, Dick, but the first impression that a man makes, counts for a great deal. You see there will be a great many men in your college, just like you, who will not be well known to the boys. You may be invited to a Frat function, and if you go there looking like "sloppy weather," you may not get another chance, or at least, not for some time, to show the chaps that you are more of a man than your clothes indicate. The sopho- more may not look his best when he makes a quick change from bed to chapel ; but he is just the man who expects a freshman to look immaculate as far as his linen is concerned. A student of human nature once remarked : "Pigs is pigs." After a year at college you will ejaculate : "Sophs is Sophs." This deli- cate phrase can be interpreted into "Sophs are hunters for trouble." [55] Are You Going to C ollege The prominent characteristic about the esteemed sophomore, is that he can always discover something wrong about a freshman. To him, the first year man is too fresh and needs some of his freshness taken out; or he is too quiet and needs some ginger. My ob- servation has been that this turning point between freshness and too quiet, is a very difficult thing to find. It's generally a case of "when in doubt swat the freshman." So at fraternity functions, or wherever you come in contact with the upper classmen, treat them respectfully and civilly, but be not too fresh. I happened to be in a home one evening, when a matron who was very popular socially, gave her final instructions to her daughter, just before she formally presented her to the world. Her words were short and to the point: "Helen, remember, always be neat, and talk, talk, talk !" I will say to you, Dick, "Always be neat, and talk, but not too boldly." The boys do not care to entertain a stick, but [ 56 ] Second Letter an unpardonable sin, is lack of respect to older class men. By the way, should you, as you are making the rounds of the societies, run across a very elaborate house equipment, please do not for- get that all you see costs money. Now, with Fraternities, as with everything else in life, it takes money to make the mare go. Especially when said mare must carry a lot of college boys who go on a party every once in a while. Parties often mean broken crockery, etc., etc. Then again, I have on some evenings wan- dered into a society's room and found every- thing very peaceful, only a half hour later to suddenly find numerous freshmen and sopho- mores in violent combat. Inquiry on my part as to the cause of this sudden storm would produce the laconic reply "One of those darn freshmen started something." Net result: one supposedly-to-be improved freshman, which cost the Society fifty dollars in furniture. Well, in short, it costs to run any institution, [57] Are You Going to College and you will find that membership fees in Fraternities are generally capitalized on how much of a splurge the boys want to make. Do not forget to find out the price. Good things come high, but there is no sense in paying more for them than they are worth. While you are being courted or rushed by the various Societies (should you be so for- tunate as to make a favorable impression), you will surely be informed of the fact that a certain Frat is only a local ; do not be alarmed at this revelation. A local is nothing more or less than a society which is confined to the college which you are attending. All other Fraternities are national in scope, and are sup- posed to have chapters or units over the width and breadth of the land. Of course, it's a great talking point, and it makes a great im- pression to think that wherever you go you will be hailed by the name of "brother," but remember, that it is more important for you to get in with a clean, healthy crowd of fel- [58] Second Letter lows in college, than to build on prospects. Frats like all social organizations, are bound to have some individuals or groups of men within their make-up who are not just up to the mark. My suggestion is Dick, that you take your time and make a thorough study of society conditions at Hastings before you make your final decision. Keep your eye on other nice boys in your class and see which way they go ; they will be your friends in the senior class. Naturally, if you had any broth- ers in certain Frats their connection would play some part in your deliberations. Then, when you have picked the crowd that you want and they want you, go in and become a real rattling good frat man, and feel proud of your selection. Good-night, Dick, and do not forget to re- member me to mother, and that curly-headed sister, Carrie, of yours. Also tell the boss that I am going to drop into Philadelphia soon, to smoke one of those black boys with him. Yours sincerely, Harold James. [59] October 25TH. ^P| EAR DICK: — I have been so busy, THj since my return from that httle business trip to Europe, getting matters up to date, that I had almost forgotten that a young man by the name of Richard Dawson was still clinging to this terrestial ball. So you have been a college man for over a month, and say that you feel pretty well broken in! I can^t just figure out what you mean by "broken in." Peradventure, do you wish to convey the idea that you are getting on as far as your studies are concerned, or have the sophomores broken you in? And you "have gone and done it." To think that after all that good advice I gave you, you have tied up with a Frat within a month's time of your arrival on the campus. Well, your arguments on the facts at hand are good, [60] Third Letter and from your selection I can say that you hit the bull's eye, even if you did not take a long aim. Let me congratulate you and add, "Lucky Boy." My last letter to you, Dick, gave you a num- ber of hints as to how a Society should be handled by an outsider. Now that you are an insider, I will ask you to lend me your ears a few minutes, while I give you a few observa- tions on how you should conduct yourself as a fraternity man. (By the way, whenever you write me, I take it for granted you are ready for some more hints or you would not write). In a general way, the student body of a college where they have Fraternities, is divided into two classes : Frat men and Non-Frat men. The Non-Frats are again divided into men who would like to get into a society; and men who have been asked, but who for financial reasons, or others, do not care to join. Now the fraternity men are more at liberty to act and do as they please, than the other students. [61] Are You Going to College Everybody knows that they are not being con- sidered as possible candidates for membership in a Society; they are it. They can go up to any cHque of fellows and "butt in" at all times and almost any place, without being thought ill of. On the other hand, consider the Non- Frat man. He knows that there are moments when he is not wanted, because a bunch of men who belong to the same Frat want to talk over some private or secret matters. If he is of a refined temperament, he will hesitate to mix in too freely with a bunch of men, if mostly frat men are present. He is afraid that his harmless familiarity and good fellowship will be misinterpreted as a sort of planned aggressiveness on his part to get in. Of course, the man who has been asked to join is in a freer position than the out and out non-frat man. The former has the satisfaction of the stamp of approval ; the latter feels that he has been weighed and found wanting, or has not even been taken up for consideration. Dick, [62] Third Letter you will at times wonder why some of the men who you were very close to in prep school, suddenly treat you with more reserve. The reasons are, first, that they do not care to be accused of courting you; and secondly, your new interests take up a good deal of the time that you formerly had for them. Above all, remember that your actions are absolutely unrestricted. It is up to you to make the ad- vances. If a crowd of you boys are together and a "non-frat" is in the neighborhood, draw him into your crowd by a friendly word, or a healthy slap on the back, by the way of a good morning. Do not wait for him to speak first. Give him a cue so that he may know that he is not butting in. This hint I give to you, my boy, because you can save many a deli- cately tempered man a painful moment; and at the same time it will stamp you as a gentle- man. The proper attitude in this matter it is very difficult for a freshman to acquire, who immediately on entering college joins a Frater- [63] Are You Going to College nity. I believe I know what I am talking about, as yours truly did not join a Society until his senior year, and he is glad of it. Now to get down to the cold material side of this matter, — to the dollars and cents side, as the writer promised to do in one of his former letters. Tell your friends that all the good men do not get into Frats, and that some of the doubtful ones do. It pays to give a fellow the glad hand. Remember, that it is almost as essential to have friends in college, as when you get out of college into the struggle for a daily existence. Friends in college will vote when the class elections come around; friends will back the college team of which you are captain, and make you a success. Friends will declare you the most popular man in college. Friends will not let the faculty suspend you when you foolishly break some rule ; and finally, — friends will stand by you when you are out of college and need a job ! My experience is, that in the daily scrap to [64] T hird Letter make all ends meet, and fill the pay envelope, Frats are entirely forgotten. It's a case of friends and deliver the goods. Having handed you that lengthy "do," your tutor in principles will give one "don't" be- fore leaving this ever-interesting subject of college Societies. Are you ready? Well, do not begin to consider your Fraternity of more importance than your University. The minute you put college activities aside for those of the Fraternity, the secret Society becomes a dan- gerous undercurrent against college spirit. Never have your dinners, conventions or other functions at a time, when your members should be at practice with the athletic teams. Push along the good name of the University first, and you will naturally find your Frat in its proper place, to wit: the front line. Stop pushing and it's time to get out your robes for a funeral. One thing strikes me about your last epistle, my dear "freshy," and that is, that you do not [65] Are You Going to College breathe a word about hazing. I am willing to bet even money, that they have had you on the rack, or you would surely have been telling us about the funny things which have been handed out to the other fellows. Why is it called "hazing"? You know, that it never occurred to me to inquire where this practice originated. There is a fine chance for some freshman to do a little historical investigating in connection with his laboratory course in hazing. No doubt by this time you can tell us very vividly how it feels to be tossed in a blanket by a wild lot of Sophs, — especially when they do not care whether they drop you or not. And the seat of your pants! — Why is it, I wonder that a strenuous and often- applied dose of paddles, — on the part of the anatomy which Nature has provided for the training of bad children, — seems to be one of the approved ways of instilling into a fresh- man the proper amount of respect for upper classmen? Possibly it is, because so many of [66] T hird Letter our sophomores have only recently been taught to obey father, by a similar process of dusting. Well, the only thing to do, is to take it, and get even with the freshman next year. Of course, if you want to make it interesting for someone else besides the sophomores, then abide your chance and light into one of your inquisitors. This will rank you ace high with the seniors, who are supposed to be too digni- fied to do any hazing; but who are always hanging around to see the fun. Remembei, that at your best, you will only be able to get in a few good licks before you will be promptly grabbed by an overwhelming bunch of sopho- mores. And then, — yes, then it means more paddles. These bands of wild Indians, called "Sophs," do not scout around singly or one by one ; but like the real red-skin aborigines, in "sixes and sevens" they pounce on a fresh- man, or two, when these have carelessly wan- dered away from the rest of their caravan. Then the unfortunate ones are put through [67] Are You Going to College the "gauntlet" (See Cooper's "Last of the Mohicans," page 123) with more or less pain- ful results. A second thought gives me a "hunch"; why could the modern hazing not be a survival of the old pioneer days? But Dick, I give you this flash to work on some winter day, when you are no longer a fit sub- ject in the laboratory of hazing. Now the trouble with you freshmen is, Dick, that you have no organization. You hardly know each other, and further, you are afraid to make a mistake and jump into a Senior or Junior, instead of a Sophomore. They all look alike to you, but there is really a very great difference. Of course, the senior class has promised the faculty that they will dis- courage all hazing this year. They had to do that, or one of the Sophs would have been fired last year. But a little underground study of human nature, will reveal to you that the theory of most seniors is, that the easiest way to break up hazing is to fortify [ 68 ] Third Letter the freshman class against any attacks on the part of the Sophomores. This theory was advanced by one of our ex-presidents, when he conceived the idea that the best assurance of peace is to prepare for war. You will find a few bolder seniors always ready to tutor you how to get the freshmen thoroughly lined up. Remember that there are two adages well known to all fighting men. They are: "All Gaul is divided into three parts," and "In Unity there is strength." In your case the three parts of Gaul are the Freshmen, the Sophomores and the Faculty. Line up the first part against the second part, and then look out that the Faculty is somewhere else when the fight is about to begin. I was present once at one of these class tilts, when every- body including Juniors and Seniors (the sup- posed-to-be police), became so thoroughly in- terested in how the Freshmen were wiping up the ground with the Sophomores, that one gentleman of the faculty (who had wandered [69] Are You Going to College too near the line of skirmish), was suddenly mistaken for a sophomore, and promptly sat upon by several Freshmen. You ask me what happened? To tell you the truth, I did not stop to see : — I was a Senior ! In all seriousness, Dick, I know nothing which cuts out that hazing, on the part of the Sophomores, quicker than a well-organized attack on them, by the freshman class. This is easy enough, if you do not forget that there are nearly always more men in the freshman class than in the Sophomore one. The weed- ing out process has not begun so early in the college year. Your banner motto must be "In Unity there is Strength," and your battle cry, "Let's get together and bump them" I Re- member, I am keeping my eye on the evening paper to get the latest reports. To bring this hazing and bickering between the two lower classes to an end, and thus allow everyone to settle down to study, the practice has been adopted in many of the col- [70] T hird Letter leges, of having one rush or fight, and then calling things quits. I do not just