It is a truth that there is very often an extremely easy, simple and prosaic way to attain many an end, which has always been supposed to require stupendous efforts. In an Italian fairy tale a prince besieges a castle with an army - trumpets blowing, banners waving, and all the pomp and circumstances of war - to obtain a beautiful heroine who is meanwhile carried away by a rival who knew of a subterranean passage. Hitherto, as I have already said
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The first United States minister to Mexico was Joel R. Poinsett. To the ordinary mind, however, his chief title to fame does not rest on his filling this or a number of other official posts; but on the fact that he made known to the world the beautiful Christmas flower which in honor of him was named "poinsettia." But even this discovery was a result of his diplomatic appointment; for it was while on his mission to Mexico that he observed it and brought it to the attention of botanists. It is the purpose of this article to study only the minister's personal conduct while in Mexico and his relations with the government and people, explaining the grounds for the charges made against him of meddling in the internal affairs of the country.
Citation: Baird, Nellie Wilhelmina. The relation of the physical body to the mental body. Senior thesis, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1905. ; Morse Department of Special Collections ; Introduction: When we consider physical culture in the various states of development, we find that it runs parallel with the intellectual and ethical efforts of mankind. The latter were caused, to a great extent, by the material wants of the individual. To the pre -historic human being, the struggle for existence was a severe teacher of physical training. Man, in his primitive state soon found that he who could handle the largest club and throw the heaviest stone had the best prospects for life. The wild woods were his gymnasium; his competitive games were battles for life, either with the beasts of the woods or with the human foes of his tribe. History tells us of but one people in whom physical culture manifested itself, as it were, as the living idea of beauty. These were the ancient Greeks. But only for a comparatively short time did the Greeks stand on this unparalleled high pedestal of physical culture. In proportion to their intellectual and political decline physical culture returned again to little better than barbarism, proving thus that mind and body will always ascend or descend together. Though the aspiration for the noble and beautiful had proved the most successful teacher of physical culture, the Romans dismissed him and engaged Master War again as their ideal teacher. It is true he served them faithfully, but could not prevent the dawn fall of the Roman Empire, because the Roman mind soon degenerated and mighty Rome died of voluptuousness. In the Middle Ages chivalry became the bearer of physical training, but the people at large were "dumb -driven cattle". Europe fell victim to this piratical state. Rapacity, ambition, struggle for supremacy were the motives of its physical culture.
HAY, 1906 1T0L. XIT. HO. 3 GETTYSBURG COLLEGE GETTYSBURG, PA. i »»^wiiw»ir^Ww>BffwwuWiii>ii come; and there too we become subject to the great discipline of suffering from which we learn how to meet the real prob-lems of life. Some time ago a contractor of New York City, advertised for twenty five laborers at two dollars a day. Within a (ew hours scores of applicancs thronged his office, until it became almost an angry mob. Each one attempted to make applica-tion before his competitors, and in that way increase his chances lor appointment. This contractor at the same time advertised for a high class specialist to manage a branch of the work, wages twenty-five dollars a day. Days passed and not one man made application. The difference between the re-quirements of the two positions was largely a difference of ex-perience. What the polishing is to the beauty of a diamond discipline and experience are to the usefulness of a life. The experience of nations again and again have shown that an army is of value in active service only to the extent that it is well equipped and trained So the life of an individual is of true value to the world in so far as the powers of that life are cultivated to perform such service as will contribute to the bet-terment of mankind. The man made wise by experience endeavors to judge cor-rectly of the things which come under his observation, and form the thoughts of his daily life. " What we call common sense is for the most part, but the result of common experience wisely improved." The whole of life may be regarded as a great school of experience in which men and women are the pupils. The world today sends forth the cry for men and women of experience, men who are trained and equipped for action. The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have to serve. It is a good stimulus and discipline of THE MERCURV. 73 character. It often brings forth powers that without it would have remained dormant. Just as an electric current passing through a wire requires resistance in order to produce light and heat, so men are often caused to shine brightly in some chosen profession or work because of the resistance they en-counter. It seems as if in the lives of some, the sharp and sudden blow of adversity is required to bring out the divine spark. There are natures that blossom and ripen amidst trial that would only wither and decay in an atmosphere of ease, and comfort Some men only require a great difficulty set in theif way to exhibit the force of their character and genius ; and that diffi-culty once conquered becomes the greatest incentive to their future progress. When a boy fourteen years of age Joseph Lancaster after reading " Clarkson on the Slave Trade " formed the resolution of leaving his home and going to the West In-dies to teach the poor Blacks to read the Bible. He set out with a Bible and " Pilgrims Progress " in his valise, and a few shillings in his purse. The difficulties he encountered were al-most beyond conception, yet they were only a means of strengthening his courage. Soon one thousand pupils were under his instructions. Above the door of his school room were written the words—" If people will not send their chil-dren to school here and have them educated free they may pay for it." Thus Joseph Lancaster was one of the precursors of our present system of National Education. Men do not always succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failure. Many have to make up their minds to encounter failure again and again before they succeed. Talma the great actor was hissed off the stage when he first appeared. Montalembert said of his first public appearance in the church of St. Roch, " I failed completely," and coming out every one said, " Though he be a man of talent he will never be a preacher." He made one attempt after another until he succeeded; and two years after was preaching to large audiences. Each mind makes its own little world. The cheerful mind makes it pleasant, the discontented mind makes it miserable. n JLiiiiiiiMiL i Z 1 74 THE MERCURY. " My mind to me a kingdom is " applies the same to the peas-ant as to the monarch. Life is for the most part but the mirror of our own individual selves; and he who regards it as a sphere of useful efforts of working for others good as well as his own will find this earthly existence joyful, hopeful, and blessed. AN HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED SCENE FROM ROMEO AND JULIET. S. E. SMITH, '07. SCENE—A Street in Venice. Enter Benvolio and Mercutio. Ben. The sun now sinks and ends the rule of day, And night her sable mantle spreads abroad, Save where the moon doth rend her dark'ning folds, And stars like moths do pierce her sombre woof. Mer. .Through my blue veins a sultry flood doth pour Encouraged by the blazing orb of day And should old Capulet and his fell fiends Approach, my swora should feed his hungry point. Marry ! I would give them what ardent Sol Doth thrust into my blood, a poison rank. Ben. Kind sir, forget our deadly strife this eve When springs a breeze from out the deep blue sea, That has the kiss of Venus for its mesh And tangles hearts of men in stouter folds Than ever fisher wove to snare the fish Which sport in wanton glee in cool sea caves. Mer. Then come, let's hasten from the street to where The moonbeams chase each other through the leaves And while the calm and sleepless night is young By music's charms invite old Morpheus To come to nurse our minds till dawn returns. But look ! young Romeo, with head adroop Comes slowly down the street like one whose friends Have faithless proved. Dost thou surmise the cause THE MERCURY. 75 Which drives the heir of Montague To sulk ? Enter Romeo. Ben. To what fair maiden's bower now My Romeo do you your mind address ? Rom. Zounds ! Thy thoughts are ever far from truth, Ben. Now hear ! Mer. Behold the youthful champion of truth ! This night, my honor e'en will vouch for it, I saw him stand beneath a linden tree And rail against the fate that prompted him To look at Luna's silver bow across That shoulder which foretells ill luck 'tis said ; His calf like love was shocked at thought of this And now he pines lest Rosaline should spurn His ardent love. Rom. False babbler hold thy tongue Your wisdom keep for dumber men than I. Exeunt Benvolia and Mercutio Romeo 'goes toward villa of Rosaline. Rom. It is beyond my comprehension quite Why Rosaline doth so indif'rent prove, In spite of all my growing burning love She seems as cold as snow on mountain tops, Or can it be my heart has hid its fire And kept from her its fierce enkindling flame. Well should that be ; tonight I'll leave no spot In her fair heart unscorched by foul desire. Come Orpheus and lend thy mellow art That I may touch and melt her hardened heart. He sings under her window. Sea waves gleam with a tint of blue, The heavens vault is azure too, Yet their hues so rich and rare With thy soft eyes cannot compare, Cho. Come love come and hear my pleading Come and kiss me and caress me Or my heart will pine away. . J 76 THE MERCURY. The lily blooms so sweet and fair The violet gently drugs the air Yet all their beauty and perfume If thou art nigh, are forgotten soon, Cho. Come love, etc., etc. Rosaline appears at the window aboi'e. Ros. Who comes at this quiet hour of night And rends the air with woeful songs of love; It is not love but passion's fiery breath That desecrates the holy calm of eve; This passion is a treach'rOus, murd'rous fiend Who steals abroad beneath the name of love And poisons minds of maids with that unrest Which blights the budding flowers of virgin minds. Rom. Oh Rosaline be not unkind I pray But come and sit with me beneath the moon ; Enjoy the evening cool mid sighing trees While I declare to thee my heartfelt love Which bounds and struggles till it tears my breast. Ros. Oh youth entrapped by Venus give good heed To what I say, and do not come again To haunt the garden of my father's house, Thy passion fierce does not arouse my heart To join with thee in amorous delights, Minerva, chaste my patron goddess is And follow her I will through all my years, For she preserves the happiness of life While Venus blights the ones who trust in her. Romeo goes away. Rom. What pity that such wondrous charms should be Untouched by love's divine consuming fire For from such burning would arise anew Fair forms of beauty which would bless the world. Now sadly to my couch I take my way With unrequited love to pine away; m THE MERCURY. 77 WHAT IS THE RIGHT USE OF BOOKS? E. G. HESS '06. TO those who are students and scholars books are of in-calculable value. By properly using them their minds become vastly enriched, filled with noble and graceful images and guided to profound truths. They are their masters in-structing them in history, philosophy, literature and art. By them the entire line of one's mental horizon is sometimes changed. In the lonely hours of solitude books are one's cheer-ful companions. In deep heart-rending sorrow they have the power to console effectually. When one is confronted by trials and temptations, they beeome a firm and unbending shield. Deep inspiration and renewed life may be found directly back of the print. A library of choice books, therefore, is more precious than great wealth without them. When the imagi-nation constructs its gorgeous and fantastic forms or builds its magnificent air castles, the library is a veritable fairyland. Your handsomely illustrated geographies and well worded geologies speak of the earth with its beautiful mountains, whose gentle slopes with red roofed huts scattered among green groves of pine and hemlock, with here and there an open heath, arch gracefully upward until their majestic snow-capped summits pierce the very vault of heaven, or of clear swiftly flowing streams, rushing over beds of solid rock, suddenly breaking over a perpendicular ledge, then falling, mantled with fleecy clouds of spray, over which hover the brilliant colors of the rainbow, and dashing its hissing torrents into the raging foam-ing gulf below while the eternal roar of the water echoes along the stupendous gorge. Others give knowledge of plant life, from the tender mosses and the tiny delicate flowers to the gigantic trees of the forest. And, yet, has anyone ever obtained the pleasing, refreshing odors of the most fragrant blossoms from reading books, or have the leafy boughs shaded and protected him from the scorching rays of the noon day sun? Can one, while read-ing, hear the ceaseless roaring waters or see the grandeur of the fall ? Hume says : " The poet using the most glowing colors I .:*)*. .11 _ » i',> I 1 Hi f 78 THE MERCURY. of his art cannot depict a scene in such a way that his de-scription might be mistaken for the real landscope." Our histories speak concerning the great men of the past and their remarkable achievements. They tell us of Napoleon, Caesar, Alexander and hosts of others. These interesting his-toric recitals thrill and inspire us, yet we who know only American life frequently fail to think ourselves into those far away lands, and that distant past, into the very conditions un-der which these people lived, thought and fought. They and their deeds belong to the dark dominion of the past, and no book,however well written, can perfectly reflect the past. They, thus, generally appear to us as mere names upon the printed page rather than actual living historic characters who had bodies of flesh and blood very similar to our own. What then do we have in books more than signs for thoughts ? Can real knowledge and actual thoughts be found in books? Can knowledge be found elsewhere than in some one's consciousness ? Truth may exist independent of our minds. But the alphabet, Latin, Greek or Hebrew, the Cunei-form system of the ancient Persians and Assyrians, the Egypt-ian Hieroglyphics are only symbols for ideas and thoughts. The benefit derived from the printed page is wholly a matter of interpretation. Let one hold in his hand a Chinese book, there is a world of truth printed upon its pages, but, unless he understands the language he is unable to interpret it, thus the book conveys no thought. Let him stand before Cleopatra's Needle in New York and unless he be versed in Egyptology, the golden key of interpre-tation is wanting and those curious hieroglyphics are meaning-less. Let two men read a page of English, there is a differ-ence in interpretation proportionate to the difference in capa-city and development. There is also a vast difference in the mental experiences of the same person when he gets his con-ception of an object, or event from the pages ot a printed book or has it indelibly stamped upon his memory by actual personal experience. In the former case, because of the asso-ciation of ideas the words have for him a certain coloring which they had not for the author, and his imagnation working THE MERCURY. 79 over the ideas produces a picture unlike that which was in the author's mind. We hear much about impure drugs and adulterated food. We want our Rio coffee of the same quality and value as when it departed from the port of Brazil. But in our acquisition of knowledge we do not apply these same strict business princi-ples but permit ourselves to be satisfied with second-hand experiences. Some have read books on travel, perhaps the very guide books which are indespensible to a man treading his way amid the cloud-hidden heights or appalling depths of an Alpine glazier. A fatal step may be saved by the book. But no one would read these books and say he has had actual experiences of travel. Thus, when one is struggling with the grave prob-lems of life earnestly striving toward the highest development, a good book may save him much effort, perhaps a disas-trous mistake. But we would not conclude that we gain ex-periences of actual life by reading these (so-called) life books. Only in our imagination can we follow the experiences of great men, leaving an infinite gulf between the experiences gained by reading and those gained from actual life. Let books, therefore, serve us as a pair of eye glasses, as a microscope or telescope. Let them help us to see through the eyes of the authors what otherwise we should not see. Dur-ing leisure hours, let them inspire us, but whenever we can see directly, let us waste neither time nor effort in studying other men's records of what they saw. Emerson says: " Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon, have given; forgetful that Cicero, Locke and Bacon were only young men in libraries when they wrote these books." Thus as scholars we look toward the future and see unwritten books waiting to chronicle our own original investigations. 8o THE MERCURY. SHOULD THE VOTING MACHINE BE INTRO-DUCED INTO PENNSYLVANIA? FRANK W. MOSER, '07. THERE is an old saying that the Yankee will do nothing by hand that he can invent a machine to do for him. He maintains the astonishing record of patenting twenty-three thousand new mechanisms every year and a study of all the complications almost overwhelms one. Outside of the realm of electricity no invention has met the need of the hour so thoroughly and efficiently as the voting machine. This state-ment can be proved by the citing of several facts and its special application to Pennsylvania can then be inferred from general conditions. In the first place voting machines have worked well wher-ever they have been tried. This fact alone is exceedingly sig-nificant when we consider the conditions of turmoil in politics and labor that have marked the last few years. A trial under such circumstances is a trial indeed and the fact that it has proved thoroughly satisfactory is splendid evidence of its value to any state. Considering the rapidity with which the Aus-tralian ballot came into use, we can almost predict that, after the complications in the larger cities, especially in Philadelphia, voting by machine would spring into the front all over the land. Buffalo has voted by machine for several years and seems more than satisfied with the result. This satisfaction is splendid evidence of its worth among the recent inventions tending toward the bettering of conditions in the state. Secondly, when voting is carried on by machines, none of the troubles of a recount can arise. The machine is run some-what on the principle of the cash register and records unerr-ingly and promptly. In tabulating the results, the viewers make numerous errors both by accident and even sometimes it may be with intention and in the press of a hard fight the er-rors are unnoticed and the result, if close, may not embody the will of the people. The automatic action of the machine makes such mistakes an impossibility. The importance of this point can hardly be overestimated since the charges of fraud THE MERCURY. 