remember what is the trick at Hastings (please tell me the next time you write), but the fight for the old canon; the rush at the bowl; and the various cane rushes, not to speak of the water contest of one of our Western colleges, are fixtures in college life. These mix-ups are now worked out on a plan so that it can be officially recorded whether the Freshmen or the Sophomores are victorious. The Seniors are generally the officials. Most of these fights or rather pulls and pushes, are harmless and the boys get off with a black eye or some torn clothes. But as I do not know what you are up against at Hastings, I will give you a warning against a general cane rush. By a general cane rush, I mean one in which both the entire freshman and sophomore classes participate. Fortunately that kind of a rush has been modified in most of the colleges ; but every once in a while some bright Freshman [71] ^ Are You Going to College suggests going back to the general rush. I do not want you to be one of these who, on account of inexperience, would make such a proposal ; hence these lines. The whole object of a cane rush, is for each of the two classes to try to get as many hands as possible on a cane, and keep them there until time is up. The class with the highest number of hands on the cane, wins. Formerly each class used to line up about five yards from its representative, who held the cane. That gave each class five yards to travel be- fore the cane was reached. Time-keepers were appointed, and when the Senior, who had been selected as official, blew a whistle, the two masses of humanity made a rush for the cane, which was held by two men, each representing a class. The rules of the game allowed that the men of one class could push and pull their opponents away from the cane. At the end of five minutes the class who had the most hands on the coveted stick, won. [72] Third Letter This description may not sound awe-inspiring, but after the first onslaught, the centre men were invariably thrown on the ground in this free-for-all fight to hold on. Then the out- siders piled on top in their eflforts to get at the cane, which they hoped to reach by putting their arms through some crevice. Have you ever been on the bottom of one of those old mass plays when everything went through right tackle, only to meet the entire team of the opponent coming the other way? No? Well Dick, I am sorry, because that was just about as much like a cane rush as a ladies' afternoon pink tea resembles a Jeffries-and- Johnson prize fight. I can answer for you that you would have called "down" with that all-the-wind-knocked-out squeak, immediately after you had touched the ground on one of those tackle plays. Just imagine your agony then, if you had been compelled to stay under those twenty-two men for five minutes ! Now, have you got that? — Then multiply by ten, [73] Are You Going to College and you will get the pressure per square inch which the heroes on the bottom of a general cane rush had to standi Another thing that made it worse, was that in falling, by reason of the pressure on all sides, the men were unable to get themselves in an uncramped position- The time of five minutes was en- tirely too long, and of no avail to either class, as very few hands change after the centre men are thrown, or have thrown themselves to the ground. Fortunately, I was never present at any of the old cane rushes, when men were suffocated outright. But I have helped to untangle the mass after the whistle has blown; and found men on the bottom of the pile unconscious, still clinging to that cane. Others, had their hands so gripped on the cane, that they were sort-of paralyzed, and it took a good deal of rubbing before the fingers could be released. We also have found a few broken ribs and ankles, but they do not count in college. So, gradually, the time length of [74] T hird Letter the cane rush was modified to about one minute. This, you will find, is ample time to give a fair supremacy to one side or the other. Further, the classes now generally pick out about twenty men on a side, to represent them in the contest. Also, they are lined up farther away from the centre men, so as to reduce the sudden impact. The speedy men get to the cane first ; thus the pile builds up gradually. So you see that a cane-rush has also developed along scientific lines. Now, Richard, if Hastings is booked for a cane rush this fall, and some bright young, inexperienced supposed-to-be harmless fresh- man thinks that one minute is not long enough for a cane rush, then hand him a few of the above "dope." If that will not act as a proper sedative for his overbubbling college enthu- siasm, then tell him for me, "it does not pay." If he asks why, answer thou, "because the men who are picked for a cane rush, always in- clude the athletes of the classes; and a few [75] Are You Going to Collegn broken ankles, if nothing worse, may put one or more of your college teams out of the run- ning for the championship." Just as I had dipped my pen in the ink to round out my above remarks, my eyes fell on a picture which is hanging over my desk. A friend of mine took it just after the Army and Navy foot-ball game several years ago. By the way, it was that game when Charley Daly played the whole game for Army. Yes, we had made the trip from New York in a private car; there were a half-dozen men and as many girls. The reason I mention this, is that some of these girls were "fem semmes." Exactly, that is the expression, "fem semmes." Pos- sibly you have not met this kind before, so I will drop the college slang, and introduce them as girls belonging to a female seminary. Why is it, that fate always seems to place a female seminary just within walking distance of a men's college ? Do not be afraid, Dick, if you happen to be a ladies* man, that I am going [76] Third Letter to warn you to stay away from a place where a peach crop is being rounded out to be shipped into the world. Not on your life! I have sense enough to know it is easier to turn back Niagara Falls than to keep the average youngster from having a look into a female seminary. As a friend of mine said not long ago : "It simply ain't no use." Of course, some night you will make your way over that three miles between Hastings and Chester Seminary. You will try to attract some of the girls to the windows by whistling. Probably with success, but if you fail in the first half hour, then send somebody back to college for a mandolin. When he has walked three miles going and three miles coming, then strike up a few notes on the instrument; this will have the magical effect. A serenade al- ways brings results. It did 'way back in Shakespeare's time, when the lovers knew how to play a mandolin, and it does now when you boys only try to play it. Yes! the village [77] Are You Going to College clock will be striking eleven, when a window opens just an inch and the following note is dropped at your feet: "Dear Boys: Please stop that noise; Mrs. Gray, the chaperone is watching us too closely. Will meet you at the bridge tomorrow at four." No signature. How interesting! You will then start home over those three miles and vote your evening a thorough success. Total result: six miles for some; twelve miles for the fellow v/ho went after the mandolin ; one sweet note, and no prepared lectures for the next day for any- body. — Yes, but it was a romance; it was an experience, the kind that sounds fine to younger brothers and cousins when you get home for the Christmas holidays. Now the interesting thing about all this is, that one day a learned man, I believe it was William Penn, got the idea that the best way to keep the boys at college, and not have them out so late, would be to bring the girls right where they would see them all day long. Hence, we have co-education. [78] T hird Letter Never having attended a co-educational in- stitution, I am not in a position to say v\^hether they are of a social or economic advantage. Further, all of my inquiries have borne little fruit. One thing I do know, however, and that is that the very men who have told me that it is a nuisance to have girls in the same college, and that they never bothered about them, have been the very ones who have mar- ried a girl that they have met in college. Dick, there is no harm in a "fem semme," provided she is a nice girl and most of them are ; but a hint that preparing your studies for the next day should be rule, and girls the ex- ception, is not exactly out of place here. You also should know that some girls, or some that were girls, stay around a college town a long while. These are not fem semmes any more, although they may have been. Unfor- tunately for them, they seem to have become fixtures in the place, even though they are perfectly willing to move away under the pro- [79] Are You Going to College tecting arms of some Senior. I mention this by way of introduction so as to tell you in a few words, before closing tonight, what hap- pened to a son of a dear friend of mine. He, the boy, started off to college and all ran smoothly until he went back for his sopho- more year. James, we will call him for a better name, began writing home in the fall of his second year, about a wonderful girl he had met in the college town. He admitted that he had seen her during his freshman year, but now he was beginning to realize that she was the best ever. Then letters followed to father to the tune of "I feel like stopping college and getting to work." Father, who had also been to the same college, began to sit up and take notice. He thought matters were getting too hot for comfort, but he still tried to persuade the boy to finish his college course. Finally, when his efforts were about ex- hausted, father wrote to James that "if you must you must, but please write me all about [80] Third Letter the girl and who she is." The response was full with details. Father read the letter over several times very carefully, and then with a sigh of relief wrote as follows: "Dear James : I have received yours of the in- stant, and read the same with great care, and find to my surprise, that the lady you mention is the same girl which I almost fell in love with, when I was at college. Let me know when you are ready to start for home. Your Loving Father." Needless for me to say, Dick, that James finished his college course. In conclusion, I want to thank you for your kind invitation to see one of the large games in November. I think I can make it. With best regards, Yours sincerely, Harold James. [81] J^aurtij Hotter October 28th. EAR DICK: — It was a surprise to me to hear from you so soon after my last letter. But you are right in saying that you want to begin properly posted and, therefore, must ask me questions now. You excuse yourself for taking up so much of my time; no excuses necessary, my boy. Mrs. J. and myself often decide on a quiet evening at home together, and then I, after being comfortably fixed in an arm-chair, take down my pen and just scribble. In answering your queries, and framing up my hints, I become so interested as to forget all about business cares. As I go along, I gradually find myself alongside of you in col- lege. Some of the professional men I know give their minds a rest by reading several [82] Fourth Letter trashy novels in succession. Every person according to his inclination, — mine at present, is chatting with you. So you have never taken part in athletics, and you do not know whether to begin now. The boys have all been, for several weeks, suggesting that you ought to try for one team or for another. Further, all of them seem to think that the particular game at which they have made a success, is the best sport to play. I used to think the same way, Dick, but after I had taken a turn at nearly all of them (not all, seriously, however) I came to the decision that a man can become interested in almost any game. Some of them are more strenuous than others, but as someone must win, there is spice in the whole list of them from "pitching nickels" to "running quarters under fifty seconds." Of course, some sports are more suitable to one person than to anoth- er You know my favorite one, but as ray advice is to be unbiased, it would be improper [83] Are You Going to College for me to discuss the merits of the respective sports. By all means go in for some form of ath- letics. If you have never tried, you do not know whether you can deliver the goods or not. Further, athletics belong to a well- rounded college education. There are things which you can learn on the athletic field, which you can never even meet with in the classroom. First you learn to obey. By that I mean you are taught discipline. Some great general said, "No man is fit to command until he has learned to obey." Well, if you are going into commercial life, you certainly ex- pect to reach the point some day when you will have men under your control. Now is the time, while at play, to learn how to be a good executive. Then there will be no fear of strikes in Dick Dawson's plant, for he knows how to handle his men. Also, you must not forget the fact that "all work and no play makes Dick a dull boy." [84] Fourth Letter You cannot do your best work when you do not keep yourself in good physical shape. Your blood must circulate so as to keep your gray matter up to a keen standard. I am not afraid, Richard, that you will not get some exercise; because all up-to-date colleges now have a prescribed course in physical culture. That is good in its way, but it lacks the ele- ment of contest which keeps a fellow inter- ested. Another very potent reason why I advocate athletics, is that they have a national signi- ficance- If my recollection serves me cor- rectly, it was General Wellington who said: "The battle of Waterloo was won on the football field at Eton." Their national sig- nificance was brought home to me most strongly when not so many years ago, I heard a lecture on the Spanish War. The lecturer showed us a picture in which were grouped' the men who had led our troops through the Cuban campaign. The majority of them bore [85] Are You Going to College familiar names as athletic generals. It was only a logical step from athletic sports to the grim sport of war. They had learned to han- dle men at play; the experience had stood by them when the nation called for troops and commanders. We do not need too large a standing army, Dick, our Navy and our geographical posi- tion saves us from that. But we should have our young men trained to obey, so that when the time comes and we must have an army, the good, old regulars with the state militia as a nucleus, can be expanded into an effici- ent fighting body. A captain in the militia, — and by the way, an old athlete asked me just before the late Mexican troubles, "What do you think of having every young man go through a course of military training, say for three months?" At first I laughed at him and told him that our people would not stand for a standing army like those of the European countries. [86] Fourth Letter "Think it over," he said, and I did. The result was, that I now believe it would be good for every young man to have a little touch of discipline instilled into his make-up, and also to learn to handle a rifle. This mod- erate training would be a great help as a national defense, and yet, our country would not be threatened with the unhealthy social supremacy of the military set, which is bound to grow up with a standing army. Nor would the three months' training