8l In voting and criminality in the recounts have been spread so broadcast in the daily papers. There is only one immediate and final remedy for this; only one thing that will make such action impossible ; only one thing that can prevent libelous in-dictments from flying on every daily sheet; and that one thing is the voting machine. Thirdly, the result is ready as soon as the voting ceases- There are no long hours of waiting for the results to be an-nounced nor of wearisome labor by the officers. Immediately upon the closing of the polls the machine is ready to hand out its tabulated account arranged in neat and systematic order. Like many other.things in the world the voting machine is shunned because the people are not used to it. There has hardly been an invention in the history of the world's progress, but the people were wary of it, called it a hoax and its inventor a lunatic, and applied a multitude of like foolish accusations, and it is often only after long and severe test that they can be urged to take up with it. The voting machine is simple, very simple, when once it is understood. There is no red tape about the machine nor any patent levers nor anything else of the kind to confuse or annoy the voter. It is as simple as the cash register, a touch and your vote is cast. That these facts are especially applicable to Pennsylvania cannot be doubted by any sound-minded person. Whenever in state or city the power falls into the hands of corrupt and reckless men, pessimism cries out that popular government is a failure. The crisis through which Pennsylvania has just passed, the smoke of the conflict still lingering over the battle-field, ought to be an object lesson at once forceful and abiding. Were the power of corruption in machine and gang entirely dead, then we might settle down to our newspapers and maga-zines with some degree of security, but the lightening that ever and anon illuminates the edge of the cloud shows that there is still dormant energy behind the apparent calm, which may break into a storm at any minute. Superficial remedies, advocated by would-be reform societies, are worse than useless. The reform must come from within and be deep and perma-nent to achieve the best results, and the introduction of the 82 THE MERCURY. voting machine would be a big step toward preventing any such conditions from becoming prevalent in the future. Penn-sylvania needs the voting machine because, having just passed through a stormy period, she is still hanging in suspense to-await future events ; she needs the machine because the ma-chine would give a reasonable guarantee of fairness at the polls; she needs the machine because she is the keystone of the union and should be solidly for the right, a position it would assist her to maintain ; she ought to have the machine because her citizens are ever broad-minded enough to put away prejudice against the new and fall into line on any improvement in state government. To repeat, the machine ought to be introduced into Pennsyl-vania because it has met with decided success wherever it has been tried; because none of the troubles of a recount can arise; because the result is ready as soon as the voting ceases ; because Pennsylvania is now in such condition as to render the introduction of the voting machine not only advantageous but imperative. It is not growing like a tree In bulk, doth make man better be ; Or standing long an oak, three hundred year To fall a log at last, dry, bald and sear : A lily of a day Is fairer far in May, Although it fall and die that night, It was the plant and flower of light. In small proportions we just beauties see ; And in short measures life may perfect be. —Ben Jonson. mmwwm**— • THE MERCURY. 83 IN THE SHELTER OF A ROCK. E. A. CHAMBERLIN, '08. WILLIAM BLODGETT always was an enthusiastic pho-tographer. Although only an amateur, yet some of his battlefield views rivaled even those of the professionals, Mumper and Tipton. His mountain views, water scenes, and views of historic spots, had won a name for him among his numerous college friends and outside admirers. Scarcely did a publication of the " Amateur Photographer," appear without the use of one of Blodgctt's reproductions as an illustration. One afternoon, after he had puzzled his brain over Prof. Nixon's cycloids and hypocycloids, he strapped his camera over his shoulder, placed his tripod beneath his arm, and strolled forth in the direction of Culp's Hill in quest of speci-mens for his botanical collection, and for further purpose of adding to his already numerous supply of battlefield views. After walking about a mile, finding only a few flowers, he came upon a scene which made the heart of the young photographer leap for joy. He had often seen it before but it was never so inviting as now. The avenue had been built in the side of the hill, and, as he halted upon its white surface to feast his eyes upon this garden spot of nature, he beheld stretched below him in a small valley, masses of rock, one upon the other, between which flowed Rock Creek now flooded to its banks by early spring rains. One mass of rock in particular showed the results of the hor-rible struggle which had taken place at this point nearly forty years before. Even now upon the rock could be seen the marks of many bullets, and streaks of white lead oxidized by the rains of many years. The trees here thick and tall were beginning to bud, while in the background loomed up a wooded hill, the only sentinel which had withstood the victorious charge of O'Neal's men. An excursion from Baltimore was upon the field but, as luck would have it, all seemed to be elsewhere sightseeing. So with no one to disturb him he planted his tripod and arranged his camera for a view which in his opinion would far surpass a similar scene, taken by a Princeton student, which had been 84 THE MERCURY. published a few weeks before. Not a breeze disturbed the leaves in the tree-tops—not a creature could be seen, with the exception of a distant buzzard sailing over the ground once made fruitful, in his aviarian mind, by the inhuman struggles of two contending armies. With a last look upon the scene he turned, removed the cover from the plateholder and gently pressed the bulb. That night after he had worked for two hours upon his Latin, he went to his dark room and proceeded to develop his treasure. How carefully he measured the powders and liquids, how gently he removed the plate from its holder and placed it in the tray. The image arose upon the plate resplendent in the ruby light. Yet Blodgett's heart sank within him as he looked upon it, for, in the very centre of the picture, just above the rock, appeared a small black spot which would render the negative practically' worthless. Tired, disgusted and discouraged, he finished the process and went to bed. As the first rays of the morning sun shone in his window he jumped out of bed to take a better look in the daylight at the defective spot. Imagine his surprise when upon holding it to the window he discovered that the black spot was caused by no other object than the head of a beautiful girl, made even more beautiful by its surroundings. She had undoubtedly been concealed and, at the very moment in which he had pressed the bulb had looked over the moss covered edge of the rock. The face was one of exceptional beauty. During the day, and those which followed, Blodgett often looked at the small features, the dark waving hair and the eyes which he knew, from their expression, must be of the deepest blue. He had never seen the young lady in question, and, make inquiry as he would, no information upon the subject could he gain. He searched the spot sheltered by the rock for some clew; this was also in vain. He found nothing save a few dainty foot prints upon the mossy bank. The months and years flew past. Blodgett graduated from college and entered a school in Baltimore, where it was his pur-pose to make a special study of photography, his great hobby ; yet he never forgot the face which had appeared from behind ,.-. --- r—i THE MERCUKY. 85 the sheltering rock, and never failed to look for it even in the busy city in which he now lived. One day while passing through Druid Hill Park he was struck by an automobile and lay seemingly lifeless upon the speedway. A burly policeman lifted him tenderly, placed him gently upon a grassy bank and after noting the number of the machine sent in a hurry call for an ambulance. Blodgett thought himself in a deep pit while ever and anon there would appear above him in bold outline against the outer light, a face the same which had in his college days appeared in like manner from behind the rock. At last the pit vanished and there bending over him was the face with a small nurse's cap surmounting it. The face although now slightly older was nevertheless the same. His air castles had materalized. He had been injured internally, and it was several months before he was able to leave his cot. In the meantime he had told the owner of the face, a certain Miss Hartman, about the photograph of the rock and had received her side of the story. At the end of a week they were fast friends, and, as the weeks lengthened into months their friendship changed to something even deeper. He is now one of the leading photographers in Baltimore while she although her name is changed yet her face is the same as on that day when it so suddenly appeared and then as quickly vanished behind the shelter of the rock. THE ]\|ERCURY Entered at the Postoffi.ee at Gettysburg as second-class Matter VOL. XIV GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1906 No. 3 Editor-in-chief WARD B. S. RICE, '07 Exchange Editor . THOS. E. SHEARER, '07 Business Manager THOMAS A. FAUST, '07 Ass'l Bus. Managers. HENRY M. BOWER, '08 H. WATSON DAVISON, '08 Associate Editors GEO. W. KESSLER, '08 J. K. ROBB, '08 EDMUND L. MANGES, '08 . Advisory Board PROF. J. A. HIMES, LITT.TX PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M.D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD, D.D. Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price, one dollar a year in advance; single copies 15 cents. Notice to discontinue sending the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Busi-ness Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EDITORIALS. Every young GOLDEN MOMENTS. man ^Q ;«. about to enter an institution of learning has to a certain extent made plans which when he makes them does it in all sin-cerity and fully intends to carry them through. The majority realize that they are entering into a course of training which when completed will have changed them and made them entirely new persons. There is such a Pt».H»^f| THE MERCURY. 87 diversity in men's lives that no two men will receive the same amount of benefits. Some who have laid extensive plans and are ambitious may not accomplish as much as a man whose intentions are not so extensive but has the natural faculty of making use of his time. Spare moments have well been called the gold dust of time. At this time of the year when nature has taken on her •summer clothing it is especially easy to waste our precious moments in which we should be carrying out our plans. We are now nearing the close of another school year and for this very reason we should not even let nature or any other factor •waylay us or take advantage of us, but we should do as the runner who on the home stretch puts forth his best efforts and finishes his race in an admirable manner. It is a hard thing to go to one's room and work when one could enjoy the beauti-ful evenings on the campus. But when time has been idled away there is always a feeling of discontent while on the other hand when time is well spent there comes a feeling of content. There is a question now being agitated A PERSONAL QUESTION. wh, i•ch, i• s ofc vi.tal, i.mportance to every Gettysburg student, those who may oppose it as well as those who may favor it. It is that of a compulsory athletic fee, pro-viding that each student shall be required to pay a yearly athletic fee, and that there shall be free admission to all games, also carrying with it the provision that the student will not be required to assist financially except as above stated. Every-one acquainted with the present system of meeting the athletic debts must confess that it is faulty and is largely chance, and that the only results of its workings have been debt and dissatisfaction. Of course this reform, like all others, has ob-jections raised against it, but we believe that the merits of the system proposed will high override all objections. But before we come to a conclusion, let us look at some of the benefits to be derived as set over against the objections. In the first place the present system is working to the de-triment of the college. It does not provide the funds neces-sary for the best results. This is a serious drawback because 88 THE MERCURY. the the athletic success of a college plays an important part in influencing prospective students. Especially students of means-will consider this point, and they are generally most influential for the college. It may be well to state that we are not depre-ciating our success along atheletic lines, but believe that with a good coach for each branch of our athletics, which we would have under the system proposed, we would surprise some of our old rivals. Take for example the last football season. Again since there would be free admission to all games, the student body would make a better showing, and the teams would re-ceive better support. In the next place, the burden would not fall so heavily upon those who are willing to contribute, but the responsibility would fall equally upon all, and each could claim an equal share in the success. In connection with the forego-ing reason, an objection arises, and we may say the only one which can be brought up. That is, that it would not be fair to-those of limited means. We have all respect for students of that kind, but we are of the opinion that a reasonable fee would not inconvenience them any more than some necessity which may present itself. There may be a few-exceptions, but they would-be provided for with ease in comparison with what would have to be overcome if the present system continues. If the college is to be conducted for those of very limited means, then abolish athletics and show true colors. On the other hand if we are go-ing to support this branch, let up us adopt a system, such as-the one proposed, that will be beneficial to the student body and the college, instead of pursuing one which is unsatisfactory and unbusinesslike for the sake of a difficulty which can be easily provided for. With regard to next month's issue we would urge the hearty cooperation of all. Although, this is the busiest season of the school year, the Seniors have ing their class exercises, the Juniors having the oratorical con-test, and the Sophomores orations to deliver, let us have this-issue measure up to the standard, if not surpass it. At this-time we are apt to say that we are too busy, but we hope that LEST WE FORGET. THE MERCURY. 89 you will consider it well before you declare yourself in such a strait. Let everybody get to work, we must have a good selec-tion. Begin to write immediately and hand it in on time as the number will have to be published before commencement. EXCHANGES. As the Commencement season draws near, the attention of the college world is directed toward oratory, commencement speeches and class oratorical contests. This is plainly shown in the exchanges of the past month. The March number of the Maniton Messenger is an Oratori-cal Number, containing the orations of St. Olaf's representa-tives in an Inter-collegiate Contest. The orations are good of their kind, but as a comment upon them we, will quote from an editorial in the April number of the same journal which has just come to hand. The editor says : " The tendency of current college oratory seems to be in favor of character sketches- Instead of whetting his intellect on intricate present day prob-lems, our college orator turns to the musty records of past ages, and from the mouldering bones of ancient heroes draws a pencil sketch of the man who was. The warrior, the states-man, the orator, and the reformer each has his turn. We are told of the life they lived, the work they did, and the death they died. That is all. The grand passions that filled their hearts and swayed their minds we never feel because the prob-lems that shook the foundations of society in their time no longer exist. * * * * Our sympathies are in the present. The great orators of the past became great because the subjects of their orations were the problems of the time in which they lived. They were themselves fired with the theme and could therefore kindle the fire in others." "The Mob Mind in Social Life," in the Augustana Observer, is, without doubt, the best article of a serious nature that we have seen in that paper in many issues. The writer defines a mob as " a number of individuals under the absolute influence of a common idea or sentiment, temporarily void of individuals, personality, and ruled by unconscious or sub-conscious forces!' Under this definition he works out the psychology of the 9o THE MERCURY. mob mind to the conclusion that direct legislation providing for the punishment of individuals of the mob must be useless in controlling, or guiding its forces, but that ' thetonly ulti-mate ' solution of the mob problem is to fill the ' sub-con-sciousness of mankind with noble ideas.' " And this," he says, " is the task of unnumbered centuries." Some of the other articles that we would like to commend are : " An Idyll of the Grove," a story, in The Haverfordian ; " Ruskin on War," in The Albright Bulletin; " Insurance or No Insurance," a parody on Hamlet's soliloquy, in The Moun-taineer; "Child Labor Problem " in Dickinsonian ; " The Man Who Spent His Father's Money," a story in The Red and Blue ; " The Flower Maiden," a poem, in The Philomathean Monthly; and " Undine," as a product of the German Romantic School," in The Forum. In searching the month's exchanges we were surprised at the scarcity of good editorials. Only one or two contained any of any length and merit. This is something unusual. Heretofore they have proved to be good reading, but this month they are weak. Are the editors so busy reading copy that they have no time to* write, or are they out among the students hunting up copy ? It is very likely perhaps that the new staffs are not yet in good working order and that this de-fect will be remedied in the next issue. There seems to be an inclination in some of the college papers to place in their " Locals " so very many nonsensical items. Although we realize that an exchange editor is hardly in a position to make mention of local items, yet we cannot refrain from doing so when this practice mentioned above is carried to such an extent that it lowers our opinion of the paper and incidentally of the school. For example, we have in mind the " Class Items " in The College Folio ; " Locals " in The Midland; " Local Items " in The Grove City Collegian ; and " Things Said and Done " in The Drury Mirror. These papers usually contain but two contributed articles—some-times three, if short—which is a small number for a monthly publication. Now we do not mean that any news item should be suppressed, but if a page or so of these personal jokes and foolish puns were replaced by a good essay or story, we feel sure that the general tone of the papers would be heightened. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISER'S I FURNITURE Mattresses, Bed Springs, Iron Beds, Picture Frames. Repair Work done promptly. Under-taking a specialty. * Telephone No. 97. H. B. ^erLcLer 37 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pa. The Windsor Hotel 1217=2 Filbert St., Philadelphia. Headquarters for Students. Thoroughly Renovated, Refurnished and Remodeled FRANK M. SCHEIBLEY, Manager. Graduate of Lafayette College 1898. A. G. Spalding & Bros. 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SEFTON & FLEMMING'S LIVERY Baltimore Street, First Square, Gettysburg, Pa. Competent Guides for all parts of the Battlefield. Arrangements by telegram or letter. Lock Box 257. J. I. MUMPER. 41 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pa, The improvements to our Studio have proven a perfect success and we are now better prepared than ever to give you satisfactory work. EMIL ZOTHE COLLEGE EMBLEMS Engraver, Designer and Manufacturing Jeweler, 716 CHESTNUT ST., - PHILADELPHIA. SPECIALTIES : Masonic Marks, Society Badges, College Buttons, Pins, Scarf Pins, Stick Pins and Athletic Prizes. All goods ordered through PHILIP BIKLE, JR. HELP THOSE WHO HELP US. The Intercollegiate Bureau or Academic Costume. Chartered igo2. Ootrell St Leonard, Albany, ]ST. IT. makers of the Caps, Gorans and Hoods To the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Min-nesota, Leland Stanford, Tulane, University of the South, Wel-lesley, Bryn Mawr, Wells, Mt. 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"\X7~e al-re/ays na-v7-e tine; sea-sons novelties, besides a complete line o£ staples at prices to tempt you, • SPECIAL CARE TAKEN TO MAKE WORK STYLISH AND EXACTLY TO YOUR ORDER. - CUill CQ. Seligman, Taiio*, 7 Chambepsbupg St., Gettysburg, Pa. R. A. WONDERS Corner Cigar Parlors. A full line of Cigars, Tobacco, Pipes, etc. Scott's Corner, opp. Eagle Hotel GETTYSBURG, PA. Pool Parlors in Connection. D. J. Swartz Country Mnce Dealein Groceries Cigars and Tokco GETTYSBURG. Established 1867 by Allen Walton. . Allen K. Walton, Pres. and Treas. Root. J. Walton, Superintendent. Hummelstown Brown Stone (Jompanij, QTT_£L.i^:R,-5r:ivd:E isr and Manufacturers of BUILDING STONE, SAWED FLAGGING, and TILE, WALTONVILLE, 1£E. PENNA. Contractors for all kinds of cut stone work. Telegraph and Express Address, I3ROWNSTONE, PA. Parties visiting Quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station, on the P. & R. R.R. THE GETTYSBURG JIERGDRY The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College Voi,. XII. GETTYSBURG, PA., APRIL, 1903 No. 2 CONTENTS MY GUARDIAN STAR 48 C. E. BUTLER, '05. JONATHAN SWIFT AS A SATIRIST 49 HERBERT L. STIFEL, '03. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR WOMAN S3 M. ADA MCLINN, '04. THE BLACK SHEEP . 57 ESSAY-WRITING AS A COLLEGE DISCIPLINE . . 62 N. R. WHITNEY, '06. A SOLILOQUY 64 B. A. STROHMEIER, '06. THE INFLUENCE OF THE NOVEL . . . . . 66 J. EDWARD LOWE, '05. THE RURAL TELEPHONE 68 BRUCE P. COBAUGH, '05. SHOULD A STUDENT KEEP HIS COLLEGE TEXT-BOOKS? . 70 C. EDWIN BUTLER, '05 EDITORIALS 72 EXCHANGES " . 75 48 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. MY GUARDIAN STAR. C. E. BUTLER, '05. *m MiERE are spots in the far away sky *• Where the heavenly bodies stand, Like sentinels over all nature To keep the peace of the land. Here alone, great bodies are strewn And there sweeps a beautiful lake, And an angel brings a rose every night To hang as a clear silver flake. If one were to pause in the evening And gaze to the heavens all aglow, He would find there, a star, by instinct Whose secret only one man can know. This bright and heavenly body Has been placed by the hand of Fate To keep watch o'er a certain pilgrim On his journeys early and late. The Fates favor not only one, But each has his guardian star, And if you will but eagerly look Your guardian is watching from afar. 'Tis sweet to be so shielded By a Father who watches from above, For such stars are the works of his hand As our guardian angels of love. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 49 JONATHAN SWIFT AS A SATIRIST. HERBERT L. STIEEL, '03. {Graeff Prize Essay.] SATIRE has been defined as criticism that searches for de-fects in order to ridicule them. Being destructive rather than constructive, it is not the highest form of criticism; in fact it occupies a low plane in the scale of literary merit. Neverthe-less, it has been a popular form of writing from the times of the Athenian Aristophanes and the Roman Horace down to the present day. At no time, perhaps, was it so prevalent as at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Those days formed a period of literary duels, personal, political, and religious, such as the world has never seen before or since. Satire, lampoon, and epigram were the weapons ; such men as Voltaire, Swift, Addison, and Defoe, were the contestants. Masters of their weapons, all of them ; able to send home their rapier-like thrusts with telling effect. Pre-eminent among them, in satire at least, stands Jonathan Swift, author, clergyman, politician and misanthrope. Many a brilliant production has come from his vitriolic pen, but none of his works contain a satire more keen than his own life. At college he was a poor student. He read much, but the regular studies of his course had no attraction for him. Mathematics and the sciences of the day were his especial bugbear. This dislike may have been the origin of the ridicule to which he subjected them later, in his "Voyage to Laputa." At times he was pinched with poverty. An extremely dis-agreeable disposition prevented his making many friends and soon lost for him the few he did have. Joseph Addison was one notable exception, however; his friendship for Swift was firm and lasting. Swift was a man of irascible passions, mis-anthropic to the last degree. Life, to his mind, was not worth living. He had a horror of old age and a desire for death which would have been pathetic had it not been so cynical and bitter. "God bless you, I hope we shall never meet again," 50 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. was his customary farewell to his friends. Brutality towards woman was another of Swift's traits, Esther Johnson, the subject of his "Journal to Stella" and Miss Vanhomrig, known in his works as Vanessa, were the principal sufferers. The last few years of his life were spent in total insanity. Even on his death bed the habit of satire was strong in him. With satirical intent, as he himself admitted, he willed his entire fortune to a home for incurable madmen. Of the writings of Swift, "Gulliver's Travels" is the most im-portant and best known. Nearly all of his other satires are at times licentious, indelicate, and coarse. Particularly is this true of his "Tale of a Tub," a general satire, lashing in all directions. This was one of his earliest works and though very offensive, it has been pronounced "the most powerful satire of the century." The "Drapiers Letters" and the "Battle of the Books" are also among his more important productions. In his two pamphlets written along almost parallel lines, the "Argu-ment Against the Abolishment of Christianity" and the "Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children in Ireland from Being a Burden to their Parents" by fattening and eating them, we have two of the best examples of unrestrained irony known to the English language. He is also the author of numerous political pamplets which are worthy of consideration as examples of pure, simple En-glish. Throughout all of them we can trace the unfailing vein of his satire. The style of Swift is simple, direct and even. Sentences flow naturally and easily from his pen. A child would have no difficulty in understanding the words which he uses. Originality is another "characteristic of his works. Sir Walter Scott draws our attention to this fact, claiming that Swift was more original than any other author of his period. Swift has been imitated, as in the "Travels of Baron Mun-chausen," but never did he imitate. An interesting peculiarity of his writings is his power of giving "the wildest fiction an air of realism." The characteristics and methods of Swift's satire are best discerned by an examination of his well known work, "Gulliver's THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Si Travels."* Here he makes the wildest invention and most grotesque humor hide a serious purpose. So well does he succeed that I have heard a college man, a Senior, declare that the work is a story for children, written with that purpose in view. The voyage of Captain Gulliver to Lilliput refers chiefly to the court and politics of England. The political parties in Lilliput, the one insisting that high heels shall be worn upon the shoes, the other equally insistent that only low heels shall be worn, are the Tories and Whigs of England. When Swift tells of the heir apparent of the country, who wears one heel high and one low, the shaft is aimed at the Prince of Wales, whose political leanings were equivocal, to say the least. The petty disputes in Lilliput as to whether eggs should be broken at the small or the big end, find their parallel in the differences of the English Papists and Protestants. Horace Walpole, Prime Minister'of England, is said to have laughed heartily when, on reading Swift's ridiculous account of the Premier Flimnap, he recognized himself. Placing the scene of the story in a country where the inhabitants are six inches high and their surroundings and deeds in proportion, only adds effectiveness. In the next voyage we are taken to Brobdingnag. The satire here is more general. Few particular references to persons or events can be discovered. The littleness and vanity of our desires and the insignificance of our pursuits are shown the more strongly by increasing them to Brobdingnagian propor-tions. The third voyage is to Laputa, and this time the scien-tists of England suffer. It is not real science which Swift de-rides, but the many pretenses and imitations of the day. Nevertheless, some pointed passages are directed against Sir Isaac Newton and the Royal Society. In the author's gloomy account of the Struldbrugs, the immortals of Laputa, we are reminded of his own indifference to life and his fear of old age. * Analysis based on notes of Rev. John Mitford ; W. C. Taylor Edi-tion, Vol. I. 52 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. The satire which we find in the fourth voyage is bitterly mis-anthropic and repelling. On this voyage, Captain Gulliver is thrown ashore upon an island where the horse is the superior animal and man the inferior. The picture which Swift here draws of human nature is nauseating and disgusting. The mind at once rejects so horrible a caricature. Had the "Voy-age to the Houyhnums" never been written, "Gulliver's Travels" would be a much more readable book. With all his coarseness, Swift was undoubtedly a genius. Thackeray, with all his adverse criticism, admits that he was "the greatest wit of all times ;" Macaulay claims that he was the "ablest man in the Tory party" and the "keenest observer of men and manners ;" Joseph Addison calls him "the greatest genius of his age." Of Swift's use of English, Dr. Hugh Blair says, "He knew beyond almost any man the purity, extent and precision of the English language." The consensus of opinion is that he was the greatest satirist of his own, if not of any, age. Sir Walter Scott not inaptly compares the personality of Swift to Shake-speare's description of Cassius in "Julius Caesar :" "He reads much ; He is a great observer and he looks quite through The deeds of men. Seldom he smiles ; and smiles in such a sort, As if he mocked himself and scorned his spirit. That could be moved to smile at anything." THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 53 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR WOMAN. M. ADA MCLINN, '04. "Ignorance is the curse of God. Kowledge is the wings with which we fly to heaven." IF knowledge is so significant for the uplifting of the human race and the lack of knowledge equally significant for its downfall, it is worth while to investigate it and discover in what way it means so much to mankind in general. It is through education that one obtains knowledge. Education is too comprehensive in its workings to admit of definition. This much can be said of it, however. It is an all-round de-velopment of the mind by means of which it expands and changes in character. This development guides the mind to the great realms of thought where a vast, vast expanse stretches before it. There the minds sees by-ways, roads and large avenues which lead to undiscovered knowledge. The only pass needed for traveling upon them is thought—deep, re-searchive thought; but, to speak literally, the training of one's intellectual powers is of untold value. Ask any educated per-son if he would be willing to part with what he knows. He will answer positively in the negative. It means too much to him to part with it at any price. What mean the phenomena of nature to the untaught? What does he see in the sky above him other than a canopy over the earth set with lights ? He does not see the stars as worlds revolving in the endless blue aether. What does he see in the gorgeous cloud formations and hues of dawn and sunset other than a sign of to morrow's weather ? The orchard in its dainty dress of blossom pink and leafy green means only a prospective crop of fruit. To one whose mind has been trained by thought and study these sights give inspiration, they open a new world to him, they fill his mind with glorious reflections and create within him a desire to become something. 54 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. To the ignorant person, the world is as an opaque mist. He can see dimly the outlines and positions of objects, but can-not define them. It is education that clears away the opacity and enables him to view his surroundings through a clear transparent atmosphere. It is in our literature that we find the greatest thoughts of the greatest minds, the most soul inspiring thought, the most beautiful songs of gifted poets. These mean nothing to the unlearned. He thereby loses all the best that the world which lived before him left him. Education gives one a constant source of entertainment and instruction. Place an educated person on a lonely island. He can do more than exist. He can find friends in the birds, the trees, in fact, in all of his surroundings. Place him in the crowded city and, because of his insight into human nature, he will be the leader of his circle. In any place, he is at home and capable. Through education one discovers what a potent force is mind—how it rules the world with its all-compelling sway. Before this development one leads, as it were, a vegetative ex-istence ; he is merely an individual—one of the many millions upon the earth's surface. Educate him and he is a person with a personal plan before him to carry out. He is a character with influence. This and much more does education mean to every human being who lives on God's earth—both to man and woman, but we shall now proceed to show what it signifies to woman, specially, in her own sphere. No one will deny that woman's mental constitution is dif-ferent from man's. Her nature is more sensitive to her sur-roundings, she requires a more ideal existence, her sense of sympathy is keener, her heart is the controlling force. To such a temperament education means more than to the more staid temperament of man. Her sensitive nature quick-ened, by such training, to a sense of the great possibilities be-fore it, will make a new world for itself. The horizon will stretch away from the four walls of the house to the great round THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 55 - world. To her, personally, it means a life flavored with con-tinual happiness, it is "a thing of beauty and a joy forever." It gives her the ideal existence that she needs. Instead of be-ing bound down to the hum-drum routine of her household duties, she rises above the drudgery of them. With systematic order she can arrange these duties, then lay them aside to en-joy life in a realm above the culinary department. Her tendency to be ruled by the heart is restrained, which, while most humane, is sometimes dangerous without the con-trolling power of reason. Her judgment and reasoning powers are developed. She views the questions of life with logical perception. Her sanguine temperament is brought to its proper balance and her mind in emergencies becomes calm and clear. It is the ideal existence which makes woman happy, and Ruskin says, that is what makes her lovely. It is education that gives substance to her day dreams. With clearer vision than man she grasps the ideal which stands out upon the heights of possible achievement. She listens to the low voice of duty which commands the actualization of this ideal, and with the power which the intellectual life bestows, she approxi-mates it more closely, in her daily life, than man can do. In the home it establishes her as queen. What does it not mean to a home to have an educated mother in it? Her trained faculties, combined with her innate love and sympathy, make her an ideal mother. It is safe to say that the rudeness of American children, for which unfortunately they are noted, would disappear could educated and cultured mothers be placed in all homes. To his mother a child owes his mental endowment. Review the biographies of the great men of the age. It will be found that from their mothers they inherited superior mental traits. Again to be an ideal wife a woman must have reached such a stage of mental development that she can meet her husband on any ground. Can there be per-fect congenialty and love between two minds, one of which has expanded and been broadened in its development, the other a small intellect filled with trifles ? In addition to the influence education exerts upon a woman 56 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. personally, and her elevation in the home, it means a great deal to her social position. One can judge the status of a com-munity by the women he finds in it. Woman rules the social world about her. Every one will acknowledge that it is desir-able to live in a community of some standing and culture. Then he must acknowledge that it is necessary to have the women educated who live in the community. An educated woman will have no time for petty gossip and slander. And by conversing with her one will gain more than mere diversion. It gives her presence, assurance and tact in her intercourse with others. If one wishes to know what education has done for woman previous to this, let him note the changes in her condition and in the condition of the world, since the time when she was de-nied the privilege of learning even so much as the alphabet. Education enables woman to help man directly and indirectly in his work in the world. It was Psyche, in Tennyson's "Princess," who in speaking of this union of the minds of man and woman, said with prophetic voice: "Everywhere Two heads in council, two beside the hearth, Two in the tangled business of the world, Two in the liberal offices of life, Two plummets dropped for one to sound the abyss Of science and the secrets of the mind." This combining of the two minds she expected to see brought about by woman's being educated apart from the world. We are seeing her prophecy fulfilled, not by woman's exclusion from the world, but by her mingling with it, and being edu-cated to dwell in it. In this way she is becoming an interesting factor in the world's history, while at the same time she is becoming a womanly woman, full of charm, and ready to fill any place where the world needs her, be it within or without the home. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 57 THE BLACK SHEEP. IN his library, one December night, an old man sat watching the flames as they leaped higher and higher in the old fireplace, each one seeming as though it were trying to reach a greater height than its fellow. His head rested in his hands, and on his face was a look of sadness, such as might have been produced by some mental agony. If the old man's face could have been seen, a tear would have been noticed trinkling down his old, wrinkled face. He might, perchance, be recalling the dark days of his life. For no life, no matter to what height of perfection it has attained, but has had its hours of temptations and darkness. Outside the winds howled and moaned. The snow flew in clouds. A fierce winter's storm was raging. The streets were deserted except for those whom business compelled to be abroad on such a night. Yes, on such a night the home was the Mecca of all pedestrians. The old man continued to sit in silence until he was aroused from his musings by the opening of the door into his den. And turning around he beheld his daughter in the doorway. She was a woman of perhaps twenty years of age, not to say beautiful; but her face had that in it which makes one feel at once that he has found a woman of noble character. One whose life was filled with noble sentiment and pure thoughts. "You wish to see me, father?" she asked, approaching the old man. "Yes, my dear," replied the old man, raising his head, "draw a chair up to the fireplace, I wish to talk to you." While she was doing as her father directed, the old man's head was again in his hands and he seemed lost in thought. She sat for some moments in silence, waiting for the old man to speak, but he did not move. At length she ventured to say, "I am still here, father." Without seeming to notice her remark the old man began : "Nellie, I have always been a good father to you, haven't 58 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. I ? I have always done all for you that I should ? I was always good to your mother before she died? I never brought disgrace or sorrow to our home ? We were always happy, we three ?" "Why, certainly, father, why do you ask ?" his daughter questioned, in some surprise. "Because, my daughter," the old man resumed, "I feel that my life is almost at its close; that my race is almost run." "Don't talk so foolish, father, you know that you will live many years yet." "Ah ! my daughter, I wish it were so, but I know it cannot be. And before I die there is something which I must tell you. Something which only myself and my God know, yet I feel, my darling, that when I have told you that you will turn away from your poor old father in disgust. You won't do that, Nellie ? Say that you won't do that." And the old man stretched his hands appealingly toward his daughter. "You have always been true and noble to me, father, and whatever you may have done I am sure that I will love you still," replied the girl taking the old man's hands in her own. They sat in silence for some moments but at length the old man began: "Having started out in life under favorable circumstances, it was not long until I had made a name for myself. At a quite early age I became cashier in the bank then run by Howard & Rawlston. My mother and father were proud of their son. He was an honor and joy to them. Soon my name became a by-word for honesty and integrity. But not so with my elder brother Dick. On the contrary, Dick was a wild sort of a chap. The old folks never mentioned his doings excepting when things had gone so far that we could not bear them any longer. Time after time father had gotten him out of one scrape only to find that he had gotten into another. At last it came to a crisis and when father had given poor old Dick his last chance, he ignominiously failed. Then father left him shift for himself. I really pitied my brother often, believing that we THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 59 did not fully understand him. For I knew that at heart he was a noble fellow. " Year after year glided by, during which I met your mother and our friendship was eventually consummated in our happy marriage. At length, one day, I was shown a chance by which I might make my fortune. I invested. Then came the crash. What should I do ? I needed money. An idea came to my mind, but I would not listen to it. No, I had lost my all but I was still honest. " Oh ! how many sleepless nights I spent. Oh ! how many days of torture I lived through, no one will ever know. And then to cap the climax you were born. There were three mouths to feed now, what should I do? After much delibera-tion I resolved to give way to the thought which had come into my mind, and make of myself a criminal. I was surprised to see with what complacency I arranged my plan. Really, I was astonished with myself. " I waited with impatience the fatal day. It came at last, bringing with it rain and a high wind. A very suitable time for my opprobrious project. After the business hours of the day were over I went home, ate my supper, and told your mother I must go out on business. This being a frequent oc-currence did not surprise her in the least. 