in any way harm a young man's business or professional pros- pects. When younger, I used to think that in case of war, our men could leave their plows to flock around the flag and put our foe to flight. In the last ten years my obser- vations have been that, all things being equal, a machine, whether it be an athletic, a polit- ical or a military one, if instilled with the proper spirit, — can win nine out of ten times from an untrained aggregation. So at present, as we have no military training, college ath- [87] Are You Going to College letics must in a way, do for us what the former does for the youths of Europe. When it comes to picking the sport for you, I guess the best way to do, is to get at it by the process of elimination- Now I know, although you have written nothing about it, that you naturally incline to what is known as one of the major sports in college. In this column, according to the college you attend, you will find: Foot-ball, Track Athletics; Base-ball; Lacrosse and Rowing. If you ask why I know it, then I simply respond, "Be- cause nine out of every ten men want to be where the crowds are, and they are with the major sports," I do not blame you; but re- member it is harder to make good on a team where one hundred and fifty men are trying to squeeze into never more than twelve posi- tions, than on an aggregation where only fifty or less are in the squad. On the other hand, it shows the proper spirit for a man to be willing to buck up against large odds. Then [ 88 ] Fourth Letter when he comes through the winner, he can spell it with a large W. My advise for the treatment of your par- ticular case, is to tackle the first sport on the schedule. If you are absolutely disqualified for that by the coaches, then try some other sport; but for heaven's sake, do not get the idea in the first few practices, that you are absolutely no good. Do not try one sport a month, and then switch over to another, just like some of the men do when they get out into the business world. They have not the qual- ity to stick at it. I have seen men jump from law, to medicine, to business in as many years, and wonder why they did not get along in any line. Remember, what was said in an earlier letter about the four years of college being like a Httle world in itself. The char- acteristics and experience that bring success in college, are the same that must be used in the fight for a living when you get; out. You must begin all over again, and work your way [89] Arc You Going to College through to the top. Of course, the odds are greater against you later on, but the second fight is always easier than the first. Before giving you some idea of how to be a candidate for a team, I must warn you against taking part in any sport as strenuous as foot-ball, without having subjected your- self to a medical examination. That may seem superfluous to you, but you owe it to your- self, and to your college team to take a test. If students insist on taking part in a sport when they are physically unable to stand the strain, then we will have occasional fatal- ities. Please do not, however, run to your family physician, because he has probably never seen much of athletics, and is, there- fore, too careful making you believe, from the start, that you are an invalid. Most of our large colleges now have a medical advisor, who was or should have been an athlete him- self. His youthful desire to win games has been properly tempered by his medical exper- [90] F ourth Letter ience. In a word, he knows when you can play, even if he does discover some thumping somewhere. He disquahfies extreme cases from participating in violent games, and sug- gests something moderate to build up a youth without knocking out his nerve from the start, by putting him on the total disability list. I might say in passing, Dick, that a coach must also know what the constitution of each man can stand. I, for myself, refuse to drive a man to the limit, if I have not the O. K. of a medical expert. This business of winning games at all costs is wrong. At the same time, consider the temptation a professional coach is under to do this very thing. If he does not win this year, it may mean no job for him next year. After you have passed your medical exam- ination, inform the captain of the team, which you are going to try for, that you would like him to put you down as a candidate. Then [91] Are You Going to College follow instructions closely, and begin to think. By that I mean whenever the coach gives you a hint, do not try to follow his instruction blindly; but figure out "why" he told you to do a certain thing, and "how" he told you to do it. As soon as you have had on your uni- form a day or two, buy yourself the latest set of rules covering the sporH you want to learn, and thoroughly familiarize yourself with them. You will be surprised, Dick, to find how many boys at college try for a team, and have never seen a copy of the rules- It is a case of hit or miss with them, they are never absolutely sure whether they are right. When you have studied over a play and cannot understand it, do not hesitate to go to your coach or captain and ask for an explan- ation. Either one will be only too glad to assist you, because experience has taught them that to have team-work, it is essential for ev- ery player in the squad to thoroughly under- stand each move. [92] Fourth Letter If at any time, Dick, you get the idea that you are not getting a fair show for the team, then do not give up in disgust, or go around among your friends and begin to talk about the coach and the captain playing favorites. You will always find a minority which will pat you on the back, and tell you that you are a much wronged man. These fellows, take it from me, have never gotten in very close touch with the men who are running the team, and, therefore, do not know what reason the powers in being have for preferring one man over another Whenever that not-getting-a- show bug begins to tickle you, then wait for a chance when the coach is not too busy, and get next to him for a heart-to-heart talk. Al- ways give the captain and the coach a chance before you begin to express yourself adverse- ly to them. My observation, in and out of college, has been that a great deal of worry and useless trouble is caused by people going off half cocked and drawing unwarranted con- [93] Are You Going to College elusions. If folks would not misunderstand each other, my what a happy lot we would all be I Have a frank talk with your coach and in ninety-nine out of a hundred times, he can tell you exactly why the other fellow is pushing you aside and slipping by. If you will only consider for a minute, you will see that a coach would be cutting off his nose to spite his face, if he did not play fair. A coach must win. Can you possibly conceive any easier or more logical way for him to turn out a successful team, than by using the best players? If your coach has had a record of winning teams, you can put it down as a certainty that he picks fair. The trouble seems to be that a coach can- not in justice to his team, or has not always the time to make public why one man is pre- ferred to another by him. You see, Dick, a man may be a star, and the minute you turn him loose, he may spoil all team play. Another example is, that the coach may have two [94] Fourth Letter young players on the side lines, both of them equally good men; when the time comes, he will pick one man without hesitation, and send him into the fight. The result may be instant uproar by fellow members of a Fraternity that their man, being an older class-man, should have a chance- If you were to saunter around to the coach's room that evening for a little chat about the game, and you would finally open up with: "Say, Jack, please tell me why you put Welford and not Reddy in the game this afternoon? You told me only last week that you did not know which was the better man;" the reply that you would get would probably be "Confidentially, Dick, as far as playing goes, there is nothing to choose be- tween them ; but in the last five practices I had to resort to a coach's last card, I began to watch, not so much the new players, as to what the effect on the other members of the team was, when either Welford or Reddy was sent into the line-up. I quickly discov- [95] Are You Going to College ered that every time that I took Reddy out and put Welford in, every man on that team took a brace. An air of "now-let's-get-busy" settled over the boys. Why Welford has that effect, the Lord only knows, — I don't; but I know it's there." If he had spread this fact broadcast, the chances are that the team might have become self-conscious and spoilt this effect at a critical point in the game. The great trouble with many tyro athletes is, that they expect to make the team the first year. The truth of the matter is, that very few men become proficient in a sport until their third year at it. Thus, if they get into some of the games in their second season, they ought to be very much pleased. Further, do not get cold feet when you hear about the various prep school stars which are out for your team. The boys from Pauls School, Penn Charter, Exeter, Andover, Lawrence- ville and plenty of other good schools, have a good athletic training, but many of them fall [96] Fourth Letter by the wayside when they get into big com- pany. The reason for this is, that their vital- ity is pumped out of them before they reach college. After they get in, they work along trying to improve or at least measure up to their old form, but the will is stronger than the body. My firm opinion is, that the college world looses a great many "world-beaters" be- cause they were not ripe before they were pushed to the limit. The average boy needs all his strength to carry him safely througii those years from sixteen to nineteen. Many of them shoot up like bean poles, and a little exercise goes a long way. Let them store up reserve force, and then when they get into college, they can turn it loose, with the best of them. But here again, we run up against the unmindful record producing coach. I suppose the most damage in this direction is done in the case of Track Athletics. On the track each boy has the responsibility thrown on himself alone. He cannot divide the work [97] Are You Going to College with his team-mates ; he must do all the work after he starts in a race, even though he faints doing it. Public opinion will not allow him to shirk. On the other hand, in a game the heavy work is divided. How often do you see a man faint in a team sport from over- exertion ? Hardly ever, — yes in one, and that is rowing. If one man eases up a bit, the machine is out of gear. He cannot stop. Dick, I am no Molly-coddle, — I have been in some stiff contests myself, but nobody, I do not care who it is, can convince me that any man, young or old, should be driven to the limit in an athletic sport, when that limit means fainting, or total exhaustion. Ha man is not strong enough to finish a quarter on his feet, or sit up in a boat at the end of a race, he should not be allowed to compete. Of course, a prep-school boy should have his exercise. He can run his boys' races, but this competition between institutions should not be so general. Should a boy of [98] Fourth Letter mine show unusual form and speed at some sport, I would develop him gradually, and allow him to compete in one or two events in a year, until he reached college. Then I would let him go right to the front, backed up with plenty of reserve energy. So, Richard, you will find that some of these stars will be compelled to make room for you, if you are made of the right stuff. Another thing in your favor, is that many prep-school athletes, who have never had sys- tematic training, have picked up bad habits in form which it is very difficult for them to lay aside. The man who coaches you can take you right through in the most approved style, without trying to break down a whole lot of things before he can start to build up. I say trying, because some bad habits are so rooted that they cannot be corrected. Should my freshman make a good showing at foot-ball, I hope he will not get athletic crazy, and try every sport on the college [99] Are You Going to College schedule- It is all right for you to try one in the fall and another in the spring; but when you connect up the whole year round with competitive foot-ball, track, base-ball and track again in the summer, you will be pumped out when you reach your third year. Then we will hear something like this : "Isn't it funny about Dick Dawson, he hasn't run a good quarter since his sophomore year." Of course not, who can go from one strenuous college sport to another, and revive over- night? Nervous tension and training as a steady diet will put anybody to the bad. And take it from me, that the nervous tension be- fore a Yale and Princeton foot-ball game, or the Poughkeepsie boat races, is "some ten- sion." Why I have seen men so nervous an hour before big contests, that they can hardly sit still. That is when they lose weight. Four pounds during a large game is a common occurrence ; but they all get it back in a couple of days. No, this weight is not lost by [100] Fourth Letter reason of the physical exercise; the truth is, that the average practice is more strenuous than a game; but the uncertainty of winning or losing, is the strain. In short, an athlete must give his body and mind time to thor- oughly rest and recuperate after he has been through a season of any sport. He must get away from a training diet and not think athletics. Foot-ball season ends by the last week in November, so if you desire another, any one of the spring sports would be in order provided that you do not begin to practice too early. Then, in the summer, a friendly game of tennis, or a little base-ball match, not to speak of a swim, will do no harm, so long as you do not compete for some champion- ship, and do not put yourself on a training diet. This course of sports will keep you in the highest state of efficiency, while in college, without making you a dish-rag and ungerm proof when you leave the protecting wing of your Alma Mater. [101] Are You Going to College This desire on the part of a lot of young athletes, to go into every competition, is often cultivated by the fact that they measure their triumphs by the number of medals or prizes that they win, rather than by the quality of their achievments. What college man would not prefer to take one first place in "The Inter- collegiates," than to win fifty firsts in these two by twice meets around his home town? This peculiar species of track man who tries to own all the prizes in sight, is more partic- ularly known as a "Pot Hunter." I suppose the easiest way to get rid of this individual in the present and thus make him shortly a thing of the past, would be for all clubs and insti- tutions of learning, which give track meets, to only indicate first, second and third places by different colored ribbons. But as our college boy is a materialistic being (for the purpose of our letter), I cannot, Dick, very seriously advocate this innovation. I am afraid I am not in a position to prove to your [102] Fourth Letter friends' satisfaction, that it will pay them to contest for ribbons as prizes. At any rate, we will not tarry with this detail today. In glancing over my letter, I find that I have been very liberal with my "Don'ts" to- night, but I hardly regret this, as it will leave me