'About midnight, muffled in a long coat, I made my way to-ward the bank. The rain was falling fast. No one was on the streets. All the better for me. At length I stood on the bank steps; my heart almost failed me. No, I would not turn back, I had made my resolve and would stick to it. I took out my keys and soon had the door open. It was only the work of a moment to get to the safe and open it. Quickly taking out ten packages of bills, each containing ten one thousand dollar bills, I put them into a bag which I had brought with me for that purpose. Ah, I was rich once more, but the bank! The bank was ruined, but what cared I for that, I had gone too far to turn back. The bank must look out for itself. "In a few moments I had the safe closed and was soon on the outside. I hastily looked up and down the street. No one 6o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. was in sight. I started quickly up the street. Soon I was at the corner and just as I turned around it I bumped into a man coming in the opposite direction. He muttered something about people looking where they were going. We looked at each other, my God! It was my brother Dick. He did not apparently recognize me, or if he did he did not care to let me know it. "I was soon at home and after having put the bank notes in a safe place turned to my bed to spend a sleepless night. ******** "The next day the town was wild., The robbery had been discovered. The bank was on the verge of ruin. Detectives were sent for, but they could find no clue. The robbers had left not the slightest trace of their identity behind. "A few weeks after, one of the parties believed he had traced the crime to me. He as much as told me that I had done it. What should I do ? Was all my work for nothing ? I must prove an alibi by all means, but how ? That was the question. "The directors of the bank were in meeting. I was there against my will. I was to prove to them that I had had no connection with the robbery whatever. If I failed in this I should be handed over to the authorities in the morning. I was almost frantic with fear. I believed myself lost. I had been away from home that night and they knew it. Try as I would, I could not think of any plausible thing to tell them. "Many questions were asked me, and I was given a chance to prove that I was not near the place of crime. But it was of no avail. I could not do it. I was doomed. At length Mr. Howard arose and looking squarely at me said, 'John Gilford, we have given you a chance to clear yourself. You have failed. Yet you stoutly maintain your innocence. We wish to believe you. I wish to God I could do so. But if you are not guilty, who is?' "Not a sound was heard. The perspiration was trinkling down my face in large drops. The fatal moment had come. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 61 All eyes were riveted upon me. I resolved to confess, to tell them all. I was just about to answer when 'I am' came the answer in a clear and distinct voice. We all turned and there standing in the doorway was a man, worn and haggard-looking, and that man was my brother Dick. "I tried to see Dick during the trial but he would not let them admit me to see him. All too soon the trial was over, and Dick was sentenced to twenty years in the State prison. But the poor boy did not last long. The next year we buried him in the cemetery on the hill. He had fallen a victim to typhoid fever, contracted shortly after he entered the prison. "My darling, what years of torture I have gone through since then no one can realize. What remorse and anguish have filled my soul God alone knows. But I was a coward then. I could not confess and clear him, and Dick, poor boy, did it for myself and your mother. He loved your mother, Nellie, and he would not see her disgraced." The old man in his earnestness arose, stretched his hands toward his daughter : "You forgive me my child ? You will love—you will love—me—still ?" He tottered and fell to the floor. Quickly his daughter was by his side. "Speak to me, father," she cried, "speak to me." She felt at his heart. It had ceased to beat. No, he would speak no more. He had gone to his God. His race was run. He had gone to join the Black Sheep. w. A. G. 62 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. ESSAY-WRITING AS A COLLEGE DISCIPLINE. N. R. WHITNEY, '06. THE end for which men come to college is to gain a lib-eral education. To attain this end it is necessaiy to make use of some means besides that of poring over text books. These means are to be found especially in literary-work. This must not be understood as implying that the knowledge gained from text books is of secondary importance. On the contrary such knowledge is of primary importance, for one must have thoughts worthy of utterance before he begins to write; and the knowledge gained from a course of study is such as to suggest these thoughts. Besides text books we have access to another source of in-formation. This is found in the reading of good literature. When a person reads a book properly it is not the thoughts of the author that impress and benefit him so much as it is the ideas suggested to him by the book, but enlarged and converted into thought by his own brain. We never truly appreciate a book or its author until we possess ourselves of the facts he had and then strive, by our own mental powers, to arrive at the same conclusions at which he did. Reading, in addition to furnishing thoughts, will give one an ideal of the proper literary form and thus serve a two-fold purpose. The ability properly to express one's thoughts is an accomplishment of no mean worth and will be found of great value in whatever occupation he may engage. Language is but the garment of thought. Good taste is just as evident in the selection of language as in dress. It is man's nature to wish to communicate his joys and his sorrows to others. His joys are never half so enjoyable as when shared with others, and his sorrows never so heavy and depressing as when borne alone, hidden in the depths of his own heart. So in all his experiences he feels the impulse to communicate them. Language, either written or spoken, is the means by which he makes known his innermost feelings THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 63 and desires, hence we see the value of this practice in express-ing thought. The ability to communicate with others is not restricted to man alone. The lower animals also have some means of communicating with others of their kind, and as we advance in the scale of intelligence and civilization this means of intercourse becomes more perfectly developed. In fact we have come to gauge the degree of the civilization of a people by its literature. In studying the history of the Middle Ages we regard the revival of learning as the chief instrument or agent in dispelling the darkness of ignorance and superstition, and awakening the human mind from its long sleep to witness the dawn of a new day in the world's history. The expression and progress of this intellectual revival is found in the literature of that period. Thus literature is synonymous with enlighten-ment and education. This being true, practice in literary work is a necessity to a liberal education. Exercise in this branch of college work will gain for one the habit of thinking logically and of arranging his thoughts in the most effective manner. It will increase our vocabulary and improve our diction. The reading necessary to this work will enlarge our fund of general information and develop the aesthetic side of our nature. If one attempts to write a descriptive article, the necessity of observing more closely his surroundings will be forcibly impressed upon him—it is truly amazing how little one sees in comparison with what there is to be seen all around him. Thus, looking at the matter from every side, one must be conscious of the great benefits to be derived from this work. It is true that it requires a great deal of time and effort, but the results will prove it to be a profitable investment. Bacon has said, "Reading maketh a full man ; writing an exact man," to which we might add, and together they make a liberally edu-cated man. 64 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. A SOLILOQUY. B. A. STROHMKIER, '06. TEJTAVE you ever been off with a college team— ■^■*- With a basket-ball, base-ball, or football team, When your spirits were high and your heart was light, And your soul bubbled over with hopes all bright? Say, have you? Have you ever thus gone from your college home Like the legions that marched out of ancient Rome, Full of confidence born in a brilliant past, Gone to war with a foeman that stands aghast? Say, have you? Have you entered the land of the foe and felt All at once, at Uncertainty's shrine you knelt, When you heard the wild crowd giving hostile cheers And the young vulgur rabble hurl stinging jeers ? Say, have you? Have you girded your lions for the coming fray Thinking still that your prestige will win the day ? Have you heard the shrill, referee's whistle blow When, relieved, in to conquer or die you go? Say, have you ? Then alas! has your prestige and fame dissolved Like the mist into air by the sun resolved ? Have you lived not to glory, but groan.in pain, While the ignoble foe sings the victor's strain? Well, I have. Of a truth it is bitter to taste defeat; It is sweet to be feared as unconquered, unbeat. But in all the wide world, and in any age Who can find such a one writ on history's page ? Say, can you,? THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 65 When Ambition appeared, then great Caesar fell; It was Carelessness sounded vast Rome's death-knell; And Napoleon met with his Waterloo When he least was afraid. Can it be it's true ? Say, can it ? Then remember the lesson, and hold it tight: It is power not prestige that wins the fight; And defeat now and then is a wholesome thing That conceit, too high flown, back to earth will bring, For a man's but a man, that withal he's done, Though there's many a man thinks he's more than one. Say, do you ? THE YOUNG SINGER. He sang the charge song of the Guard A mad, wild fever seized me. He crooned a mother's cradle-song ; What far fond dreams it weaved me ! With bursts of laughing opera airs Tumultuously he'd wake me; And through a flaunting Gypsy dance His tripping voice would take me. He sang of love, my blood caught fire, For lo ! soft hands caressed me. He sang of death ; a calm cold breath With mystic power oppressed me. He sang, but now his voice is still. Why should his memory grieve me? For in the spirit of his songs He lives, he ne'er shall leave me. —The Monthly Maroon. 66 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. THE INFLUENCE OF THE NOVEL. J. EDWARD LOWS, '06. THIS is an age of education, and the present generation is a generation of readers. Illiteracy, at least in the most pro-gressive countries, is no longer the rule, but the exception. Since education has become so general, it is hard to find a man, who has gone beyond the purely elementary stage of mental train-ing, who is not somewhat familiar with the literature of his mother-tongue. There is a class, often referred to as the read-ing public, who compose the material for the newspapers, magazines and books. Since literature is a subject with which so many are inter-ested, it might be proper to inquire what particular branch of literature is the most powerful and far-reaching in its effects. The answer, I think, is not hard to find ; it is the department of prose fiction. It will doubtless be readily considered that the novel is at least the most popular kind of writing. There are reasons for this. For to appreciate poetry properly often requires no small degree of culture, if not, indeed, a special cast of mind. Not every-body enjoys reading history, be it ever so graphi-cally portrayed. There are few who do not enjoy reading a good story and who cannot appreciate, in some degree at least, the work of a master-hand in this department. Who does not follow with breathless interest the vivid narrative of Scott ? Who does not laugh at "Mr. Pickwick," the inimitable creation of Charles Dickens ? Or again the vividly portrayed story of "Rip Van-Winkle," written by Washington Irving? It is safe to say that ten novels are read to every volume of poetry; a hundred to every volume of history. One great reason for the popularity of the modern novel is its realism. It is in this respect that it is so very different from its prototype, the romance of the Middle Ages. The hero of the Medieval romance was generally a king or knight, an impossible creature, who was the very embodiment of virtue and bravery. En- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 67 chanted castles, witches, ghosts and spectres played a promi-nent part in the plot. These went to make up a story so fan-tastic that it could have appealed to minds only the most imaginative and credulous. The modern novel, on the contrary, is decidedly realistic. "Robinson Crusoe," by some called the first English novel, is so well composed, that it is often hard to convince a boy. who reads Defoe's celebrated story that it is not gospel truth. Every cause can be best judged by the effect it produces and,, judging the influence of some of the world's greatest novels bjr the results they have achieved, it is beyond doubt that they have been most potent factors in the great work of moral re-form, and social progress. It was the publication of Dickens' "Nicholas Nickelby," that opened the eyes of the English people to the abuses existing in the public-school system, and its direct results was a radical change in that system. In "Oliver Twist" the evils in the system of poor-relief were pointed out. We turn to the United States, for the most re-markable effect a novel has ever produced upon the public sentiment. That novel was "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which a prominent Southern writer recently asserted was the cause of the Civil War. This may seem a little far-fetched, but it was at least one of the causes of the awful conflict between the North and the South. It has been predicted by certain writers, that there will come a time when the novel as a form of literature will cease to exist. They think that eventually everything in the form of a plot will have been so completely worked out that the new will be only a repetition of the old. This, it seems to me, is a foolish view. Solomon was doubt-less correct when he said, "There is nothing new under the Sun." But the fact remains that there have always been minds that could present the old in a new and attractive form. When the military hero has ceased to win the admiration of the ap-plauding millions ; when all the world has ceased to love a lover; when, in short, the human mind has lost the faculty of imagination; then, and only then, will the novel cease to live. 68 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. THE RURAL TELEPHONE. BRUCE P. COBAUGH, '05. THE telephone is one of the great factors of modern pro-gress. Now, it is a noticeable fact, and a deplorable one too, that, while miles of telephone lines stretch across the country, the farmer seldom avails himself of the benefits afforded by the telephone. Nor is it wholly through ignorance that he does not do this, for any intelligent man must recognize the usefulness of the 'phone; but the farmer must consider the cost of the telephone service, and in the stock companies the yearly rate is so high that he cannot well afford the expense. What the farmer needs is a line that will connect him with the market, and his neighbors as well, at a moderate expense. The question of the rural telephone has been successfully solved by the mutual company. By this is meant the entire ownership and operation of the line by the subscribers. In order to show that mutual control of a line is practical, the writer will state a few facts concerning a mutual line with which he is familiar. This line has been in operation for several years and has given good satisfaction. The residents of a certain community held several meetings to discuss the necessity of a telephone line. It was agreed that the telephone would be of advantage but that the cost was too great. This was based on the offer of a stock company, which proposed to place 'phones in the homes at a yearly rent of fifteen dollars each. This led to the suggestion of a cheaper method: the mutual control of the line, and accordingly a company of twenty subscribers was organized. The members of the company did as much work as possible in the construc-tion of the line, thereby restricting the cost to the minimum. The line when completed was ten miles long and connected a small town to a larger one. The total cost of construction of the line was twelve hundred dollars, or an average of sixty dollars per member. But new members were added at once and so the cost was lessened THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 69 greatly. Each member paid eighteen dollars in cash and the remainder in yearly payments of six dollars each till the line was paid for. At the end of his payments the subscriber owned a full share in the company and his 'phone as well. The yearly cost of operation was found to be not over two dollars per member. The line has later been extended by con-nection with another mutual line and by a rate free exchange of connection with a good stock company. The necessity of the 'phone is clearly shown by its many advantages. It brings the farmer into close touch with the markets. He can keep track of the fluctuating prices of pro-duce by ringing up his home dealer, for the business men are generally connected with a farmers' line. In this way some men have saved more than the cost of their 'phone. Then the telephone brings the people of a community into close contact. The farmer finds it rather more convenient and more pleasant to sit down to his desk and speak with his neigh-bor than go a mile to borrow an implement only to find it in use. Formerly it was a half-day's work to procure hands for threshing. By use of the 'phone it is done now in an hour. And in procuring assistance for all kinds of work, the 'phone is especially useful to the farmer. But we should not omit the social intercourse which the 'phone affords the farmer's home. This is probably one of the greatest advantages of telephone service. No need of braving a winter storm to inquire about the health of a sick friend. One great advantage is yet to be named : it is the time which the 'phone saves in summoning a physician. All physi-cians within reach of the line are connected with it. In many cases they have arrangements for night calls. The time saved in their arrival may save the-life of many a sufferer. These are only a few of the advantages of the rural telephone. Others could be named which would prove further the profit-able use of the 'phone and the comfort and pleasure as well which it affords the home. The farmer can well consider him-self fortunate in having the 'phone, by it a comparatively isolated life has been socially strengthened through a ready means of intercourse. 7o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. SHOULD A STUDENT KEEP HIS COLLEGE TEXT BOOKS ? C. EDWIN BUTI,ER, '05. THIS is a question every college man must meet, and that very early in his college course. Comparatively few men go through a course of four years at college without pur-chasing a number of text books. Everyone knows the neces-sity of them for a successful study and research, and if it is so essential to have them during the college life, why should they not be just as necessary afterwards, or what is the reason for parting with them ? There can be only one of two reasons : either the student has no use for them in later life, or the money he gets for them—which is generally a very small sum—is of more value than the books themselves. If it is proven that a student has need, and great need, of his books after he leaves college; and if it is proven that they are of greater value to him than any price he can obtain for them, then is it not clear that a student should keep his college text books ? It is the prevailing custom of the human race to have friends. Each person, no matter of what degree or station in life, enjoys the companionship of certain friends. Whether he be a doc-tor, minister, statesman, or common day-laborer, they are as necessary to his peace of mind and contentment as food and clothes are for the body. And what are books to the student, but friends? They help him over the rough places in his course and stand by him in all his need and labors. What he does not know they tell him. When he chances to go astray, they put him on the correct path. Verily, they are friends indeed as well as friends in his need. At least it does one a great deal of good to think of them as such. While seated in the class room many little notes and marks are made in those books that in later years are found to be a source of fond recollections. The memory of them will float through the mind as sweet incense. Hence they would be THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. n worth the keeping for old times' sake, if there were nothing else to enhance their value. It matters not into what profession you enter, your college text books will prove themselves friends to you at many times. You will have need of them. Being thoroughly acquainted with their contents you can very readily turn to any subject which may have escaped your memory and refresh yourself in half the time and with thrice the ease you would find by con-sulting any other book. And back of it all, you have the authority which you have been prepared so well to defend dur-ing all your college course. The cost of college books now compared with former days is so small that the student of moderate means finds it within his power to retain them even for his whole life and then hand them down to his children, from whom they could not be pur-chased for ten times their value. When you purchase your text books you pay full value for them, and if you sell them to another student, you cannot receive more than that, and gener-ally but half as much. ' They have become endeared to you by frequent use, and like old friends you dislike parting with them. The price you paid for them is incomparable with the value of them to you now. Even should you never have any cause to use them, are not the recollections they recall worth the cost? Any man who should dare to insult you by offering to buy your friends would receive a blow from you that would com-pensate him in full for his audacity. Why then should any college man misusing or offering you a mean price for your books not receive as much or more? Fellow-students, keep your text books ! Under no circum-stances barter them away for a mess of potage. They will prove a monument of pleasure more enduring than brass and which the countless succession of years cannot wear away. You will love them in later years as you do no other books, and curse the hand that dares to misuse them. Honor your college career, your library, and your home, and take with you the joy and comfort of your old age, which may be found in your books, and which treasures should not purchase from you. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffi.ce at Gettysburg as second-class matter Voi,. XII GETTYSBURG, PA., APRIL, 1903 No. 2 Editor-in-ch ief LYMAN A. GUSS, '04 Exchange Editor M. ROY HAMSHER, '04 Business Manager F. GARMAN MASTERS, '04 Asst. Business Manager A. L. DIHENBECK, '05 Associate Editors M. ADA MCLINN, '04 BRUCE P. COBAUGH, '05 C. EDWIN BUTTER, '05 Advisory Board PROF. J. A. HIMES, LITT. D. PROF. G. D. STAHI,EY, M.D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD, D.D. Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price, one dollar a year in advance; single copies 15 cents. Notice to discontinue sending the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Busi-ness Manager. Articles for publication shoidd be addressed to the Editor. Address THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. ■ THE REASON WHY EDITORIALS. Scientists tell us that in this world of ours all is strife. Of all the forces in the universe every one is antagonistic to every other. The domin-ating and controling are eternally being opposed by the minor and subordinate. All is constant strain. In the physical world the animating energies of nature are continually work-ing counter to one another. Although there is interpenetration yet there is resistance. In the lowest forms of life, in the smallest microcosms, there is unrelenting conflict. In a higher grade we find the same warfare exemplified in the continued existence of the most capable. Finally the antagonism finds its culmination in the great struggle for existence common to the race. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 73 Even as this is the climax, so it is likewise the point of demarcation. Success now crowns the efforts of the strong ; failure those of the weak. Success! That for which all men hope. Strength ! The means by which they attain it. The latter is the cause, the former the effect. The inference is ready. The effect is the necessary consequential of the cause, but let it not be supposed that the strength incident to success is that typical of a Cyclops, or that symbolic of a Hercules. Rather it is that kind which has been evinced by the master-minds of all ages—intellectual strength. And this is the reason why men go to college ; to attain intellectual power, to cultivate brain-energy, to discipline mental vigor, to learn to appreciate the good, the beautiful and the true, to exalt their being in every way tending to symmet-rical development and, in short, to bring out all that is worth the effort in self. But too often, alas, do college men fail to realize the vitality of their situation; they neglect to seize circumstance and to clinch with time, pregnant with the possibilities of future great-ness. Too frequently is the collegiate life considered one of imposing task work, a mighty preponderance of labor over-shadowing the student. Hence his constant aim is to elimin-ate it, not by conquering it, in which case the law of compen-sation yields ready returns, but by shirking it, whence comes only a void which the craving of later years will seek in vain to satisfy. Instead of surmounting obstacles he shuns them, instead of trodding boldly over the rocky places he rides over them, while his companion plods. But the tortoise beat the hare at the finish. This is the reason why some college men are, and forever will be, in the great but glorious struggle for existence. Their lot must ever be commonplace. They can-not rise above the common level of humanity. The scholar must overcome, not surrender, must conquer, not submit, and must take advantage of all advantages. As Winter, with his cold and stormy winds takes his departure, Spring appears before us in all the beauty of awakening life, and if there is one place especially favored with a beautiful Spring-time it OPPORTUNITIES OF SPRING. 74 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. is the country surrounding Gettysburg. Not only do the climate and natural contour of the country with its hills, woods and creeks make it pleasing, but the avenues over the battle-field furnish ideal walks for recreation hours. For the lover of natural scenery this country furnishes a magnificent prospect with charming color effects. To the botanist it gives a most varied flora. The country is also full of birds. Many rare kinds may be found by the close observer. One of the stu-dents has counted thirty different kinds of birds from his win-dow already this Spring. For the student of geology the land formations will repay any attention given them. And if one unfortunately should have no taste for any of these things he can at least study the history of his country in the many mon-uments and tablets erected over the battlefield. Rarely does one find a place so inviting to the man who wishes to increase his store of general knowledge; and these delightful spring days furnish time to make use of the opportunities. Instead of a spring fever that gives one a desire to loaf and neglect all his work let him contract a fever for making use of what Gettysburg and her surroundings offer him in the above men-tioned lines. THE TRUTH FOR In all colleges there exists a spirit of mis- ITS OWN SAKE, chief and diablerie. No college is without it; none can be without it. It is peculiar to the college world. As such it can scarcely be called an infection, yet it is in the atmosphere, and may be said to be an all-pervading character-istic of every collegiate community. The infusion of this unavoidable, yet not always desirable, element in the student body often finds its manifestation in some overt acts on behalf of its most arduous enthusiasts, rang-ing even from the quite insignificant to the violent, but for the most part in our own college this diablery has existed only in a dormant state, and its most ostentatious expression has been, excepting extremely rare cases, of a mediocre kind. Therefore, when in its mild form it so impels a few students to commit a mischievious act of harmless and unimportant con-sequences, resulting in nothing but a slight inconvenience to THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 75 the usual routine of college affairs, why should it be enlarged upon to such proportions and amplified to such an enormity as was the case in the recent chapel disorder? Such misstatements as appeared rife and rank in the city papers a few days ago cannot help but redound to the degredation of the good name of the college. May not our reporters be more considerate in noting details? May we not have more of the truth for its own sake ? ALUMNI REUNIONS. As the spring term opens we gradually be-come aware of the approaching end of the collegiate year. Then naturally our minds turn to the events which always take place at such time and the abundance of pleasure derived from their occurrence. In other words, we begin to think about commencement and its attendant circum-stances. This time is undoubtedly the most enjoyable time of the year, but its success is only made possible by the presence of the students, in the first case, and by the alumni, in no less degree, in the second. One of the best means perhaps of per-suading the congregation of a large -number of alumni is by class reunions. The class spirit never dies out in the breast of the college man, and if he can come to his alma mater with the expectation of meeting old-time friends and class-mates, the chances of his coming, no doubt, will be greatly enhanced. The class spirit, redoubled by the college spirit, would certainly act as a powerful stimulus or persuasion in inducing the alum-nus to visit the scene of his college days. It is to be hoped that we may have several class reunions at least during the coming commencement week. Now is the time to arrange for them. EXCHANGES. The editor of the average college literary monthly is usually at a loss for material to make the magazine truly interest-ing to all its readers. Several of our exchanges seem to have struck the proper means of awaking interest, in publishing 76 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. articles on travel and foreign lands, written by recent graduates. "Random Sketches" in The Otterbein Aegis was written by an alumnus travelling in Europe. The Swarthmore Phoenix contains an article on "A Journey to the Second Cataract of the Nile" and another on "University Life Abroad," written by a graduate of Swarthmore, who had taken a course in the Ger-man Universities. Such contributions certainly add to the in-terest and value of a college monthly. There is the danger, however, that the true object of a college paper, which con-sists in securing literary contributions from the students, may thereby be neglected or forgotten. The Pharetra comes out in a very pretty blue and white dress with the representation of a demure college maiden on its cover page. We find several delightful storiettes in the last number; and may say that the paper is characterized by a general tone of pleasantness rather than by any philosophic traits. "Tell a tale of troubles March wind and April rain, Second term has ended Marks are here again— Sing a song of quizzes, Are we to take them all? Reports they'll soon be reading, How great may be the fall!" —Maryland Collegian, The Mountaineer has again devoted the greater part of her exchange column to a pleasant criticism of our former editor. We agree with one of our exchanges in saying that our col-league of Mt. St. Mary's should not have blamed the MERCURY representative for words that were not his; and that he should reconcile his preaching with his practice. We sincerely hope that our "smoky" (?) article will cease to inflame the wrath of our neighbor. May we add our regrets that The Mountaineer of last month has not arrived in time to be reviewed. Among the influences that tend to corrupt our speech there is none more pernicious than the play upon words. It is with THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 77 some surprise then, that we find an article entitled "A Defense of Shakespeare," in one of the college papers, which ends with the following paragraphs : "In the second place, why should anyone who loved the name of BACON SO lose all sense of his own dignity and all respect for his own good name as to give a play of "his own make" by the name of "Ham-let." "Now I hope I have made myself clear and vindicated my client. If I have not, this has been 'Love's Labor Lost'— yea, even more ! it has been 'Much Ado About Nothing.' This, however, is a serious matter; it is no 'MidsummerNight's Dream' but a plain 'Winter's Tale.' Take it ^As You Like It' but remember All's Well That End's Well.' " EASTER LILIES. Sweet emblems of a purity unknown to earth, They wake the soul of man to aspirations fair, And fill the palace—aye, the cot of meanest worth— With fragrance like the incense of an angel's prayer. So fragile all, so weak, they seem a tempting prey To every hostile gale—each hand untaught of ruth; But ah ! the spoiler e'en should know that in the day That beauty dies, the world must die to love and truth. Fit consorts these of faith and prayer and holy praise; Mute worshippers and witnesses of Him above, Whose skill can wed to matchless glory simplest grace, And veil in wondrous art the mysteries of love. —University of Va. Magazine. The Monthly Maroon has a poem to Robert Louis Stevenson as its frontispiece. One of the best features of this number is the well-written paper on Stevenson, depicting the life and character of this Scottish author. "Unto the End" is a beau-tiful story; the author portrays an ideal love which seems none the less real for its beauty. Some of the shorter stories are of a bravado character, but "The Cub-Errant" depicts a phase of college life seldom represented. 78 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Quite a number of the exchanges this month contain "Char-acter Sketches" of different great men or characters in fiction. We refer the reader particularly to "Francis Parkman : a Study-in Success," in the Nassau Literary Magazine ; and "Mr. Jack Hamlin," a study of one of Bret Harte's heroes in the College Student. This is a most commendable kind of essay-writing, and every student should try his ability along this line. The Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE Offers exceptional facilities to graduates of Gettysburg College, especially to those who have taken a medical preparatory or biological course. The instruction is thoroughly practical, particular attention being given to laboratory work and bed-side and ward-class teaching. Ward-classes are limited in size. A modified seminar method is a special feature of the Course. Free quizzing in all branches by the Professors and a special staff of Tutors. The College has also a Department of Dentistry and a Department of Pharmacy. All Gettysburg College students are cordially invited to inspect the College and Clinical Amphitheatre at any time. For announcements or information apply to SENECA EGBERT, Dean of the Department of Medicine, 17th & Cherry Streets, PHILADELPHIA, PA. tfrjp, \\ \ Co. 140-144 Woodward Avenue, DETROIT, MICH. Send for Catalogue and Price List- Special Designs on Application, Manufacturers of high grade Fraternity Emblems Fraternity Jewelry Fraternity Novelties Fraternity Stationery Fraternity Invitations Fraternity Announcements Fraternity Programs PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. ^m«*mw«««w*«»mw*««««w«m«*«w««««« AMOS ECKERT Latest Styles in HATS, SHOES AND GENT'S FURNISHING .Our specialty. WALK-OVER SHOE AMOS ECKERT Prices always right The Lutheran puMigfjing {louse. No. 1424 Arch Street PHILADELPHIA, PA. Acknowledged Headquarters for anything and everything in the way of Books for Churches, Col-leges, Families and Schools, and literature for Sunday Schools. PLEASE REMEMBER That by sending your orders to us you help build up and devel-op one of the church institutions with pecuniary advantage to yourself. Address H. S. BONER, Supt. FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. E.C.TAWNEY Is ready to furnish Clubs and Boarding Houses with . Bread, Rolls, Etc., At short notice and reason-able rates. Washington & Middle Sts., Gettysburg. Shoes J^epaifed J. H- BAKER, 115 Baltimore St. near Court House. Good Work Guaranteed. J. W. BUMBAUGH'S City Cafe and Dining Room Meals and lunches served at short notice. Fresh pies and sandwiches always on hand. Oysters furnished all year. 53 Chambersburg' St. mm mmm m m. 3 :V\= :**: :\*= A*= A*: - : -\\= A\= A^ -V*: =VX= I U-PI-DKE. A new Co-cd has alighted in town, U-pi-dee, U-pi-da! In an up-to-datest tailor-made gown.,U-pi-de-i-cla ! The boys are wild, and prex is, too, You never saw such a hulla-ba-loo. C HOKUS. — U-pi-dee-i-dee-i-da! etc. Her voice is clear as a soaring lark's, And her wit is like those trolley-car sparks ! When 'cross a muddy street she flits, The boys all have conniption fits 1 The turn of her head turns all ours, ton. There's always a strife to sit in her pew; 'Tis enough to make a parson drunk, To hear her sing old co-ca-che-lunk ! M The above, and three other NEW verses to U-PI-DEE, Cl/fl antl NEW WORDS, catchy, uo-to-date, to many Tl others of the popular OLD FAMILIAR TUNES; be- Ph> sides OLD FAVORITES ;nnd also many NEW SONGS. fTff SONGS OF ALL THE COLLEGES. jfbji Copjriciit. Price, $r.jo, postpaid. IPOO. ULU HINDS & NOBLE, Publishers, New York City. ! ff ff Schoolbooks of all publishers at one store. } n*pv7 r«z A*: **= Act= :\*r :**= z\^= =«r =**=^A\= r _C^_JC^ JC J^ _c _e^ _c^ i m PI mm PI PI mmm PI 50 YEARS' EXPERIENCE TRADE MARKS DESIGNS COPYRIGHTS AC. 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Under-taking a specialty. * Telephone No. 97. S. IB- Bendei 37 naltimor St., Gettysburg, Pa. THE STEWART & STEEN CO. College EngTCLvers and, (J?Tvnters 1024 Aroli St., Philadelphia, Pa. MAKERS AND PUBLISHERS OF Commencement, Class Day Invitations and Programs, Class Pins and Buttons in Gold and Other Metals, Wedding Invitations and Announcements, At Home Cards, Reception Cards and Visiting Cards, Visiting Cards—Plate and 50 cards, 75 cents. Special Discount to Students. N. A. YEANY, Gettysburg College Representative. 4. §. Raiding & §ros., Largest Manufacturers in the World of Official Athletic Supplies. - Base Ball Lawn Tennis Golf ield Hockey Official Athletic Implements. Spalding's Catalogue of Athletic Sports Mailed Free to any Address. A. G. Spalding & Bros. NEW YORK - . CHICAGO - - DENVER - - BUFFALO - - BALTIMORE WE RECOMMEND THESE FIRMS. The Pleased Customer is not a stranger in our estab-lishment— he's right at home, you'll see him when you call. We have the materials to please fastidious men. J. D. LIFPY, 2XEe:re:iia.n.t Tailor, 29 Chambersburg Street, GETTYSBURG, PA. CITY HOTEL, Main Street, - Gettysburg, Pa. Free 'Bus to an from all trains. Thirty seconds' walk from either depot. Dinner with drive over field with four or more, $1.35. Rates, $1.50 to $2.00 per Day. Livery connected. Rubber-tire buggies a specialty. John E. Hughes, Prop. THE PHOTOGRAPHER Now in new Studio 20 and 22 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, Pa. One of the finest modern lights in the country. CMS. IBARBEHENM, THE EAGLE HOTEL E-^ZESIQIEEB Corner Main and Washington Sts. Dimg Stoi*e, 36 Baltimore St. HOT AND COLD SODA AND CAMERA SUPPLIES >l % rf