a liberal number of "Dos" for my next chat with you. Mrs. J. asks me to add her compliments. So here goes from Yours sincerely Harold James. [103] November ist. EAR DICK:— Yours of the 30th was interesting, because it shows that you must be a little better than a "dub" or the coaches would not have kept you in the last fifty men, all trying for that foot-ball team. From your account, Hastings must have a good squad this year. By the way, if Williams slapped you on the back and said, "Good work, keep it up Freshy," that sounds very encouraging to me. Williams is one terrific tight-wad when it comes to handing out any encouragement to beginners. You say that you get back to your dormitory pret- ty well tired out, after holding down end for an hour against Primrose. Ha! Ha! I guess so, but in that we find some more tasty food for reflection. You know what Primrose was last year. Well, remember that you are not [104] Fifth Letter mixing it up with that end for nothing- Take it from me, that Williams knows, that the best way to develop a youngster, is to put him up against one of his best players. This pro- cedure holds good in all sports, and also later when you are out of college. To learn to play a big game, Dick, you must buck up against fine players. To learn big business you must deal with expert business men. As soon as can put it over a fellow every time, you are not learning much. In college, al- ways pick out the best opponent, as you have nothing to lose, and a great deal to learn. You wrote something about being tired after practice. I hope you are not getting so much interested in foot-ball, that your studies are not receiving the proper attention. After all, our real object at college is our mental training, — athletics come second. But why take up our time with discussing studies versus athletics ; no doubt, father, mother and the faculty are doing their part along that line. [105] Are You Going to College Moreover, I believe you have an average amount of sense. (Curtain.) It strikes me, however, that it might be a useful hint for you to hear that it pays to play a clean game. If a coach teaches his players dirty tactics, he is wasting a great deal of valuable time, and further, he will immediately reduce the efficiency of his team. My experience is, that while a dirty player is trying to get in his licks or get even, the other fellow is getting away with the ball. Of course, Dick, learn all the dirty tricks that are known to the athletic trade ; but only with the idea of protecting yourself against a "rough-neck." On the other hand, do not forget that some players try right from the start to get the goat of their opponent- They are especially fond of going after a new man in that way. Just make up your mind, my boy, to call the bluff of any representative of this species immediately from the first pipe of the whistle, and you will find your troubles [106] Fifth Letter considerably reduced. Give him an inch and your opponent will take a mile ; give him noth- ing, and treat him firmly, and he will treat you respectfully. I might add, that if any of your friends are afraid to give some big fel- low "tit for tat", just tell them for me that ft ought not to be difficult to call a bluff with several officials, and the eleven men of your team, on the spot, ready to back you up. To be frank, Dick, I never was much in an open "free-for all" fight; but I certainly could bark some with that sustaining influence mentioned above, at my side. Now that you are that much encouraged, I suppose there is not much chance of you quit- ting the ship when the heavy games come around; just because you do not get in the first few contests. Remember, the thing to do, is always to be "Johnny-on-the-spot." You, no doubt, have read in the papers lately how one of our comic opera stars was taken sick, and how a girl out of the chorus had to [107] Are You Going to College fill in, — only to become a success in one even- ing? Well, in your company, there are eleven stars, not only in danger of getting sick, but of being made sick by your opponents. Your part is in the chorus on the side lines ; but your chances are ten times better than in the above case. Your turn must come sooner or later; as sure as your name is Richard Daw- son, the minute you quit, your turn will be next, and you will be missing. I will never forget what a prominent business man, a Cornell graduate, told me when he engaged mie for my first job. He said, "Mr. James, a young man should always be there when something happens, and when nothing hap- pens, then he should make something happen." See if you cannot fit that to your case. To make something happen, a man must have good tools to work with. It is surpris- ing to see how some athletes will wear clothes that do not fit properly, or keep on using them after they are half worn out, just for senti- [108] Fifth Letter ment sake. You would imagine that we were still in the middle ages to hear certain men kick about giving up old stand-bys! Posi- tively it savors of superstition to meet a man who asserts, "Play without those shoes on my feet? Why I can't win without them, they bring me good luck !" It is a pretty well ac- cepted fact among athletes, that goods that have been "worn in" are more efficient than entirely new ones. But there is a time when your base-ball glove, your spiked shoe, your lacrosse stick, or your oar has served its pur- pose, as far as actual competition is concern- ed- Then take them to your dormitory, and hang them on the wall, so that some day your children can look on the arms of their "has been" father, with pride. That is the place for them, not on the field in active contest. This care of proper equipment, Dick, you will always find is one of the chief character- istics of athletes who are consistent winners. These men take no chances on the small [109] Are You Going to College things. They eliminate the element of hard- luck which you so often hear men complain of; they do not break rotten shoe strings just as they turn into the home-stretch at the fin- ish of a fast quarter. Neither do they roll down their socks, so that a spike can catch in the same, and throw them in a heap — just as their relay is about to cross the tape a winner. They also, are the men who will trot out on the field with comparatively new cleats on their foot-ball shoes, when father Pluvius has handed out an extra shower on Friday night or early Saturday morning. Those boys will be busy carrying the ball while their op- ponents are trying to stand up. Having impressed on you the fact that a man must be well equipped to play properly; I fear to leave that topic without a word about a parasite which seems to flourish in the athletic world, almost as well as its cousin does in the business world. 1 mean the ath- letic grafter. You may smile, but it seems to [ 110 ] Fifth Letter be born in mankind to try to get something for nothing. Keep your ears open and see if, before the end of your playing season, you don't hear some well-known player recite, with pride, how many jerseys and pairs of shoes he has succeeded in getting from the management. Some men have enough stuff to keep them in athletic goods for years to come, and yet appear always in the same uniform. They do not dispose of them, or use them, but they just collect them, while the bills of the management steadily increase. To run a first class team is a very expensive proposition, — especially to the smaller colleges. The grafter usually has more than enough paraphernalia, while some youngster is with- out the proper equipment. I mention this, Dick, not because I think you have a tendency in that direction ; but some day a word from you as a leader in college (now do not blush) may have the force of a legal decree. So [111] Are You Going to College keep an eye on this "parasite and see how it parasites." My observation has been, that one-third of the athletic contests are won on the other fellow's mistake. Here is a rule which you will find useful as a good working basis, irre- spective of what sport you are interested in. It is: "Make everything sure and take no chances." Of course, as is the case with ev- ery good rule, there must be some exception to it, — but what it is here I will keep for another day, when you have won your spurs. Yes, "make everything sure," — why I could sit here for an hour and write page after page of cases, where some athlete did not make his play sure. Have you ever seen a batter stop running before he reached first base, only tcr see the first baseman drop the ball which looked like a sure out? That is a common example. Not long ago I witnessed a hockey game between two of our prominent college teams. The score stood two to two, when [113] Fifth Letter the forward line of team "A", bore down on the goal of team "B". The left wing made a quick pass over to the right wing player, who negotiated a lightning shot before the goal keeper could get from his right post over to the left one. The right wing believing it im- possible for the goal tend to stop the shot, immediately after lifting the puck, turned and skated back up the rink. The goal keeper, however, in sheer desperation, stuck out his stick in the direction of the flying puck; and to the surprise of himself as well as of every spectator, stopped the rubber, which calmly rebounded in front of goal. Had the right wing only kept his eye on the puck, he could easily have gotten the rebound, and scored the winning goal, — in spite of the lucky stop of the goal keeper. He did not make that play sure, and the other side won in an extra period. I suppose the most costly fault of this kind was committed in the fall of 1908, when [113] Are You Going to College Merkle of the New York Giants failed to touch second base in his haste to get back to the club-house. Not making the play sure, cost McGraw the Championship of the National League, Chicago getting first place. As I remember, it was in the last half of the ninth inning and the score was one to one. There were two hands out with Merkle of the Giants on first base, and McCormick safely hugging third, when Bridwell stepped to the plate and tapped a safe hit to centre field- Of course, McCormick crossed the home plate with the winning run, as Bridwell made for first base ; Merkle was then forced on to second, but when he saw the winning run go in, instead of touching the second base, he turned off to the Club-house. Evers, who was playing sec- ond base for the "Cubs" had his eyes open and immediately called for the ball. He touched second with the result, that after an appeal to the baseball powers, Merkle was de- creed out, and with his out also went the win- [114] Fifth Letter ning run which had been made on that play. "Hard luck" you say, Dick; "not so", say I; Evers played the game sure and Merkle did not. Another valuable characteristic of a good athlete is that he tries for everything and nev- er quits. This goes one step further than making a thing sure; it is a case of increas- ing your chance of getting a point which you have not yet turned in your favor. You will hear the expression that "he is the hardest worker on the team." As far as the rules of most efficient playing will allow him to be, there ought to be no hardest worker. Every man should be in every play in every game. If every player who is in possible reach of a play goes for it without waiting for his fel- low-player to go first, your team will improve to its limit. The first thing to do, is to get underway, it is too late when you have found out that your team-mate is not as fresh as you are. Why is it that men like Hughey Jen- [115] Are You Going to College nings, Tyrus Cobb and Wagner, have made their reputations? Simply because they have made it the rule of their lives to try for ev- er)rthing and never quit. The result is, that they make what are often considered as im- possible plays. How many times in his palmy days didn't Jennings connect up with the ball outside of the third base line, when the third baseman thought it was out of his reach? The fact is that the more you try, the quicker you get under way; your movements become instinctive, costing you a great deal less ef- fort- Watch closely and you can see a good back-field player start after a punt almost before it is kicked. Just consider the effec- tiveness of a team made up of the caliber of men which I have mentioned above, — is it any wonder that they win when every man works all the time? Nobody is over-worked and nobody is underworked. Whenever I hear the words "never quit," it takes me back to the Poughkeepsie boat [116] Fifth Letter races several years ago. The freshman eight- oared event was won by Syracuse, after Cor- nell had been in the lead nearly the whole way. In fact, Cornell at one time in the race had such a lead, that any one familiar with ath- letic chances, would have said, that even if one of the men had fainted dead away, seven could have carried the boat across the line, victorious. A faint was hardly possible be- cause Cornell had not been pushed to the limit; they were going easy. Suddenly, like a bolt out of a clear sky, the Cornell shell collided with a buoy and stove in her bow. Syracuse then came up and won with ease. "Cruel luck" you say, but it is this element that makes college sport fascinating. There is always a chance for the weaker teams. I have, Dick, without taking up any parti- cular sport, touched on some of the general things which you, as an athlete ought to know. To teach you the game is what your coaches are picked for; and as some colleges differ [ 117 ] Are You Going to College with reference to the details of system of play, it would not be proper for me to com- ment on the effectiveness of particular form- ations. There is one more thing, however, on which I think all well-balanced men agree ; and that is, that it pays to be be a good winner, and also a good loser. At first blush it would seem that anyone could be a good winner. But such is not the case. Most people seem to be possessed with an insane desire to rub it in; they seem to forget that they them- selves have at times lost games; but for the present they take on an air of "I-told-you-so." Especially the winners' lady friends always seem to expect a word of praise. A good working rule when you win, Dick, is to keep your enthusiasm in check until you get off by yourself with some of your own boys, and then you can cut loose- Tell them how you did it, — or rather how your team did it, al- ways keeping the big "I" in the background. I may be wrong, but it strikes me that a [118] Fifth Letter member of a college team is somewhat in the same position of a boy going to school. My father always said: "Harold, I refuse to praise you for bringing home good reports, as that is what you go to school for." So when a man signs up for a team, he ought to consider it his duty to do his best for it, irre- spective of praise. Do not forget that if the boys get the idea that you are a wonder, that they will, at times, expect the impossible of you. The smart man shares the praise with some one else so that he will have a few handy to give him a lift when the team is in for a good husky bump. Should it so happen that you cannot decently escape coming in contact with your opponents or their friends until several days after the match, then always tell them what a close match it was. That it was anybody's game, only you had the luck with you. You can very easily put this over on mother or sister of defeated John; as they are not expected to know or see when John [119] Are You G oing to College is absolutely rotten and should be home dig- ging potatoes instead of trying to play foot- ball. It is hard enough to win with dignity, but you ought to see the difficulty pile up when it comes to being a good loser. To lose and smile at the same time is more than an accom- plishment, — especially when you feel that the referee or umpire has lost the game for you, by reason of an unjust decision. (How much easier it would have been to say "robbed"). My experience has been that after a game is lost, there is no use crying over spilt milk. All the "damning" you do, cannot change the result. Further, if you offer excuses to ev- erybody who asks you about the game, you will soon be marked as a sore-head. Be a man, come back at them with something like this : "Say, that was a great game, your boys certainly surprised us in good shape- Well, it's our turn next time. Good-bye girls, hope to meet you soon again." There! you have [120] Fifth Letter made just that many friends, whereas if you had started a long argument, you could never have convinced a winner or his friends that his victory was not fair ; and you would have done yourself and your college a great deal of harm. Argue, and John's mother and her croonies, will march home and tell the rest of their friends, "My what a bunch of sore- heads ! I would not let my boys go to Hast- ings if it was the last college in the world." So it does not pay, — smile and take your med- icine. Dick, I have met a good many college boys in my day, and I find the whole lot averages up as a good sort, with one or two black sheep thrown in. It is funny, but we are easily convinced that the other fellow's team does the dirty work. They are a bunch of "muckers" ; they always "buffalo" the um- pire. My theory is, to go in and win in spite of the dirty work and the umpire or referee, — win by a score that shows conclusively which is the better team, — and then shut up. [121] Are You Going to College Finally, Dick, about this peculiar indescrib- able thing called "College Spirit." What is College Spirit? I find myself very much in the position of the average individual when asked to describe a spiral staircase. Dick, what is a spiral staircase? Ah, I can already see you making movements with your hands, in your eiforts to show the shape of a spiral. You cannot find ready words to describe it; but you would recognize one when you saw it. So with "College Spirit" ; I can feel it on the campus, in the dormitories and in the clubs, — but how define it? A man meets you on the street and tells you : "Out of the three hundred men at Hast- ings University, two hundred are trying for the foot-ball team, how is that for spirit"? At the Club, you meet Jones and he chirps up : "Going to the Army and Navy game ? I think the Army is going to put it all over the Navy ; but I like the spirit of the sailor boys ; all bets are at even money." Another time, Mr. A. [ 122 ] Fifth Letter rushes into your office with the following: "Can't put that deal through for at least three days; Jackson has gone to attend the Com- mencement Exercises and Reunion at Yale, and absolutely refuses to be called home." You say, "Too bad," — but think after Mr, A. has left, "I guess that is some College Spirit." Again you secure your little paste-board and get your best girl, and attend a game of ball. Although your college has the game practically cinched by fifteen runs in the third inning, yet the rooters of the losing team cheer each player as he steps to the plate ; and if he gets as far as first base, they make the welkin ring. You turn to "Mary Liz" with a patronizing smile and remark, "They do not know how to play ball, but these rooters have the proper spirit." Not long ago. Carter University wanted a million dollars as an endowment fund. A banquet was planned to loosen the purse strings ; after five courses of good "eats" and [123] Are You Going to College some popping of bottles, the campaign (not champagne) was launched; with the result, that one-half of that million was subscribed then and there. Next morning the Daily Gazette spoke editorially as follows : "Great was the enthusiasm at the Carter University banquet last evening, when it was announced that five hundred thousand dollars had been subscribed at the one sitting. The spirit shown by the older men and also the younger alumni was most encouraging." The acme of college spirit, however, I think you will agree with me, Dick, would be reach- ed, if your Faculty would allow all of your students to be excused from all laboratory work for a week, so that you could practice up yells for the Stanford game. It has been done before. From these many individual instances, Dick, let us see if we can deduce a definition for this vague thing called College Spirit. Listen, "College spirit is the readiness with which a [m] Fifth Letter man, woman or child, who is in any way con- nected with an institution of learning, is wil- ling to give time or money or both, to further, to the exclusion of everything else, either ath- letically or financially, the prominence or standing of said institution." Let me know what you think of that ; but do not show it to anyone outside of the lodge. If you do, I can see just about five hundred well-meaning parties proceeding to "ge-ump" on yours truly with both feet, because of the phrase "to the exclusion of everything else", and for the un- due prominence given the word "athletically." I don't blame them, they cannot appreciate that there is only one thing, "first, last and all the time" to the college man attending college, and that is his college- As for the word "athletically", that is put in simply to catch the eye of the bright student (you) or he would not read the definition at all. If the railroads near a college town would, at their crossings put up signs with the word "defini- [125] Are You G oing to College tion", they would find it much more effective than "Warning: Stop, Look, Listen" to keep those boys away from the track. No college man goes near a definition if he can help it. The clock strikes eleven, as a warning that I ought to stop. So take all the above in the spirit in which it is given. Yours sincerely, Harold James. [126] ^ixtlj Hotter November 6th. SEAR DICK :— You write that all of your foot-ball camp is in a fit of constern- ation, because a poster signed by the faculty, has appeared, giving notice that no one will be allowed to play on any of the ath- letic teams at Hastings, unless he has an aver- age of 70% in his studies. You also ask me whether I have any suggestion as to the best way to meet this requirement. I congratulate Hastings on falling in line with most of the prominent colleges by adopting a standard of scholarship for its teams. In the past, I be- lieve your faculty contended that this was an unnecessary restriction. It looks to me as if somebody is getting wise as to why big Jim Benson preferred to switch from a course of Mechanical Engineering at H^irtford, to the [127] Are You Going to College classical one at Hastings. It may be, that those classical representations of the "Discus Thrower" or the "Dying Gladiator" which he saw in Europe last summer, created in him a desire in that direction. But it is more than likely that the badly sprained ankle which he had last spring, — before the base ball season opened, — was brought on by a little note signed "Faculty," and which read: "Three studies very unsatisfactory, — Disqualified." Of course Dick, I am only surmising and may be wrong, but a close friend of mine who attended a faculty meeting about that time, told me he helped to write the note. The only suggestion which I can male, and I hate to do it, is that each one of you fellows study your lessons. That is the on\y safe "hunch." I do not know exactly what 70% means- The scale of marking differs in many colleges, but I know this much, the faculty has not set a standard so high that you caimot take it with comparative ease, and some to spare. [ 128 ] Sixth Letter It has often amused me to see how hard some boys will work to keep from studying. If these very men would put half of this time in at their lessons, they would make a fair show- ing, and not be on the anxious bench, wonder- ing whether they will be called on to recite or not. Upon further consideration, there are one or two things which will make the instructor look upon you with more favor, when it comes to your turn to recite. Again these pointers may prove of great assistance to you, should you require one sixty-thousandths of a per centum to make up that fatal seventy. First, always attend lectures, and second, always be punctual. A student may think that a day off here and there makes no difference, because the instructor has told his class with a great air of indifference, at the time of his first lecture : "Gentlemen, I will just remark by way of information, that my lectures will be- gin promptly, and I do not expect to take my [139] Are You Going to College valuable (accent on the valuable) time in watching a student's attendance If you miss anything, that is not my funeral, but yours." This sounds too soft to be true, and as a cer- tainty, it is not true. Primarily, because a professor is bound to be inspired to do good work when the attendance is large ; — and sec- ondly, when a man has a large following of students, it is generally indicative of his abil- ity to impart knowledge. This ability means calls to other colleges, and they, in turn, if he does not care to change, act as levers to raise his salary at the one he is lecturing. Compet- ition is the life of trade ; and after all, lectur- ing is also a trade, if you have a family to support. So much for the attendance in general. Now a word about punctual attendance- Come in late and every student will have a look. This is bound to attract the attention of the lecturer, and at the same time distract his attention from what he is saying. Some [130] Sixth Letter men I know, consider lateness at lectures a personal insult, and others lock their doors when they begin to speak. It is, therefore, a grave question whether a late attendance is not worse than a non-attendance. In the lat- ter case, the instructor may not miss you ; but in the former, your name is "dennis." So my hint is, that when five out of six instructors, who have "college spirit", — are trying to con- scientiously boost you over that 70^ mark, because you are the best end on the foot-ball team, — do not have a record of non-attendance or unpunctuality staring them in the face. This is very disconcerting when they need an excuse for doing the right thing. Since we are on this most unpleasant phase of college life, — studies, — I will give you a few observations by a man who never was an honor man in his class, nor landed at the very bottom; but who sailed a medium course be- tween both ends, and managed to have a little fun on the side. It is imperative to make it a [131] Are You G oing to College rule to do some studying every evening. In- formation acquired in that way, makes an im- pression ; this "boning" up for an examination is all right as a finishing touch, but it will not last. As a matter of fact, a bright student can dismiss all he crammed up for one exam- ination, in time to make room for the next day's battle. After you have been working steadily through the term, I would prescribe a series of "quizzes" for the last ten days. These meet- ings to exchange ideas are very helpful, be- cause half a dozen young men in convention assembled, can very much more easily think up matters of importance with reference to a particular course, than a lone individual. The chances are that all the students have not been cutting lectures all at the same time. Again, there is the other possibility, that all were not out on a party the night before a specially im- portant explanation by the professor. Now, Dick, when you send out invitations for a [ 132 ] Sixth Letter "quizz", be sure to include in your half dozen, one of the brightest men in the class. No quizz can be a success, without a light that can radiate information. Then when the fellows, comprising this half dozen, begin to spread their knowledge all over the room, have pen and paper ready to make copious notes- The notes you memorize the night before exam. Of course, it is an easy matter, in most courses, to pass if you know what questions the instructor is going to ask. Now, as under the most favorable circumstances you can hardly expect the preceptor to let you know what his questions will be; the best the boys can do is to study what they think the in- structor considers most important. A most logical way to prepare for an exam., especially when it is up to you to absorb four months' work in four days. That the practical stu- dent and the professor, deep in theory, do not always happen to land on the same thing as important, is evident from two questions [133] Are You Going to College which were asked in a chemistry examination not so long ago. Imagine the consternation of our friends when these greeted their eyes : "Question i. Why is a cow?" "Question 2. Why is the moon made of green cheese?" One student in chemistry, who became a little peeved, promptly volunteered this informa- tion: "Answer i. Because she cannot help it." "Answer 2. Because the cow got sick, I do not know the 'reaction.' " There is, however, one way in which the student body can find out whether an instruct- or ever resorts to catch questions. That is by making a careful study of all the examina- tion papers of any particular course back to the time when the instructor who is going to give the examination, began to take charge. Yes they can be found, but get busy now Richard, and corral them long before the oth- er boys begin to wake up. Later on every- body will want a copy at the same time. Why, I bet you odds right now, that the papers are [134] Sixth Letter carefully stored away in each Frat House on your campus- If not, get busy and make a collection for the boys who are to follow and your grave will always be kept green, watered by their tears of gratitude. At the quizzes, these questions should be carefully gone over, and answers formulated (by the bright man in the class) which you also "cram" the night before the examination. A lot of these ques- tions covering several years, will embrace nearly all the important topics of a subject; and also any idiosyncrasies of the instructor. The beauty of this procedure is, that it is per- fectly fair, and to the point; no sensible in- structor wants to find out what you don't know. He is satisfied if you know the im- portant features of his course. Now that you are clear on preparing for exams, let me give you a little consolation in case you do not come out at the top of your class. It is not necessary for you to be one of the top notchers to make good in the game [ 135 ] Are You Going to College which you must play after you leave the col- lege halls. A mere book-worm will not do. He is too one-sided for this every-day prac- tical world; what it needs is a bright, honest, common sense, clean, healthy, hard-working all-around fellow. Do not understand me to say that a good scholastic record is to be dis- dained; far from it, — only it alone is not enough. Often we find men who take part in all college activities, and yet stand high in their studies. That is what I call a trump ; he has received the benefits of a real