The Mercury March, 1907 HELP THOSE WHO HELP VS. I Li The Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume. Cotrell & Leonard, ALBANY, N. Y Makewof CAPS ANDQ0WN5 To Gettysburg College, Lafayette. Lehigh Dickinson. State College. Univ of Penn-sylvania, Harvard, Yale. Princeton. Welleslev, Bryn Mawr nnd the others Class Contracts a Specialty. Correct Hoods for Degrees. A HARVAHD MAN whom we placed with a large publishing house a year ago has just been advanced to the managership of an important department. He's only one of the 1500 college men placed in satisfactory posi-tions last year. In each of our offices is a department exclusively for college men. Each man's case receives personal attention and our employment experts find for him the position in business, in teaching or in technical work which he is best fitted to fill. Write us to-day and we will tell you what we can do for you. c _ _. r^L r^. _ _. THE JWaTlOJVAb »ltU.I.\-l/.1TH>.\- »/.' H^PG-BISEGD, BRJIIJS- WUHKKRS. Commonwealth Trust Building, Philadelphia, Pa- HOTEL GETTYSBURG, Headquarters for BANQUETS. Electric Lights, Steam Heat, All Conveniences. Free Bus to and. from station. Convenient for Commencement Visitors. RATES $2.00 PER DAY. livery CLita-cTaed. Joliq P. M^t% Proprietor. IF YOU-CALL ON C. A. Blocher, Jeweler, CENTER SQUARE, He can serve you with anything you may want in ^REPAIRING . , or JEWELRY. yCuA^r/Z^rv-C^,_*&«« UBRAfflh- /V* / - GETTYSBUtfS C0tUK* GETTYSBURG, PA. \uo \A^ PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. H1^-**"4* -A^-Ar--^^™ -??>--* #*•-* :>f~-:'f *">'!"-:~I~--?»-ii"-iH—!H"A>§ Weaver Pianos and Organs Essentially the instruments for criti-cal and discriminating' buyers. Super- ;|: ior in every detail of construction and (J) superb instruments for the production :|: of a great variety of musical effects :'■ and the finest shades of expression. /E floss Pricos. Easy Terms. Old Instruments Exchanged. ;j': WEAVER ORGAN AND PIANO CO., MANUFACTURERS, f YORK, PA , U S A. '■!' T ••!•■ T ■'I- ■t .j'. '•I- 7■ •] 7 •■.!■ If. '*• 7i "i" '•I-' 7 •i "i" jj 'i •J 'i \v ■it \V Students' Headquarters —FOR-HATS, SHOES, AVD GENT'S FURNISHING. Sole Agent for WALK-OVER SHOE ECKERT'S STORE. Prices Always Right TJie Lutheran PuWiGctioij Society No 1424 Arch Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA. / Acknowledged Headquarter* for anything and everything' in the way of Books for Churches. Colleges, Families and Schools, and literature for Sunday Schools. PLEASE REMEMBER That by sending your orders to us you help build up and develop one of the church in-stitution* with pecuniary ad-vantage to yourself. Address HENRY S. BONER, Sup't. I H E M-E'RCURY The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College. VOL. XV GETTYSBURG, PA., MARCH 1907 No. 1 CONTENTS VACATION OVER THE SEA.—Essay. W. B. HEILMAN, '08- POE : WIZZARD OR CHARLATAN.—Essay. W. WISSLER HACKMAN, '08. BLOODY RUN—Legend. E. E. SNYDER, '09. ia IN HER PLACE.—Story. JOSEPPI ARNOLD, '09. 15 THE SICKLER COMES TO ALL.—Poem. OSCAR C. DEAN, '08. 22 FROM CLERKSHIP TO FRESHMANSHIP.—Essay. G. E. WOLFF, '09. 22 THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT—Oration. CHARLES W. HEATHCOTE, '05. 25 EDITORIALS. 29 EXCHANGES. 31 THE MERCURY. VACATION OVER THE SEA. W. B. HEILMAN, '08. rrjHERE are innumerable ways a college student may spend -L his summer vacation. To some, one way appeals more than others and they will then strive to make it possible to spend their vacation that way. To me it seemed that a trip across the ocean on a cattle boat would be at once interesting and exciting. My chum and I talked the matter over and made our preparations to leave as soon as school had closed. At the last moment another student joined us and on a boiling hot day iu the month of June we three students, billed as ex-perienced cattlemen, sailed out of Baltimore on the steamship Maryland. We had about 300 cattle aboard but before the day was over owing to the terrific heat several had died. At once we received our first lesson in cattle boat training. By the aid of the steam winch and a long rope the carcasses were drawn to the side of the vessel and dropped into the bay to become the food of crabs and fishes. We also suffered as well as the cattle for we three having incautiously sat down on the deck, which-on these boats is painted black with a mixture of tar and turpentine, when we attempted to arise the usual re-sults happened, As there was plenty of corn sacks aboard however we did not suffer. I was appointed night watchman while my two chums were placed on day duty. Being on duty at night I consequently became well acquainted with the sail-ors and many were the strange yarns of different countries, which they told me during the long night watches. Our voy-age was enlivened several times by unusual occurrences. When we were about half way over the Newfoundland Banks we passed within a quarter of a mile of three immense icebergs of which we obtained several good photographs. It was hours before we lost sight of them owing to their intense white brilliancy. Two days after passing the icebergs we laid to in mid ocean to receive three stowaways, who were trying to get back to the States, from a homeward bound vessel of the same line. These stowoways were put to work at odd jobs on the vessel until we reached England where they were taken into custody. As we drew away from the American coast the weather which up to this time had been very pleas- THK, MF.KCITRV. ant grew much colder. The men no longer slept out on deck but sought their bunks and blankets. The nights were much damper. About four days before we expected to land all the crew were busy painting, scraping and scouring. The masts were repainted, the brasswork shined up, and the deck was tarred, but this time we did not get caught ; we sat on news-papers. The Sunday before we arrived the waist of the ship was full of clothes lines, all bearing burdens which flapped gayly in the'breeze, for the men were desirous of making a good showing when they reached home. Several days later we sighted the Scilly Islands. In the neighborhood of these islands we passed a fleet of Penzance fishing luggers. These boats on account of their red, leg of mutton sails, have a very peculiar and striking appearance which the character of their crews helps greatly to heighten. These hardy fishermen go out in all kinds of weather and handle their boats with a skill and daring that is little short of marvelous. From here until we anchored at Gravesend shipping was very numerous. That afternoon I saw the rugged coast of Cornwall from the rigging and the same evening the lookout reported Lizard's Light. We were now fairly in the English Channel. As the night was very clear and calm the lights of the var-ious cities we passed were remarkably distinct and the look-out went to great pains to explain to me at length all about them. About i, A. M. we sighted the Calias light in France and so for several hours we steamed along, seeing the lights of England on our left and on our right the lights of France, Shortly before daylight we dropped anchor in the muddy, filthy Thames at Gravesend to wait for the turning of the tide. Although the river here is less than a quarter of a mile wide the officers of the boat told us that a man would be unable to swim across owing to the foul gases that are being constantly stirred up by the anchors of the thousands of vessels and the impurities from the great city which are churned by the pro-pellors of the steamers. This they said would overcome a man before he was half way over, as many a poor stowaway had found out when, seeking to escape justice, he had leaped overboard in the hope of swimming ashore but, overcome by the foul waters, had sunk before he could be rescued. As dawn began to spread over the s-ky, surrounding objects grad* THE MERCURY. ually grew plainer and we saw that we were anchored in the midst of an immense fleet all waiting for the turning of the tide. Slowly the shore grew plainer and we saw a strange mixture of old docks and warehouses interposed between huge locks and fine buildings on terraces which sloped to the water's edge. Indeed, all the way from Gravesend to London, a distance of about 18 miles we noticed this same strange in-termingling ; strange to us because in most American cities where there is any considerable shipping the water front is the last place'where one looks for respectable dwellings. But in London the very Houses of Parliament themselves are marked by the ebb and flow of the Thames, the citadel of ancient Lou-don, the famous Tower, bears mute witness to centuries of contact with the turbid river in the shape of innumerable bar-nacles and accumulations of slimy sea weed. One of the fin-est drives, the Thames Embankment, runs right along the river's edge, while several palaces and hotels grace the banks at various places. We steamed slowly up the river between lines of ships of every nationality, from the big black ocean . tramp to the many colored deck of the Norwegian fishing smacks, with crews as motley as the vessels. Tall, fair-haired Saxons, Lascars with their broad turban and oriental dress, sailors from all of England's tributaries, each dressed in their own peculiar garb and speaking the tongue of their birth, formed a constantly shifting scene before our wondering eyes. And so it was all the way to the cattle market where with many strange cries, aided by steel pointed sticks the yardmen drove the beasts ashore and our vessel steamed clown to take her place in one of those wonders of modern engineering, the Royal Albert Docks, where having bidden farewell to the kindly officers and sailors and being passed by the custom house officials, we went ashore and passed through the dock yard gates out into busy, rushing London. As it was already late in the afternoon we took lodging for the night at a seamen's boarding house which one of the quartermasters had told us of, and then boarded a train for the center of the city. The train caused us all much amuse-ment, first on account of the ridiculous small looking engines —which nevertheless go at a very respectable speed—and next because of the sizeand general appearance of the coaches, re- THE MERCURY. setnbling in a great many respects our old stage coaches, each divided into three or four compartments separated from each other by partitions and entered from doors on the side. These compartments will hold about 12 people. We thought we were lucky to have an empty compartment but we were soon robbed of that illusion for at the very next stopping place a crowd of factory hands filled up our section so completely that there was no possible way of escaping the odor of garlic. The dinner of the working classes usually consists of a large onion and a hunk of bread which they, carry to work tied up in a large bandana and this they wash down with a large cup of tea purchased from some restaurant. But even worse than the smell of onions was their habit of taking snuff. An old woman next to me taking a generous pinch of snuff I received about half of it. and as a result I sneezed for the rest of the evening. 1 think snuff taking is a most reprehensible prac-tice. Arrived at the huge station .we hastened to see some of the principal streets by night. We were all struck by the ex-treme'crookedness of the streets, the principal streets of well known London so narrow that it is impossible for three streams of traffic to pass each other and so crowded that it is necessary for policemen to be stationed at every crossing—and here let me pause to say a word about the guardians of London. Tall fine built men, I don't believe there is a man on the force un-der 6 feet, and this appearance is heightened by the wearing of helmets, courteous to all, going out of their way to direct the stranger, saying very little but minded implicitly by the citizens, this is the force that guards the world's largest city. We spent some time exploring the city from the top of a bus, for London has no street cars in the business section on ac-count of the traffic. It seemed to us that about every fifth man wore a soldier's uniform and here as with the policemen, we noticed the fine physique of those who had taken the '-'Queen's shilling." Strange sights and sounds were not lack-ing but wearied with our long day, we early betook ourselves to our lodgings. Next day we took a long ride through the principal parts, ending up at the Billingsgate fish market. All that has ever been written concerning the langragi and cus-toms of this famous market I can surely endorse'. The lan-guage is extremely forcible and picturesque, the smells are THK JIKRCURY. certainly the former and the venders themselves are the latter. Here you see the fishwives with odd looking, heavy straw hats, bearing baskets of fish on their head while they give utterance to strange cries. Men and women alike carrying fish, some in iced boxes which dripping catch the unwary stranger, block the way but persevering we pushed through and came to the Tower. Just a look at the Tower and its guides immediately takes you back to the times when England's kings overawed their unruly subjects from its frowning walls. But now the wide moat surrounding the Tower is dry, while the sentinels al-though in the costume of the 12th century are merely the painstaking guides whose only care is that you shall not miss seeing any spot of interest. They point out to you Traitor's Gate, where state criminals condemned by Parliament and brought down the river in boats, to prevent rescue by friends, were landed and passed through to their doom. The stairs under which the bodies of the young princes were hidden after their murder, and the rooms where some of England's great-est wrote their pathetic history on the walls using their blood for ink, or with infinite care carved their coat of arms in the stone wall, all rival in interest the crown jewels kept in a wing of the castle under guard. Here are the crowns of Brit-ain's rulers famed in history. There is so much of interest in the tower that we left it with regret. St. Panl's with its mighty dome and stained glass windows, its costly pictures and monuments to famous men we saw in the hush of a religious service, when the choir and altar, lighted with innumerable candles, flashed back their light from gilt and marble and lent a tone of softness to the vast arches of stone. Westminster Abbey we also saw during a religious service. This abbey is built in the form of a cross and is even more famous than St. Paul's, for here the kings and queens and great men of England are buried, while mon-uments of others keep fresh their memory. Here we walked with reverent tread for almost every step is over the ashes of some noble whose tablet, giving his rank and history, has been worn smooth by the shuffling of countless feet. Statues of warriors in full armor mark the last resting place of some valiant knight. Carvings and sculptures of all kinds denote THE MEKCIJRY. where the ashes of statesmen, soldiers, sailors, poets and authors, the flower of Britain's greatest, have been given their last honors. Yet of the thousands honored there but two bore tokens of the love and respect of the present day. The stat-ues of Longfellow and Tennyson both bore fresh cut flowers which nearly every day are renewed by some admirer of the poets. Near to the poet's corner is the royal chapel where the kingly dead are laid, while a step or two away stand the coronation chairs, the foundation of which is the Scone stone of the Scotch kings which was taken by one of the English kings. In one of the wings is the old chapter house where the monks originally met, and here is a door one side of which is covered by a human skin. This was the skin of the "robber abbot," who when Edward I marched against the Scots, leaving his treasure in his charge, betrayed his trust. His sovereign learning of his treachery flayed him alive and nailed his skin to the door of his cell as a warning. The skin has been trimmed down by curio hunters till only a little strip remains under the old fashioned hinges. After taking a last look at Queen Victoria's casket we reluctantly left this hal-lowed spot, so intimately associated with the history of Eng-land, and turned our steps toward the Congress of our sister nation the Houses of Parliament. NOTK: This article will be continued in the next issue.—ED. 8 THE MEUCl'KV. POE: WIZARD OR CHARLATAN? W. WISSLER HACKMAN, EX. '08. IV. AS CRITIC. i | (HIS no doubt, to most of Poe's admirers, is the phase of -L his character least familiar and to his detractors most familiar. It must seem strange, at first sight, that criticism should be entrusted into the clutches of a fanatic and misan-thrope such as Poe's enemies present him to be. Not only that but into the care of one so notoriously vicious, irregular and dissipated should be placed any position such as a literary critic possesses, sesms an evide ice of rein ir'cably poor judg-ment. We must in fact admit at the start that he must have possessed the abilities of a literary critic to no small degree to recommend him to the attention of the literary arbiter of the middle nineteenth century in America. His criticel produc-tions fall into two great classes : frank and- legitimate criticism and satire The first named again falls into two classes, journalistic or magazine critism, and independent criticism. For what his-tory we have of his career as critic in the employ of periodi-cals we can do no better than refer you to N. P. Willis, mag-azine editor, and "Arbiter Elegaus" during Poe's career. He speaks in high terms of commendation of Poe's character both personal and professional. He asserts that while in his employ he detected none of those irregularities, nor did he at any* time evince that haughty resentment he was led by com-mon report to expect. He further refers to him as a pale, sad-faced, quiet "gentleman," courteous and tractable. When he (Willis) pointed out some clause as too sharp, perhaps, where momentary enthusiasm for the time usurped discretion to the possible injustice of the victim, Poe changed to milder form without the least demur, and when they dissolved their relation so agreeable to the editor, it was under circumstances not in the least derogatory to the sad, pale-faced critic. Verv kind indeed of Mr. Willis, I am sure. Yet we cannot but smile a little indulgently as we note the patronizing kindness of the elegant arbiter ; Poe, indeed, forced to Nathaniel P. Willis's door to get a glib recommendation. Truly Fate is ironical. To-day, who reads the elegant Nathaniel, the Poet THE RIKRCUKY. of fashion and its pet? Who ever knows that his thumb de-termined the fate of more than one aspirant to Parnassus ? However, most of this work was of a fugitive character, too much of it mere hack work, which paid miserably. In those days, the critic had not yet attained to the throne. He was not yet a staple product, a necessary of literary life, He was not'even a luxury ; he was a mere byproduct. We cannot but feel that the lofty spirit of the Poet and Dreame'r revolted from the indignity of his place. Painfully struggling for a mere pittance of life which unliterary America, to her shame be it said, most grudgingly doled out to him ; hampered by abject poverty and a long drawn domestic tragedy ; who can blame him for his bursts of bitterness and even resentful malice if such there was? But let us leave this field of his activities, it is at best barren and rocky soil and yields little of interest or benefit studied aside from contemporary life and history. Turning then to his independent criticism we shall expect to meet him ready for scrutiny without apolog}' or excuse. His criticism on Poetry, English (ancient) and American and on verse and versification has been reviewed in a previous paper ; we shall omit from closer examination, only begging that you turn again to them and reread them with your men-tal eye focused more on the correctness of his logic than on the correctness of his doctrine. But there is one mutter which for very important reasons I shall not pass by ; it is Poe's attitude to contemporary poets in general and to Longfellow in particular. Poe was undoubtedly one of the strongest literary forces of his period—his influence was more far reaching in his own life and more profound than that of any other, save perhaps Longfellow. Yet, himself always, doomed to the underside of prosperity's wave, he was forced to witness his smaller rivals ride the crest in smug pride, or at best mod-est acquiesence. He felt the injustice, and it rankled, and glowed, and raged and seared, what under happier stars might have been a kingly and beneficent soul. His keen vision de-tected the vulnerable points with an intensity almost malig-nant. Of all his rivals—as he chose to consider them—Longfellow called forth his most notable attacks ; probably because he was most formidable. And it is to this attack [See Rationale of to THE MERCURY. Verse] that much of Poe's present unpopularity is in a meas-ure due. Seeing Longfellow as we do to-day, in the full glory of his completed work, we cannot but reverence the man as the great American poet—nearest to representative of our nation we have yet produced. As we celebrated the centenary of his birth but a few days ago our sense of reverence was re-newed into a sense of devout joy that a man so wholly pure, and high, and generous, and notable was accorded us, a nation too fast growing sordid and enfevered. How then must Poe appear to us in his half sneering analysis? Is there any good thing in a character so unjustly malicious? Come and see. First and always let us remember that they were contempo-raries, and both great, but in different ways. Poe was an avowed formalist, by which I mean he considered purity of verse-form the first essential of good poetry, and does he ar-raign Longfellow on any other charge ? Does he attack Long-fellow's Tightness or beauty of thot ? He never mentions them. He may well have disagreed on these latter matters also for they stood at the opposite poles of poetical purposes ; Poe asserting that beauty