college training. Not infrequently, we come across people who are convinced that the minute a boy takes part in athletics, he is an impossibility as a student. In other words, when athletic prom- inence comes in, scholastic standing goes out. This, to my observation, while in close touch with college athletes for the last eleven years, is by no means the rule. There are few men who, while they are too stupid to stand well in their classes, can be good athletes. If they [ 136 ] Sixth Letter do not measure up in their studies, it is be- cause they are too busy or the instructor is unable to make the subject interesting to them. It is utterly impossible to make a good athlete out of a block-head. Modern contests are not won by automatons. It takes a good logi- cal mental equipment to outwit your opponent. A man who can work out mathematical prob- lems, a man who can analyse his chemical compound with accuracy; and the man who knows the "whys" and "hows" of his physics experiments, is the man who, if he has the physical qualifications (and these need not be too high), — can make a good athlete. Lately when a man says to me, "How do you think that fellow over there will do for our team? He looks pretty hefty." My an- swer, involuntarily, is "Looks pretty good, but how does he stand in his studies." No doubt many of our athletes could stand higher in their classes; but out on the campus they [137] Are You Going to College are learning a few valuable things which no instructor can teach them in a classroom. There is still one card left to play before you are compelled to resign yourself to your fate, and take your walking papers, if you should draw a failing mark. This card is, what is known as the tutor trick. You re- quest a private conference with the instructor whose course you do not seem to be able to fathom ; and then you suggest the fact that you would like him to name a man who can coach you up. Never under any circumstan- ces, pick out a man that anyone else may re- commend. The divine influence in this pro- ceeding seems to be, that your instructor does the picking. It is peculiar, but college statis- tics show that ninety-nine out of every hun- dred scholastic failures, are cured in time for the final examinations, if the proper coach or tutor is secured. If the instructor suggests his own services, don't gfin,T)Ut only smile; and dilate on how kind it is for him to go out of [138] Sixth Letter his way to assist you. But never let him get away from you, because you are on the road to recovery already. Some men get the idea that they can get in the good graces of the professor, if they have a "pow-wow" with him every time they meet him. And if they do not happen to meet him, they chase around after the "prof" until thejj have him cornered. After a lecture you will always find some students making a bee-line for the preceptor's desk, to ask him some question- They cannot wait until the ordin- ary routine of a course brings them logically to a proposition. No, it is a case of cross- country for them. "What for?" say you, "is all this?" "Why bother a man who wants to get away to some original problem ?" My boy those students can't help it, they have what is commonly known as a bad case of "boot-lick- ing." The ordinary symptons are those as set out above. In chronic cases, the person afflicted is continually raising his hand in, [139] Are You Going to College classrooms and volunteering information, when the average young man does not know the answer. It is certainly delightful to know something the other fellow does not know ; but do not give the answer, Dick, unless you are directly asked by the instructor. Remember, that it is human to be jealous of the man who knows more than you do ; but my, how it gets you in the craw, when he rubs it in. So you see, a student must guard not only against actual "boot-licking", but also against imagin- ary "boot-licking", which is a case where the other fellows think that you are petting the instructor along to get good marks; whereas, you are not thinking of such a thing. To sum the matter up, Dick, treat your instructor re- spectfully, and kindly ; but do not go very far out of your way to rush him. This relation between the student and his instructor is a very funny thing, and does not always work out successfully. Why is it, that some teachers are great favorites, and others [140] Sixth Letter are only considered as a burden, which cannot be avoided, but must be endured ? My obser- vation is, that the trouble is with the precept- or. I take the liberty to say this here to you, Dick, because I feel I can discuss a matter with you, without having you carry away a wrong impression, which might give rise to rebellious campaigns by a less mature mind. I say the trouble is with the instructor, because the minute the average man takes charge of a class, he assumes so much dignity that he almost falls over backwards. He seems to forget that as instructor, and the older man, it is up to him to fix the relation between him- self and his student. He often waits for the student to speak first when he passes him on the campus, instead of volunteering a friendly nod and putting the younger man at his ease. Dignity is always proper in a classroom and nothing can be accomplished without it- At all other times, dignity is also in its place, but it must be tempered, a little with the spirit of [141] Are You Going to College good fellowship, if an instructor wants to get the confidence of the student body. The greatest trouble seems to be, that the instruct- or does not become acquainted with his class and the class does not get a chance to know him. The result is, that the greatest mischief- maker I know, to wit : "one misunderstanding" gets in his licks. One student gets the idea that an instructor has treated him unfairly, and he tells the other fellows so. The result is, that fifty or more men believe his state- ment; because they do not know the instruct- or well enough to offset, by their own experi- ence, what the student declares is so. The next thing, we find is, that the instructor is looked upon by the majority of the student body as being peculiar, or unfair. Now, as the boys get in closer touch with the incoming classes than any professor, the next step is for the seed of discontent to become tradition, and the instructor is branded for years to come. The real remedy seems to be for the [143] Sixth Letter instructor to make it his business, whether he cares to or not, to mingle with the students at their social functions, or give them a lift with their athletic teams Of course, the easiest way to the heart of a college man, or a prep- school youngster, is by way of his athletic interests. A preceptor should post himself so that he can intelligently discuss their prob- lems with them. He should get up and make speeches at their meetings, without having the faculty halo hanging all over himself. I know of one learned doctor who did not know a great deal about the technique of games ; but he did come out and look on while the boys were fighting for glory. He was voted ace high by the boys, when one day, as the home team pulled out by a narrow margin in the last four minutes, he tossed his hat in the air with the rest of the "bunch." That same season, he fixed himself for life in the hearts of the campus, when he stood out in a thun- der-storm holding a chair over his head for [143] Are You Going to College protection, because he would not desert the side lines while the game was anybody's con- test. Now let some freshy start something about said professor, and he is quietly in- formed that he must be mistaken as all the other fellows know he is O. K. Many instructors have the idea that if they get on an intimate footing with the student body, they cannot control it in their class- rooms. This is a very narrow view, and shows lack of insight into the character of the average boy. A young man knows just as well as the "Prof" that a class-room is no place to lark. Should a youngster forget him- self, just a friendly conference with him, in which his attention is called to what it means to the lecturer and to the whole class to have order, will bring about all that is desired. The result depends all on how the correction is made. There is nothing a young man, or even a small boy, resents more than being attacked unjustly and harshly. But if some prank can [144] Sixth Letter be turned into a joke, for the benefit of the whole class, at the expense of the boisterous youngster, then the lecture can be resumed with perfect decorum. Dick, by this time you must imagine that I have booked you for a teacher, and am hand- ing you a few handy rules. They may not be very interesting to you now; but I thought I would "let her fly" as you may consider doing some tutoring while you are at college, and then "a stitch in time is worth nine." Little did I think, when I sat down to an- swer your letter tonight, that I would confine myself almost entirely to the scholastic side of college; but I dare say I've dropped you one or two hints not yet served for your edifica- tion by either Ma or Pa. Finally, Dick, sticking to my materialistic view-point, — they pay. With regards to your room-mate, believe me, Yours sincerely, "Hal" James. [145] November 12th. JF% EAR DICK :— Politics —that sounds " ~| like the buzz of a New Jersey mos- quito. For the last two weeks I have read nothing in the papers but politics. For the same length of time, I haven't been in a lunch room where you could hear anything, but a consistent rumble which spelt politics. Finally, a letter from a freshman, who I thought was interested in little but athletics, and Frats, ends up with this eloquent phrase: "We are going to have a class election ; if you have a little time, tell me, please, what you know about politics." Dick, I cannot tell you all I know about politics, because I am afraid your mother might see this letter; and some of the lan- guage that I would be compelled to use, [146] Seventh Letter would not just be agreeable to her. Politics — why I am glad you also used the word "elec- tion", the sound of the former word always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Of course, anything that has to do with "tics" is bother- some; but I believe it is more the way that City boss of ours swings it around his tongue that gets my goat- Yet, I must cool down, or some one will say "Sore-head, I bet he has been dumped by the organization." So I cannot tell you all I know about politics, and to tell the truth, since the last congressional election, I am inclined to believe that what I do not know about the game would fill quite a bulky volume. If it must be the said topic tonight, it is at least a relief to consider it at college, where it is still clean. In all seriousness, Dick, I am glad that you are finding a little spare time to take part in elections. They do not come often, but if you think for a instant that your class assembles on a certain afternoon, and that then and [147] Are You Going to College there the whole scheme is outlined and com- pleted, — then you have run into a siding, and should get back on your main track. To put it in a pretty way, these little things are "doped out" weeks ahead of time. I have told you before, that college is a little world of its own; and then only a minature of the large world outside. Well, politics in college is like the same diversion in any of the cities of our country, only minus filth and a compli- cated voting system. When it comes to the machine or organi- zation, you will also find that at Hastings, only it is more subject to change. Like all enterprises, it takes a good executive to make the machine go. As the men stay in, college four years, you see the executive is not a fixture. The parties are also not as staple as they are in public life; but there is one thing sure, Dick, and that is, that you can count on as many factions as there are Clubs or Societies in college ; — and to this always add [148] Seventh Letter one extra which is the non-frat element. This element is practically the independent vote, and must be carefully taken care of. The reason that everybody and especially the Societies at college are interested in the elections, is that, having many of their mem- bers in office, is a great advertisement for the lucky Society. The strength of a Society in any college, depends very much on the offices its men hold. Then again, men who are not physically suited for athletic honors, desire to shine in some other way. So weeks before a class or athletic-board election, some college politician begins to set up a slate, which he thinks he can put through, and then the underground work starts. The moving spirit is generally some Frat man; who gets a majority of the factions pledged tq support his ticket, by judicially buying each party with one or more places on the slate. The Fraternity which stands in best with the non-frat men, can generally dictate terms. [149] Are You Going to College But alas, our college politicians will often find themselves double-crossed at the last minute- In college a candidate also has a large person- al following, as he is known personally to each man, who can judge for himself whether he is suitable to hold a certain position. Thus the faction which is the lucky possessor of a good athlete, or a good mixer, stands pretty high when it comes to dictating terms to the other parties. A good rule to follow, in elec- tions at college, strikes me is one that a well- known and successful operator in Wall Street told me about not long ago. When I asked him, "To what, Mr. , do you attribute your success? His reply, after a few puffs of his cigar, was: "Do not be a hog, leave a few points for the other fellow," — and (after a few more puffs) : "Honesty is the best poli- cy, I have tried dishonesty and found it didn't pay." Pretty frank, you think, Dick, but that does not make it any less true. If the various factions at college get the idea that you are [150] Seventh Letter taking the "swine" proportion of the offices, they will give your party the "go by" next time. Richard, if you are looking for a class presidency, I suppose you know that the senior class office is the coveted one. If that is your aim, then do not let anybody railroad you in as freshman class president. Few executives of the freshman aggregation repeat when it comes to the senior year. It is funny, but it is more than a wise youth who can please all factions enough to be able to pull through without stepping on some one's toes. Now, I do not want you to understand me to advise you against taking any political job in college in your freshman class. By no means, — ^because it is a well-known fact that a man who desires to progress, must show the rest of his friends, that he can take care of a piece of work when it is given to him to do. Take one of the smaller positions, and fill it properly ; this will let the boys in college know [151] /ire You Going to College that you are more than only an athlete, but have also some business ability. If you refuse to do every little job, why you are hiding your light under a bushel, and you cannot blame the boys if they do not consider you for a senior office. A value of college politics that should not be overlooked, is that it gets a lot of young blood interested in the matter of suffrage, and then the chances are that they will at least vote in public elections after they leave college. Everybody is complaining