was the only legitimate excuse ior poetry—that didacticism was injurious and at best only toler-able, Longfellow feeling that Poesy's only office was the clothing of a good nd beautiful thot, beautiful because di-vine. Turning to Longfellow's early poetry then, we find- it strongly charged with this idea. Even the warmest support-ers of Longfellow among present day critics admit that dis-tinct injury is done him by attempting to rate him by those first products,—"The Reaper" and "Excelsior." They were ethical calls to arm, and their instant popularity was in the unconscious reception of them as such. To-day with the con-ditions calling them forth we can and do admit that as poetry such as Poe conceived it should be and even by whatever standard we choose, it is inferior. Turning to "Evangeline" with Poe we find his specific charge supported by Longfellow's warmest admirers of his and our own time. It was even then felt generally and as-serted that the English language was poorly adapted to the form of verse employed in the Canadian pastoral "Epic" i. e. the dactylic Jiexameter. As a result there are many weak lines. The task was more than even Longfellow's genius could en- THE MERCURY. II compass, and he tacitly admits it by substituting the iambic in Miles Standish's Courtship with a vast increase not only of verse purity but of general effectiveness. Now this is just • what Poe perceived and pointed out, a little strongly, a little too sharply perhaps, but thoroughly justified by and in har-mony with, his own peculiar and preavowed doctrines on verse—its forms and purposes. Let this then suffice at pres^ ent for the Poe—Longfellow episode. His satirical products were aimed chiefly at contemporary conditions in magazine prose. Blackwood's comes in for the major share of his spleen. Whatever private grievance Poe had against that compilation of fastidious elegance it is certain that he pilloried the literary "Elects" fetish in a most effect-ive and vigorous manner. Read his "How to write a Black-wood Article," and overlooking certain overdrawn crudities verging on nonsense, note the smug, unctiousself complacency of the portly, well fed editor, the ludicrously worshipful cred-ulity of the admiring and self-important spinster, you can al-most see them sitting face to face in the revered sanctum sanc-torum, he in super-respectable broad-cloth, his large oily ex-panse of florid smoothness with bland lips perked up in mild self-love breaking pompously into milky-—I should say rather —buttery smiles, his white, soft flabby hands, with the invar-iable huge seal ring radiating importance from a plump third digit, waving with dreamy grace before the enchanted orbs of the erudite self enshrined Miss Farobia, spinster. On the other side the spidery form of the yearning spinster—devoted' votary at Minerva's shrine. I can see her primly erect on a spindly chair her half mitted palms worshipfully clasped in the folds of that gorgeously hued gown or anon raised ecstat-ically with true old maid fervor and simpering affectation to her throbbing bosom ! About that bonneted cranium seething with abortive romances cluster, none too thickly, in orderly array clusters of astounding gray-green cork screw curls. From between them through gold-rimmed eye glasses, no doubt, peer and squint and sparkle the soulful optics of the divine and famous Psyche Zenobia. No, thank you, not Suche Snobbs, oh, no indeed ! Bear this in mind gentle reader. 12 THE MERCURY. This picture, then, well visualized, turn to the product of that renowned interview, read the remarkable adventures of the divine Psyche and her dearly beloved factotum and poodle, the harrowing incidents of that gruesome belfry tragedy ! Here is satire in spots that would have delighted the soul of Swift and no doubt drew an answering smile from the thank-less Dickens. It is not a mere skit, it is a skillful attack upon the too prevalent evils of affectation, ridiculing it, sneering at it and at times growing quite abusive in his contempt. For example let us examine the interview just referred to. We cannot at once determine whether the irony and ill concealed sarcasm and horseplay is the editor's as represented, or Poe's, speaking through him ; surely the latter. Editors also are his prey. In those days editors were rather tyrannical toward fugitive verse, and Poe, no doubt, makes his own grievances the excuse for his bitter attacks upon them. With viscious pen jabs he caricatures editors, magazines, literary idols and fads alike. Aside from this better class there is another grade I would only too gladly pass by unnoted, to wit :—his "funny satires" at the head of which stands "The Life of Thingum Bob." There are bearable spots here and there widely scattered in this minor branch, but, on the whole, its pretty weak, sloppy stuff—downright sickening and without the slightest spark of humor at places. I have referred to it in a previous paper as none better than "school-boy click-clack"—that's just what it is. To be convinced, read it yourself. In my opinion I think it an injustice to Poe's good taste to say more about them save that they never should have been published. THE MEKCURY. 13 BLOODY RUN. E. E. SNYDER, '09. NESTLED among the mountains in the northern part of Bedford county lies a beautiul valley, through which flows a stream of cool, sparkling mountain water, known as Bloody Run. Merrily it winds its way from its source, a fountain in the heart of the Tuscaroras, over rocks, beneath logs and overhanging banks, through forests and meadows, steadily downward, until finally it joins its water with those of the "Blue Juniata." It is a beautiful stream, yet a treacherous and turbulent one. Its beauty attracts the attention and excites the admir-ation of all seeing it : yet its waters have wrought more de-struction than those of its mother stream, the Juniata. It is too large to be called a brook, yet it has all of a mountain brook's attractiveness. In its bright laughing waters the trout and minnow play ; happy children gather flowers upon its banks, or, wading its crystal pools, piok the shining pebbles from its bed. Its waters are swift and noisy, ever hastening onward, but in such a merry, happy manner that in watching it its haste is forgotten in its mirth and song. But in stormy seasons it leaves off its merry, playful mood, and becomes as fierce and avenging as its name would indicate. In a few hours it is transformed from the laughing brook into a might/, raging river, sweeping to destruction everything that comes in its way. At such times it carries to the Juniata chickens, pigs, sheep, calves, small buildings, household goods, boardwalks and fences and sometimes before its wrath is ap-peased even the larger buildings are seriously damaged. Its fall is as rapid as its rise, and ere the storm has long passed, it has become once more the playful brook. There is a beautiful Indian legend connected with the nam-ing of the stream, which has been handed down from genera-tion to generation in true Indian fashion. It runs as follows*, Long years ago near the source of this beautiful, turbulent stream dwelt a mighty Indian chieftain, an Uncas of the Del-awares, and throughout all the Iriquois Nations, there was no other so brave in battle or so wise in council as he. He lived in peace and quietness, but no stranger was ever turned H THE MERCURY. away, cold or hungry, from his wigwam. All found a cordial welcome, the white man as well as the Indian. This chieftain had but one child, a daughter, the lovely Minnehaha. She was the idol of her father and the pride of the Iriquois nation. And well might they love and pet her; for throughout the Indian world there was none more kind or more beautiful than Minnehaha of the Delawares. Her form was graceful and slender ; her eyes were soft and beautiful ; her teeth were" as pearls; her forehead high and beautiful. There was ever a kind word on her lips and a song of happi-ness in her heart. She was the playmate of the children ; the nurse of the sick or wounded ; the friend of the'hard working .squaws ; a hearer for' the tales of the warriors ; and a never ceasing source of happiness to her father. Such was the beautiful Minnehaha. By the source of this stream Minnehaha played in her child-hood, and here she would come as a maiden and gaze into the . crystal waters of the bubbling spring and try to solve the mystery of the "Great Spirit," who the Indians believe dwelt in the waters. Now among the Indian warriors this princess had many lovers, but none so persiscent and perhaps none so much fav-ored as Growling Bear. Among the warriors there was none braver than he, yet none so cruel and vengeful. He had wooed Minnehaha for a long time but she persistently de-clined to be won. Because of the fierce jealously of Growling Bear the other lovers were shy and timid,.and there was little danger of any of them winning the fair princess. But one day while Minnehaha was sitting by the spring a handsome young hunter stopped to drink from its waters As he arose he beheld the Indian maiden before him. Struck by her won-derful beauty he began to talk with her, nor did he leave t he spring till sunset. The next day they again met at the spring and before they parted that day a strong friendship had sprung up between them—a friendship which soon ripened into love. The spring became their trysting place, and for many months they would meet at twilight on its banks, and the young hunter, with the Indian maiden clasped in his arms, would repeat o'er and o'er to her his vows of undying love ; and the princess, with clasped hands and a happy heart, would THE MERCURY. 15 listen, with her eyes, full of love, fixed upon him. Thus the days passed bright and happy. But Growling Bear began to suspect the love of Minnehaha for the young hunter, and one evening, as she left her wig-wam, he stealthily followed and discovered their secret. Filled with an uncontrollable anger, he plunged his long knife through ihe hearts of both, as they stood beside the spring. Then with a wild cry he plunged the knife into his own heart and the three bodies fell together into the clear fountain. Their life blood reddened the waters of the stream, and the Indians always after called it the "bloody" run and the white man adopted the name. IN HER PLACE. JOSEPH ARNOLD, '09. J7T FEELING of joy thrilled Mabel Burton as she entered -L-A. the library. It was a bright and sunny afternoon in June, just two days before the time announced for her marriage to William Carr. Could she be other than happy, as she made her way to the home of her betrothed to make a few final ar-rangements for the joyful event of her life ? Indeed, so happy was Mabel that she was barely conscious of what occurred about her. Even the rattle of the car in which she rode seemed music to her ears. This happiness however, was of short du-ration, for suddenly she was roused by a "How do you do Miss Burton ? Where do you come from and where are you bound ?'' "Why Mr. Walsh," exclaimed Mabel with a look of sur-prise on her beautiful face, "wheredo you come from ? it is almost two years since we had the pleasure of meeting." - "It is by mere chance I came this way," replied Mr. Walsh, i6 THE MERCURY. "I am on my way to Albany to see Senator B— on some pri-vate business. But where are you going, if I may ask?" ' I am about to visit Mrs. Carr—" "Do you know a Mr. William Carr ?" interrupted Mr. Walsh. "He is engaged to a Miss EfRe Stone a friend of mine." Just then the conductor called out "Change here for Harlem Ex-press," and Mr. Walsh arising from his seat said, "Adieu Miss Burton, pleased to have met you," and with that, he left the car. Had he thrust her with a dagger he could not have wounded her more deeply. It seemed to her for a moment as' if some-one had crushed out of her heart every drop of blood. In the anguish of her soul she turned her beautiful brown eyes from the passengers so as to avoid detection of her inward struggles and peered out into the darkness of the subway as the train sped on. Thoughts came crowding into her mind so fast that they fairly bewildered her. "What was she to do if what she heard were true," was the question which continually arose before her. This chaotic state of mind continued for a while but finally it quieted to such a degree as to make it possible for her to solve some of the questions that naturally arose out of the situation. She at length decided to carry out her plan for the day with but little difference, that she would make her stay at Mrs. Carr's as brief as possible. Fortune seemed to favor her, for, on arriving at the home •of Mrs. Carr, she found that William was out at the time. Thus, she felt freer and could appear perfectly natural in her actions. In fact Mrs. Carr saw in her over anxiousness to get away only the nervous excitement due to the nearness of the coming crisis in the young woman's life, and thus overlooked the action with a good natured smile. Mabel was soon on her way again and with a heavy heart arrived at the home of her cousin whom she had decided to visit. She was somewhat comforted as she walked up to the door, for she knew that in Jack, as she was want to call her cousin, it was possible for her to confide. Had she not gone to him with many a burden before her betrothal to William ? THE MERCURY. 17 Therefore, no sooner had he opened the door, than she with-out even so much as a greeting cried out : "Oh. Jack, I am miserable !" "Why, Mable, what is the matter? You are all excited. What has happened, house on fire, dog dead, canary flown away, eh, girlie, what is it?" 'Don't jest Jack, please don't; for I hardly know how to tell you. Do listen to me—" "Yes, yes," broke in her cousin, "just come in and be seated and try to be yourself for a moment." They both entered the parlor and as soon as they were-seated Jack began. "Now tell me all about it." "Alas Jack I am unhappy for William, no Mr. Carr, is en-gaged to a Miss Effie Stone." Jack muttered something unintelligible between his teeth, but in his usual thoughtful manner, for he knew how easily his cousin could be aroused by what she chanced to hear, he then said, "What evidence have you ?J' • Why Mr. Walsh, an old friend whom. I had not seen for two years, just told me." • "Very well then let us investigate the truth of the matter. There is a directory in which I shall try to locate Miss Stone and should I succeed we will talk it over, for I cannot quite believe it." "I do not wish to either," put in Mabel, "but something seems to tell me it is true.'' "Mabel, you women are all alike in that respect. You seem to feel that something is about to happen." But Mabel was too busy with her own thoughts to pay any attention to remarks her cousin chanced to make concerning women. So while Jack was running his fingers along the S's in the directory before him, Mable thought out a little scheme, which she decided wise to keep secret till she was. sure of Miss Stone's position, in the matter. "There is an Effie Stone resident at Eighty-Sixth Street and Third Avenue," at last said Jack. Having located Miss Stone, then talked the situation over, finally deciding to. cdl on the young woman, it being early in the afternoon. They then left the house, boarded a Third Avenue car and 18 THE MERCURY. were soon walking up the high stoops of an old fashioned brown stone house. Mr. Jack Dayton, for that is the full iwme of Mable's cousin, knocked at the door. It was opened by a sweet faced old lady who introduced herself as Mrs. Stone. "We desire to have a private interview with a Miss Effie Stone, presumably your daughter," Jack said. "Yes," responded Mrs. Stone, "won't you please come in and be seated, while I call Effie." "Thank you," Jack said, with a feeling of satisfaction that all had worked so well thus far. While waiting for Miss Stone to put in an appearance, Ma-bel glanced about the room. "The Stones," thought she, "may not be well-to-do, yet I should feel perfectly at home here." Then she came to the conclusion that Mr. Carr either did not know his own mind or had purely mercenary reasons for changing his affections. "Men are, after all, queer animals," she continued in her mind, "and, if my scheme works well, I shall at least punish one of them." While thus musing, in came Miss Stone, a charming young woman, with light hair, blue eyes and a carriage to be envied by many of her own sex. Yet, her fine features told tales of brooding over something, and Mabel was quick in reading past history in every expression of the beautiful face of the young woman before her. Cousin Jack and Mabel then ex-changed the usual courtesies with Miss Stone, after which Jack put a rather direct question to Miss Stone, for he asked her. "Are you acquainted with a Mr. Carr?" The face of Miss Stone paled for a moment and she ans-wered. "I am." "Pardon me, Miss Stone, may I ask you one more question ? Were you, or are you, engaged to Mr. Carr?" For a moment Miss Stone seemed perplexed and hardly knew what to do. Should she answer ? Why should anyone wish to know that which she was trying to forget ? Yet, in her own heart, she knew that she still loved William Carr. Could he still love her ? She was at a loss to answer. The situation was becoming painful and oppressive, when Mable, THE MERCURY. 19 who was quick to notice the momentary flush and pallor which followed, came to the rescue. Walking up to Miss Stone, she put her arms tenderly about her and said : "Miss Stone, I know that you love Mr. Carr, and I want to be of assistance to you, I am to marry Mr. Carr on Wednesday, but I want you to take my place. He always did seem to think of some one else, whenever we were alone." Both Jack and Miss Stone were for a time speechless. How was Mable about to manage such an unusual affair ? After a few moments of silence Mable continued : "Will you agree to come to my home ? All arrangements will be made and I shall act as bridesmaid." Thus Mable revealed the scheme she had thought out, while Jack had been busy with the di-rectory. "Do permit me to ask mother ?" said Effie. "Oh certainly," replied Mabel. Mrs. Stone was called in and after a discussion which lasted fully an hour, during which the propriety of the entire affair was talked over, they all agreed that the scheme was worth trying. Soon Mabel was on her way home. The news of the action of Mr. Carr created no small stir in her home. Mr. Burton, in a brief space of time said many things, but finally yielded to the will and acquiesced in the proposition of his daughter, for he saw that her happiness was at stake. He immediately had the proper changes made in the announcements. At length evening came. All was in readiness. Mabel, though she was to act as bridesmaid, had her wedding gown on. Effie Stone was dressed in a plain white suit, which, though plain, was very becoming to her. Her blue eyes sparkled with delight as she gayly chatted with Mabel whose merry brown eyes showed that she had no regrets whatever. What the outcome would be seemed to occupy, for the mo-ment, the minds of neither. The minister had arrived a few minutes before, Jack was stationed at the door to receive the bridegroom on his arrival. At last, a cab was heard rattling down the streets and sure enough it stopped at the door» Out stepped William Carr, in 20 THE MERCURY. appearance a handsome and at the time, happy looking man. For he really liked the one whom he professed to love and fully believed that in the course of time he would eventually love her. All thoughts of Effie Stone, for the time being, had slipped from his mind. In this happy frame of thought, he quickly walked up the steps of the stately residence of the Burton's and knocked at the door. It was opened by Jack who greeted him with, "How do you do Carr ?" "I am feeling tip top this evening" joyfully responded Carr. "Glad to hear it old boy" laughed Jack, "Come in, Mabel is ready to act as bridesmaid at your wedding this evening." "As bridesmaid ? Ha ha !" exclaimed Carr, "You old joker. When will you cease your jesting? Yet I fail to see the point." "Neither do I see it," more coolly replied Jack, ' 'Everything is in readiness, so come into the parlor. Mr. Carr." The face of Mr. Carr was a study when he saw Miss Stone in the room. Where had she come from ? Who had invited her and why? He was simply dazed. Mr. Burton gave him no time to collect his confused thoughts. ' Let us proceed," he said. William Carr was ushered before the minister who read the ceremony and tied the knot. So before Carr knew what had happened he was married to Effie Stone. The ceremony over, Mr. Burton coolly and cuttingly said, "You have our permission to leave now and the sooner the better.'' Jack was about to lead Carr to the door, when Mabel no-ticed Miss Stone suddenly turn pale. She quickly interposed herself between Carr and the door saying: "Mr. Carr you love Miss Stone and I have from the moment I first met her learned to love her too. You alone can make her happy and I feel that you would be happier with her than had you been married to me." There stood William Carr ; his head drooping for shame ; his eyes riveted to the floor. All was silent ; he was given time to think. At last he slowly raised his head, the perspi-ration was dropping from his brow. Raising his eyes he looked steadily at Mabel for a moment ; then extending his hand said slowly as if it pained him to utter the words : THE MERCURY. 