that poli- tics are rotten, but the shouters are just the people who refuse to give a little time to help push in the right direction. You will always find the professional politician on the job, it is his bread and butter. He works three hun- dred and sixty-five days in the year; and, therefore, he is an expert at the game. The reformers only appear for a spurt when things really get too bad. Now, the college man has the tendency, by reason of his non-contact [152] Seventh Letter with the world at large, to forget that he has a civic duty to perform. Therefore, I say that indulgence in practical college politics ought to keep alive, and possibly fan into a flame an ember of public duty which might otherwise die. In the last few years, it has been interesting to note, that in many of the colleges a start has been made by the men to get into public elections. Clubs in practical politics have been formed, and the men have gone out on election days and acted as runners or watch- ers. This will bear fruit, because the way to really get a man interested in anything, is to make him do some work for the particular cause- Of course the men who attend col- leges like Yale and Harvard, Pennsylvania, Hopkins and others, which are situated in cities, and not in the country districts, have a good opportunity to take up practical work of this kind. Dick, you also described in your last letter, [153] Are You Going to College with a good deal of enthusiasm, a reception that the President had given to the freshman class. Well, from what I know of Hastings, this must be one of the tamest affairs that you will meet with during your sojourn at said institution. You have still to be introduced to the little musical club affairs, the state- ly "Proms" with the ladies as a trimming, the less stately Dramatic Club "Jamborees", and lastly, the least stately Class Banquets. I only mention the musical clubs and Proms in passing, because each have their rules and regulations which social etiquette requires (see Ladies' Home Journal, any issue). Further, they are purely social, and only teach the boys behavior and proper bearing in the presence of ladies. This is essential for any well rounded man be he of the college type or otherwise, but which, I feel, ought to be bred in every American boy; in fact, thoroughly rooted in any man before he reaches college. Now, when it comes to Dramatic Club [154] Seventh Letter "Jamborees", and Class Banquets, I must tarry a moment and chat with thee. To begin with, in some colleges before a class banquet, the questions comes up whether the event is to be dry or wet. Taking it for granted that you are uninitiated, — dry or wet means whether drinks are to be served or not. When this proposition is put to a vote, the wets gener- ally win out. Whereupon the next practical consideration is whether the liquid refresh- ments are to be included in the subscription for the banquet, or whether each person is to pay for what he drinks. Here on the other hand, you will find the vote in favor of the drys, as the latter do not feel that they ought to be burdened with the capacity of the wets. On the whole for the welfare of everybody concerned, the best way to arrange matters, is to have each order what he pleases and pay for it. In this way, the capacity of the wets is not stretched to an unusual degree. Before my little temperance lecture, I wish [155] Are Y ou G oing to College you to distinctly understand, Dick, that I am not saying that thou shalt not do this or that ; first, because I am not your father, and second- ly, because I know that the "don't-you-dare" method is the wrong way to achieve results with young men. They, — like most of hu- manity, — derive a particular pleasure from in- dulging in forbidden fruit. Why, if my fath- er (I thank him for his ingenuity) had told me, "Harold, I will not allow you to smoke until you are twenty-one," I would be an in- veterate smoker now, and probably have been a veritable chimney, before sixteen. But no he simply said one day : "Look here, sonny, you will probably see your friends smoking soon and you will also want to smoke. I will not forbid you to do so, but come to me so that I can give you something decent to puff away at, something that will not hurt you." I promised to do so, and the result was that I was not compelled to betake myself to the hay loft or a coal bin, to get in a few [156] Seventh Letter puffs in secret; I cared not to smoke. As I progressed through college, I, at times, missed my pipe, but only to feel rewarded when the other fellows were complaining about their wind; and that they had to give up smoking when they went into training. People tell me I am missing a great deal by not smoking now, but I am from Missouri, and they must show me. So far, I can't see that it pays. Curtain on that subject, because I am wandering away from my real topic : "drink at class banquets." Dick, I think it is safe to phrophecy that you will never go to a class spread, where you will not find at least one fellow under the influence of liquor. This influence seems to develop peculiar tendencies ; most men enjoy breaking dishes and making funny speeches, or throw- ing salads at looking glasses ; but why go into these details that you can see for yourself? At your first banquet, be careful when you are invited to take a drink, remember that a high-ball is a very deceptive and insidious [157] Are You G oing to College thing. Further, go it very easy, because if you once get intoxicated with the boys, you are almost sure to be with the happy throng the next time. I do not say, "do not drink", but I say, "never get drunk." It is just that turning point which is very difficult to locate, — hence "play safe." Many people advance the argument that a young man must sow his wild oats at college ; and that he will get over it and settle down. My observation has been that some young men have not the strength of character to get over it ; they go to the bad unless quickly removed and placed in solid company. I agree that not many fellows are injured by these "once- in-a-while" parties, but the trouble about it is, Dick, that you do not know whether you are not going to be one of the unlucky few. The funny part of it all is, that the college men who indulge in parties the oftenest, are the very ones who admire a young man who sticks to his ginger ale and gets into bed at a [158] Seventh Letter proper hour- They will not tell you so, and even ridicule you for not taking a hand in their trips to paint the town red; but it's so and I dare anyone to deny it. A temperate living pays not only in college, but in the bus- iness world. Why the big industrial heads who are the worst roust-abouts and intemper- ate livers, are the first ones to refuse to have in their employ a young man with similar habits. They refuse to and often cannot stop themselves, but therefore, they want to know that their business interests are fully protected. You may say that a man should not find fault with a youngster because he himself does not practice what he preaches. That is true as a general proposition ; but how much more elo- quent and forcible is the advice of a man who knows that certain habits do not pay, and yet cannot break away from them. Put this little "straight cut" in your pipe and smoke it. "To get along with the boys, it is only necessary for you to deliver the goods, all else is bosh." [159] Are You Going to College I repeat this characteristic phrase by Uncle Josh; because so many young men seem to think that it is necessary always to drink, to be a successful mixer. Observe Dick, along the lines suggested, and let me hear your deduc- tions, — they will interest me. The above banquet room air has given me a stuffy feeling, so a stroll on the campus for a few deep breaths will do me good. What do you hear about the Princeton and Yale game? Who does Coach Williams think will win the contest? Possibly he has heard something from Camp or Coy about Yale; you know a fellow can't get any satisfaction out of these dailies ; they write a great deal, but you never know whether or not some masterful hand has doctored them. There is so much in keeping the other team in the dark. The duce of it all is, that I have been tied down pretty close to my desk lately ; but this rush must be over soon, and then for a few of these cross- country hikes over to Morning Grove to see [160] Seventh Letter the boys at work, and back again. Tell Wil- liams to keep his eye pealed for "Pop" Warn- er's Indian braves; they look like they might take in a few good scalps this year, while the "big-heap-whites" are getting under way, — to be more explicit, while the season is young. By the way, Dick, that was a good picture of yours in one of the New York papers last Sunday; I believe it was entitled "Hastings Scrub Line-up." You look like you were going right after them ; was that for press purposes only, or do you always mean business in that way? Well we'll see, — you can't fool yours truly when he gets his optics on you from the side-lines! In a week or two I'll see whether you are a real live "pup" or whether it is only mother and sister (your sister of course) who are seeing things through the eyes of family pride- Ding! dong! there goes ten-thirty; just a good time to stop and wander down to the post box, deposit this letter and roll back by [161] Are You Going to College way of Maple Avenue, Appleton Place, etc., to wit : one-half mile. Then, to bed. So long. Yours sincerely, Harold James. [ 1<53 ] lEtgljtlj l^ttttr November i8th. •fPi EAR DICK :— I had read in the afternoon Irl paper, the day before your last letter reached me, that you had been made captain of the freshmen eleven. But I hesi- tated to rejoice at your being selected, because when it comes through a college reporter, there is many a slip between facts and news ; and I did not care to get in wrong. Now that the truth is brought to me by such good auth- ority as yourself, I take this opportunity to say "Bravo ! sehr gut !" As that information was only to lead up to the real object of your letter, we will imme- diately turn to that. You have the proper idea Dick, now that you are captain you want to handle them properly. If you do this little job nicely, the boys may honor you later with [163] Are You Going to College the captaincy which is spelt with a large C. That, however, is looking several years ahead. I am glad you wrote to me promptly, as I believe a few timely hints may make your road easier to travel. To begin with Dick, you are going to learn more foot-ball in a week now, than you did in a month heretofore. It will devolve upon you not only to solve your own problems; but those of all the other Freshmen. They will ply you with questions at every practice, and expect you to answer them off the bat. Take it from me, Dick, no man knows a subject thoroughly until he can teach another fellow. When you are called upon to explain anything to another party clearly, you cannot jump any uncertain points ; you must either acquit your- self with credit, or convict yourself in the eyes of your fellow men. Thus you will be forced to figure out ahead of time all conceivable plays, so that you may be there with a ready explanation when your subordinate asks you [ 164 ] Eighth Letter "Why or How"? It will not suffice to tell a beginner to make a certain play; you must also tell him the reason why it is done, and further how is the most efficient way to do it. As I have told you before, Dick, yours truly is not going to mix into the theory of any of the games at Hastings. You have your coaches for that ; but I do take the liber- ty, at your request, to give you some general points which you ought to find of value, whether you are handling a team as captain or coach. Now I believe I have told you before that nobody can make a successful coach to order. There are many rules that can be taught, but the ground must be fertile to produce results. This fertility in many cases goes back to birth. I mean that cer- tain men are born with an instinct and person- ality, which makes them good executives. How few these are, you will see in a short while, provided you only keep your eyes open. [165] Are You Going to College The essential thing to keep in mind, is that you must impress it on your squad, that when you are talking or explaining a move, nobody else is allowed to speak. In other words, absolute attention is neccessary, so that every one of the boys will clearly understand what you mean. No team can ever hope to be a success, unless every man understands each play exactly. Otherwise, we have a hesi- tancy, and the machine lacks a unity of action. It moves in jerks. If you have a notion that a fellow does not quite catch on to what you have said, then ask him to ex- plain the play to you. In other words, quizz him just like an instructor would his class- I suggest this, because there are many men who are afraid that the other men will consider them stupid, if they respond to your question "as to whether they understand" with "no." They will prefer to answer "Yes, I understand," hoping to pick up as they go along. [166] Eighth Letter Encourage your men to ask questions, but make them wait until you get through talking, when you should always give them an oppor- tunity to ask for enlightenment. A very good way to instruct, is to use the black-board, so that the moves can be closely followed. Another and in many ways a better way, is to have a set of chess men, and a large table, laid out like the playing field. All the men can then gather around that, and get a full bird's- eyeview of each play. This black-board and chess work is fine for rainy days. Try it, Dick. Another suggestion is that you give your men distinctly to understand, that the best man is going to get the position on the team, irrespective of his social standing or affiliation to any of the secret Societies. There ought to be Dick, for a successful team, only two quali- fications, first, that a man is a gentleman, and secondly, that he is the best player eligible for the team. If a few of our colleges, who have not been so successful in athletics lately, would [ 167 ] Are You G oing to College make the above their motto, some of the other teams would be compelled to look to their laurels. But I am drifting. — The best way to keep harmony is to encourage every man who feels that he is not getting a fair deal, to come to you privately for a little "pow-wow." Then you must honestly show him what is the trouble with his playing. Come right out and give it to him from the shoulder. If he is not man enough to take frankness when he asks for it, why then he is not suitable athletic timber. You will, I am glad to say, find that nearly all college men do not fear a hot shot, provided you play fair. Another very excel- lent plan is to call one of the delinquent's particular friends into consultation, and tell him what is what. By having these little talks, you can generally kill a germ of discon- tent, — due often to a misunderstanding right at the start, before it finds a comfortable lodging place with the family of your dis- [168] Eighth Letter satified candidate, and with his coterie of friends. Some coaches get the idea that they can do more effective work by the use of profane language. This is one of the greatest mis- takes on earth. First, because many men re- sent being treated in that way, and then again, if cursing is made use of continuously, it is about as productive of results as a horse-whip is when used incessantly on the poor animal. No doubt you have seen a farmer going along the road with a continuous "Gid-dap", — whip, — "Gid-dap" — whip. Why the horse does not even notice these regular taps. It takes an unusual lashing to make him give a stir. So, when a coach or captain punctuates all his talks with "blue language", it takes a lurid application before it strikes home. A quiet, forceful tone is the proper thing. Then some day, when all else has failed to awaken a real- ly lazy team into action, you can try a little "cussing" as a final chaser. If the team is [169] Are You Going to College really loafing, the effect will be electrical ; oth- erwise it does more damage than good. Dick, get along without it. You may apply this whip to the wrong horse, and smash the whole team. Also do not forget what I told you about men not being able to play a good game, unless their paraphernalia is in the best of shape. Of course, it must be worn in, but that under no conditions means worn-out, — as many play- ers seem to think- Just imagine your disap- pointment in a full-back, should you call on him for a try from the field, only to find that his shoe was split across the instep, and hence his chances for a successful drop reduced! Again, a loose shoe-string may trip one of your half-backs just as he has cleared the end for a touch-down. Don't for a minute think that because you have told the men to keep their uniforms in the best of shape, that they are going to do it. Not on your life ; a good [ 170 ] Eighth Letter coach must have his eyes everywhere all the time. Speaking of uniforms, reminds me of the fact that you will find some players, who are so ready to protect themselves against injury, that they actually encumber themselves. They make themselves slow by carrying extra weight. On the other hand, some men refuse to protect themselves at all, on the plea that they cannot play their game. Dick, I like to see a fellow have grit, but I refuse to break up a fine piece of mechanism by slamming it against the wall. There is a way of getting the best out of a man, not only for one or two days, but for the whole season. Not only that, but there are men who lose their nerve when injured once, and become less useful to the team afterwards. They lose confidence, and like a locomotive engineer once in an ac- cident, do not bring the express in on time. Therefore, pad your men judiciously, keep- ing an eye on the season of the year in which [ 171 ] Are You Going to College the contests take place, and the game that they are playing. Also teach your men to protect themselves from unnecessary injury, by showing them how to handle their bodies, so that opponents cannot get in any dirty work. Unfortunately, we still find coaches who instruct their "colts" how to put a man out. To be more particular "to knee",— "to spike",— "to elbow",— "to cross-check" him. A few words of advice will often prevent a muscle bruise and more serious injury. Another important thing to impress on your men, is that they must control their tempers. If an opponent finds out that he can tgg you on, you are lost. Some men try to worry a man into using his fists, and then quickly call the attention of the umpire or referee to the fact. I have seen the work of a whole season go for naught in a critical moment of the game, just because a good player could not control his temper under trying circumstances. [m] Eighth Letter Of course it is the green man who is liable to tumble the easiest. Now I come to what I consider the most difficult thing for a coach to master, and that is, the art of getting a man into shape. You will find out, Dick, probably by the time you are ready to graduate, that there are three elements which must be considered in making a player do his best. They are : his know- ledge of the game : his physical condition : and his mental attitude. My observation has been that his efficiency for any game or event, de- pends half on his knowledge of the game, one quarter on his physical condition and the re- maining twenty-five per cent, on his mental attitude. This division is made, because a man may be equipped with all there is to know about the theory and technique of a game, and yet be in such a wretched physical condition that he cannot deliver the goods. Again, being an expert player, and being in the best of trim, he will lose Just because he [173] Are You Going to College considers that the game will be too easy; or because he thinks that he has no chance to win. Many teams are beaten before the game begins, due to the fact that their opponents have big reputations. Others are nicely white- washed, because they cannot stand prosperity, and their heads begin to swell. So, Dick, do not spend all your time in perfecting plays, but take enough time to see that your men are in perfect shape ; and as a finishing touch, see that the boys have the proper mental attitude. Then when the whistle blows, they will cut loose and play better than they know how. To train men properly, you cannot follow any fixed rules. I do not care what • (fill in any expert you care to) has written on "how to train a team." Some fundamental rules are good to start in with, but remember that no great expert trains all his men alike. The temperament and habits of each man must be closely studied. The work that can [ 174 ] Eighth Letter be piled on one man would send another stale before the season is half under way- When in doubt, work a man too little rather than too much. Better have him under-trained than over-trained. If he goes really stale, you might as well throw up the sponge and give him a thorough rest. Speaking about rules for training reminds me of what hap- pened to a friend of mine, a member of our bar, some years ago. One day, having just been admitted to the bar, he met with a per- plexing problem of legal practice. He nat- urally took down the book, written by the man who had lectured to him on that particular branch of the law, and began diligently to search for the solution. After several days of the most careful perusal of said volume^ he finally wandered over to the office of his former professor, and greeted him with this remark : "Mr. P., there is a point in practice which I cannot find in your book." The re- ply was prompt and accompanied with a smile, [175] Are You Going to College "My dear man, that is more than likely ; if I had put everything I know in that book, I would not have had the pleasure of your visit." The desired information was imparted to my friend who later divided his fee with his former instructor. So it is with the expert coach or trainer ; he is not going to put all of his tricks on paper; and further, if he really wanted to, he could not give you the proper treatment for each case. He must see the subject before making a diagnosis. What the men need is good healthy food, and then sleep. Boarding house hash, and all it signifies will not build up a man to stand good physical exertion. I repeat sleep, and plenty of it. This does not mean sleep which begins at 2 A. M, and runs through until midday; but rather of the kind which tunes well with the proverb "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Make your chaps retire early, and let them sleep as long as they sleep sound- [176] Eighth Letter ly, or are called out for lectures; but do not let them roll around in bed when they have finished sleeping.. It is interesting to follow an experienced coach through the season with his team, and see how he gets them in the proper mental attitude. All coaches have different ways in which they work out the result, but the under- lying principle is the same. Nearly all colleges have a particular game which they consider the most important of the season. The team must reach the high-water mark on that par- ticular day. If an aggregation has been win- ning its largest games for several years in succession, it is bound to suffer from a swelled head which must be promptly deflated. You may have the best lot of men, who are abso- lutely devoid of all conceit, and yet somehow, there seems to be a thirty-fifth sense which refuses to let them do their best if they have won too often. So the losses out of the squad by reason of graduation are harped upon, and [177] Are You G oing to College magnified a hundred fold by the coach. The season after a man has left college, he sudden- ly finds out that he was a wonder, or the greatest utility man of his day. Then as the team continues its winning of games, some of the best men suddenly strain tendons, or have a thousand and one ailments which nobody ever heard of but a coach who has been at the business a long while. That is the reason that so many of the "sure enough" cripples always appear at the crucial minute and make phenomenal plays. Then again, while the team is being scared to death so as to give them the "never-die- spirit", the man most needed is being kept out of the scrimmage so as to store up energy. The more he begs to get in the game, Dick, the more h<^ is kept out for a while; so that when he breaks loose, you can't hold him. Last fall I saw a man, who had just recov- ered from water on the knee, kept on the side lines for two full weeks, so as to have him in [ 178 ] Eighth Letter proper shape for the big game. He was ready to go into two games before the big day; but the team could score without him, hence he had to watch the play from the side lines. He knew the game, ran through a few signals in practice and never got into a scrimmage- The coach knew that one bad whack on that knee would mean a two-weeks lay up. When the game of the season got under way, he was all over the field, and in every play. And what was even better, all the other men caught his spirit. A team should never be so discouraged by its coach as to get the impression that it is going to lose. The properly balanced atti- tude of mind of the men should be that they are going to win ; but that it will take all they have in their make-up to pull through. A team must go on the field full of confidence, but ready to do their "darndest", right from the start. If a team goes up against aa acknowledged [179] Are You Going to College superior aggregation, you will find the coach fortified with all kinds of rumors from friends who have seen the other team play, to the effect that they are overtrained, or that their former opponents have had a long disability list. The acknowledged weaker team has ev- erything to gain, and nothing to lose; hence when they do manage to make an impression on the big men, the chances are that they will play a better game than they know how. My observation is that a comparatively weak team will often play an exceptional game, just once in a season. Confidence displayed by a team, when it goes out on the field for a game, has a peculiar effect on its opponents. It is, therefore, well to tell your boys to enter the arena with a dash. Rapid display of energy, gives the aud- ience and their adversaries, the impression that Hastings' squad really expects to win. Another wise precaution, Dick, is to in- struct your men never to take any advice [180] Eighth Letter from anybody, except the coaches. You will find that there are always plenty of old grads on the side lines at a game, who are ready with hints on how to do it. These men have the best of intentions, but are either not up with the modern style of play, or they are not acquainted with the capabilities of the differ- ent players. You have your regular coach or staff of coaches, hold them responsible for your victory! The idea is not to drive the old grads away, and cause them to lose their interest in the team ; but the instructions must go through the proper channels. I know how much mischief can be done by advice to try this play or that, when a player has not tried it in practice. When I was at prep school, I lost a game once by a friendly hint, at the eleventh hour. It was this way ! I was play- ing on a Junior Hockey team, and just before I went on the ice for the game, I had a talk with, what was considered, the best goal- keeper playing in a senior league in that vie- [181] Are You Going to College inity. He showed me how he used his stick flat on the ice during scrimmages in front of goal. It looked good to me, especially since I knew he was using it with great success. Well, to make a painful story short, I, like the "green horn" that I was, started to use the play in that game. The result was a game by two goals for our opponents, which they would never have scored if I had stuck to my schooling. Never, Dick, try to teach your Imen a radically new thing in the last couple of practices. Let well enough alone. Finish up by getting them in the best physical and mental shape. After the team has taken the field, Richard no man, except the captain of your team, ought to confer with the captain of the oppos- ing forces, or with the umpire or referee. This may seem elementary to you youngster, but nothing looks worse than to see a whole team crowding around a referee when he makes a "bum" decision. The captain, if he [182] Eighth Letter is of the proper sort, can do more with the "ump", than a whole bunch doing the war dance. The rest of the boys ought to be get- ting together saving their wind, and figuring out the weak spots in the other team. This is discipline, without which you can have no respectful and respected athletic machine. "Getting the men on edge." This phrase you may have heard, but do you really know what it means? It is simply another charac- teristic way of saying "Getting the players keyed to the highest pitch," so that they will play their best. To do this properly, takes the consummate skill of an expert. Athletes, like good actors, are under a nervous strain before they go on for their parts. Now, Dick, if this nervous tension comes on too soon in athletics, then energy is used up before it is needed. To avoid this, a grad coach or trainer will keep the minds of his men off the game, until about an hour and a half be- fore the whistle blows. There are all kinds of [ 183 ] Are You Going to College tricks to do this ; but the first thing to do is not to let your men discuss the game. Then at the proper time, focus the full attention of your team directly on the contest, and rub it in by casual remarks well selected. Finally, then, just before the men are sent on the field to do or die, a good old-time ''Rah! Rah!" speech about college spirit, your Alma Mater and the disgrace of losing, will put them on edge, provided they have not been over- worked. There, Dick Dawson, you have the funda- mentals of handling a team in one short letter. It may not all be in logical order, but it's there. After you have read to your satis- faction, then put it away. Where? well, — where you keep those of your best girl, and when you clean out your furniture in your senior year, before turning the same over to your successor in dormitory, just peruse this letter once more, and write me whether I have shot well, or missed the target entirely. [ 184 ] Eighth Letter That lets me out for tonight, but I was just wondering what you are going to pick out next time for me to solve, — I confess I do not know, as I have in my opinion touched on about all the trials and tribulations of a Fresh- man- You can't hurt my feelings, so let's have it. When you write home, please enclose a good sprinkling of my regards. Yours sincerely, Harold James. P. S. How is your allowance holding out ? [185] JUM 13 1913