21 "Miss Burton you have shamed me. Forgive the past, I have indeed always loved Effie but through a slip of the tongue I have erred and almost wronged the one I loved." "And through a slip of the tongue a kind Providence has rescued you," joyfully interrupted Mabel. Then she led him to Effie Stone who in the midst of embarrassment on her part and the applause of those present received from her lover the kiss which made glad not only her heart but the hearts of all present. Soon a jolly party was gathered about the table and all en-joyed the feast spread in honor of him who had married an-other. L^^'^C-T THE SICKLER COMES TO ALL. BY OSCAR C. DEAN, '08. ' 7 HE grim and aged Sickler, Death, Moves on and in his flight, He breaks the shackles, cuts the strands, To give the spirit flight. No earthly hand can check his march, Or turn his course aside ; But onward e'er, with mighty bound, He conquers time and tide. Humanity, like fallen grain Along his pathway lies— A blooming flower, here and there Fallen, withers and dies. It may be at the eve of life When locks are turning grey, It may be at the dawn of youth ; Death will come your way. To some he comes with plodding step, His hoary head bowed low, And brings at last the welcome end Of earthly toil and woe. 22 THE MERCURY. To some he comes with rapid flight, His sickle Hashing far, And many, e'er a prayer escapes. Are hurled across the bar. Man's life is but a passing day, Oft bright the morning's charm, But e'er tis noon, dark clouds roll on— At evening comes the storm. Perchance, the morning may be dark And noon rnay bring the showers That in the sunny eve of life Will nourish blooming flowers. Alas ! so oft the day is short— Oft e'er the sun is risen, The Slckler cuts the tender tie That binds the soul in prison. So live that when thy summons comes To leave this house of clay, The angel white, from heaven bright, May bear thy soul awlay. (^*^|%(^%r FROM CLERKSHIP TO FRESHMANSHIP, OR FROM THE BUSINESS WORLD TO THE COLLEGE WORLD. G. E. WOLFF, '09. JTJHIS little paper, let it be made known at once, by way of -*- introduction, is simply an attempt to acquaint briefly, an}' who may be interested with what it is to be a clerk in the business world—his requisite qualifications and his opportun-ities— in so far as it will serve to show what it means for such a one to go to college—the difficulties that are likely to con-front him, and his likely attitude toward college opportunities and college life in general. As is the case in every pursuit in which men engage, there are certain qualifications which one must have in order to be able to enter the commercial world as a clerk, differing, of THE MERCURY. 23 course, according to the importance and responsibility of the position. Unfortunately, however, the qualifications which it is demanded that the ordinary clerk possess are, to say the least, comparatively light. To be sure, to begin with, a fair elementary education, such as is given b)r our public schools, is required, and now, also, in most cases, a Business College course. Include also accuracy, a pretty fair amount of com-mon sense, and plenty of capacity for work and hustle, and 3'ou have, generally speaking, the required make-up of the clerk. Aside from the comparatively light qualifications which are demanded, there are a few worthy inducements that a clerk-ship has to offer which form part of the reason why this pos-ition is so attractive to so many young persons, but it is the several unworthy considerations that seem to be the chief cause of attraction. In line with the latter is a perverted con-ception that so many seem to have, that it is a nice, a respect-able thing to be a clerk, and therefore just the thing for the "promising" young man. On account of thjs shallow, re-spectableness, it is easy to become satisfied with being a clerk and with mere externals, so long as the salary is not too meagre, and almost invariably results in the curbing, if not the crushing, of a desire to rise to higher positions and to as-sume greater responsibilities, and in the creating of an almost utter indifference to the adornment of the mind. A worthy consideration, on the other hand, is the opportunity to become thoroughly familiar with business and business methods, and in many cases there is an opportunity to rise to high positions. And then there is the possibility, in this position more than many another perhaps, despite the unfortunate tendencies, above mentioned, that the need of and longing for a higher education will present themselves. What will it mean to the clerk to go to college—the only place where he can efficiently satisfy this need and longing ? Difficulties will present themselves. There will be the obvious necessity for an almost complete readjustment of his mentality. His crippled condition, because of his comparatively poor training for the college world, inasmuch as his energy has been centered in entirely different lines, will impede his prog-ress very materially. However, the clerk's business experi- 24 THE MERCURY. ence has not been wholly in Vain ; it will serve him well in a number of ways. He has come to college with a definite pur-pose in view, and he will work for the accomplishment of that purpose with much the same practical mind that he had when he was in the commercial world. It means also that a great deal of the vivacity and extravagance so common to college life will appear to him to be not only quite dispensable, but also unnecessary and dangerous. College, with its many good features, will be considered by him as the greatest tem-poral blessing of which he has yet been the recipient, and his regret will be that he will not be able to take full advantage of the same. It will seem very strange to the clerk, who has been accus-tomed to being confined for eight, nine or ten hours a day in the interests of his employer, to feel that he is at perfect liberty to devote sixteen hours a day to his own personal growth. To be sure, while the clerk was giving so much of his time to the work of his employer, he was himself being benefitted thereby, but the favorable contrast between the mo-notony and oftimes the tediousness of the life in the office and the diversified life of the college is very great ; so great, in fact, that the college world seems a veritable Utopia, where everything is favorable to the complete development of self. To discover that the opportunities in college are devoted to other than their natural ends, and, in fact, that they are ut-terly ignored in many instances, is one of the unfortunate fea-tures of the clerk's life. College seems to him to be the em-bodiment of all that was lacking in his everyday life in the commercial world, and how anyone can misuse such Utopian privileges is practically inconceivable. But whatever unfortu-nate conditions may exist, the way of independence is still open to him who chooses to improve rather than pervert his opportunities. THE MERCURY. 25 THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT. CHARLES W. HEATHCOTE, '05. THE annals of the world's history ring with the deeds of heroes. True many of them were noble and great. But behold the bloody deeds of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Nero ! Destruction followed in their paths. Their rec-ords make one turn away sick and faint. Indeed it is true they helped to develop the world's civilization. But how much of their work was the result of selfishness and aggran-dizement ? The heroes who laid and who are laying the deep foundation-of the world's civilization are not warriors. They are men whose mission is the Gospel of Peace. They are men whose souls breathe the missionary spirit. Men whose lives are unselfish . and consecrated. Men who work and endure all things for the Master in order to raise the conditions of humanity and advance the world's civilization. Indeed the true missionary spirit is found in the command of Him who said : "Go ye and make disciples of all the nations." Glorious is the message to preach the gos-pel to all people, to establish among them the immortal broth-erhood of the kingdom, to make each individual realize there is a direct communion between him and the Golden Throne. Receiving such a glorious message he possesses the most noble heritage of all time. Thus each individual becomes conscious of a new life and new joys hitherto unknown to him. This life eventually affects many individuals,, and the result is many believe. Everyone beccmes a witness to the new life. ' The scope of missions is world wide. It includes all hu-manity. The spirit is to work among all mankind. The most intelligent heathen nations or the lowest degraded savage tribes are to come within its sphere. All receive the purifica-tion of the Spirit and are blessed. Weak, decaying nations are raised and saved. Broad and far reaching is the purpose- Truly has the poet said :. "The hands upon that cruel tree, Extended wide as mercy's spaa Have gathered to the Son of Man The ages past and vet to be. 26 THK MERCURY. One, reaching; backward to the prime Enfolds the children of the morn ; The other, to a race unborn Extends the crowning gift of time !" But back of all this there must be a motive. There must be one great principle. Though the missionary spirit may be the result of love for humanity yet the true motive is not in the philanthropic realm. It is in the theanthropic realm. The impulse comes from Christ himself. It is he who is the author, operator and energizer of every great activity. The spirit absorbs him in the work and carries it onward to suc-cess. Thus thTs spirit becomes a passion, a second nature that cannot be eliminated. It is a nature that sees only success and not failure. "I have but one passion, I have but one passion," said Count Zinzendorf, "and that is He, only He." Men who realize the full meaning of the missionary spirit feel themselves called to the work. Their lives are lives of consecration. The will is surrendered to the noble cause. They are men of purpose, intensity of faith, true to service and dut}\ Thus indeed 'tis true ! '•The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small, Are close-knit strands of an unbroken thread Whose love ennobles all." They are true workers. They are unselfish. To undertake this noble work for humanity they sacrifice everything. They break the bonds of love and friendship for this noble cause. At home honor, fame and position are often offered them, yet they sacrifice all these things. But above the din and clamor of everything the missionory hears a still small voice saying, "Follow thou me." Ah noble is such devotion, consecration and sacrifice ! The missionary is the embassador of the Divine King. He has received the noblest heritage that is possible for man to receive. His religion is of divine origin. He is ready to prove the falsity of other religious. What has Confucianism, Mohammedanism or Buddhism done to benefit humanity ? What can the creeds of pessimism, fatalism and doom accom-plished ? True there are golden threads of truth running- THE MERCURY. 27 through these religions. Granting that, in the lands of these religions there are men of culture and intelligence, yet their religions are imperfect. But the missionary imbued with the true spirit, keen intellect, broad mindedness, optimism and enthusiasm points out the true way to the heathen. He is filled with enthusiasm and not fanaticism. Fanaticism would destroy the cause of the missionary. He takes those golden threads and weaves them into his own system and uses them to convert the people. But in these lauds where vice, bigotry, fatalism and pessimism reign supreme, privation, danger, hardship and even martyrdom await the missionary. Brave, enthusiastic, optimistic and guided by the Spirit, he presses on. Thus St. Paul endured shipwreck, scourgings, privations, imprisonment and at last suffered martyrdom for this undying cause. Again, St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, while zeal-ously working among our ancestors met his death. Then, too, the early missionaries of great and glorious North America, to whom we owe so much, bore toil, famine, sickness, solitude and insult. They were surrounded by thousands of savages. They were the forerunners of a great Christian civilization. The deeds of Livingstone are still fresh in the memory of the world. He is the greatest hero of the nineteenth century. A missionary, traveler and philanthropist whose life work has permeated the whole of Africa. He was determined to open the continent to Christianity. By his self-sacrifice he brought salvation to thousands of souls. It was he who sounded the death knell to African slave traffic. He braved the African fever and savage tribes. This scarred hero died in the midst of his work. His last prayer that ascended to the Golden Throne was for a blessing upon the Dark Continent. Carey has well said : "They who love the best their fellow men Are serving god the holiest way they can.'' Great and glorious results have been achieved. Thousands upon thousands of heathen within the last century have been rescued from vice and degradation. They have been enrolled under the banner of the gospel. 28 THE MERCURY. Yet Africa aud Asia call for help. Does the soul of a Christian people refuse to hear the cry ? Are men swayed too much to-day by mercenary motives? Have commercialism and selfishness crushed out the spirit ? Oh for [the spirit of a Paul, or a Xavier or a Livingstone ! Great indeed is the re-sponsibility of a people if these things are true. If a brother, be he black or yellow, dies crying for help and a Christian people refuse to respond to that cry what will be the result? The death knell of that civilization has been sounded. Nations cannot afford to sit idly by in ease and self-indulgence while these things exist. "Is it nothing to you, Oh Christian, That Africa walks in night ? That Christians at home deny them The blessed gospel light ?" If the missionary spirit fills the heart of the individual it will permeate the nation. If the Christ is leader, victory will be ours. Thus Christendom will reign supreme. The Spirit will strengthen manhood and glorify all nations. Thus : "It raised a brother from the dust, It saved a soul from death, O germ ! Oh fount ! O word of love L O thought at random cast ! Ye were but little at the first, But mighty at the last. [NOTE: Some who heard this oration desired its publication. —ED.] T H E HERCURV Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class }fatter. VOL. XV GETTYSBURG, PA., MARCH 1907 No. 1 Editor in-Chief EDMUND L. MANGES, '08 Exchange. Editor ROBERT W. MICHAEL, '08 Business Manager HENRY M. BOWER, '08 Ass't Bus. Managers LESLIE L. TAYLOR, '09 CHARLES L. KOPP, '09 Assistant Editor MARKLEY C. ALBRIGHT, '08 Associate Editors PAUL E. BLOOMHART, '09 E. E. SNYDER, '09 Advisory Board PROF. .1. A. HIMES, LITT.D PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M.D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD, D.D. Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsnaylvia (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price, one dollar a year in advance ; single copies 15 cents. Notice to discontinue sending THE MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors and Alumni are cordially invited to contri-bute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Business Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EDITORIALS. With this issue of GREETING. " THE MERCURY the recently elected staff take upon their shoulders the duty of its publication for the ensuing year. It may be needless to state that we intend to do our best to make this year the banner one. We fully recognize and appreciate the untiring efforts of the pre-ceding staff in bringing THE MERCURY to its present position of prominence in the college 3° THE MERCURY. community, after a year of irregular publication. It now stands firmer than ever before. That fact makes'us aware that we owe our best efforts to" maintain the present high s.audard. Due to the aggressiveness of the retiring staff with the kindly assistance of the literary societies, the business end of our journal is in an excellent condition. In truth, as well as it possibly could be owing to the fact that it no longer bears, the burden of a heavy debt for it has been liquidated. All other conditions being so favorable, the success now alone depends upon the manner in which the students co-op-erate with the staff. It is not our intention to make a public plea for material to publish. The material is plentiful, but what is desirable is that the students take a more lively in-terest so that competition may make the class of literature bet-ter. This is the duty of the students, not of the staff. Thus it is very plain that a great share of the responsibility rests upon the student body. The alumni have been contributing, a thing which is en-couraging for the reason that it is the best proof that they are interested in the affairs of their alma mater. We hope they may continue and help us publish an interesting paper. WORK. There comes a time in the course of every college man's life while at college when he is seized with an unconquerable feeling of discouragement aud dejection. He becomes impatient of his intellectual development ; to his own measurement he seems to be progressing very slowly, and the time which he has already spent in college seems to have been wasted. How are we to overcome this feeling? Work is the stern and faithful officer who drives such thoughts from the sacred domains of our intellects. Work is the golden key which unlocks to us Learning's unlimited supply of wisdom— untiring, unhasting unyielding work. With work all things are possible. Let us not have any apprehension for the pro-gress which we make, but let us keep working, and we are; bound to succeed. Although our dreams of success may never; be fully realized, although we may never reach our ideal, yet if we are sincere in our efforts, and if we put ourselves into THK MRRCURY. 31 our work heart and soul, there is no doubt but that we shall wake up some fine morning and find that the capabilities which have so long lain dormant within us have become active. We will find ourselves to be competent men, well qualified to do things, and head and shoulders above our fellow men who have been so unfortunate as not to have the opportunity for intellectual training in a higher institution of learning. M. C. A., '08. xS^v^v^ EXCHANGES. The lectures of Robert G. Ingersoll in "The College Stu-dent" brings out some of the ideas of Ingersoll's opinion of the Bible very nicely. Also ' 'True College Spirit'' found in the same number points out the need of more true college spirit. I am of the opinion of the writer that college spirit is on the decline, and the support of each and every man at college is needed for it's building up. The article in the "Lesbian" for February, entitled "Chris-topher Marlowe,'' deserves mentioning for the masterful way in which it is handled, as also does the article on "Aristole's Po-etics." These articles are evidence of much study on the part of the writers. "The Susquehanua" contains a very good production "The Patriot of the Revolution." It is nicely composed and shows thought. The Senior Class of Yale have adopted an absolute Honor System.—Ex. The MERCURY extends her best wishes to the new Editors of the "Harvard Lampoon." 32 THE MERCURY. The Postman. The postman is a funny man Who never does things right; The things he brings on time we wish Had never met our sight. The bills and such and postal cards That bear the college seal, Are always brought in perfect time With sadly misplaced zeal. But checks from home and notes from •'Her"' Don't come in such a drive, And though we're.sure that they were sent They sometimes don't arrive. —Ex. There i$ a $mall matter which JSoine of our $ub$criber$ and adverti$er$ have $eemingly forgotten. To u$ it i$ nece$$ary in our bu$ine$$. We are very mode$t and do not wi$h to $peak of it.—Ex. "The Individual in the Solution of the Liquor Problem" in the "Juniata Echo," is very nicely handled. "The Brown and White" was up to its usual standard, it contained some very interesting reading. "The Albright Bulletin," An appreciation of Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale in "The Scarlet Letter," remarkably sets forth a type of a wolf in sheep's clothing, and although in the wrong we are made to feel by the author that Dimmesdale is truly to be pitied. The selection "The Evils of Child Labor" is in line with our own conception of the curse. We agree with the writer in his liberal views. "The Touchstone" is a well conducted paper, both delight-ful and instructive. "A Chinese Dinner Party" is interesting, showing as it does the manner and customs of the country. The plea for the forest in the same number is worthy of recognition as placing before the public eye a need of pre-serving the haunts of the red men The subject is well handled and also pleasantly arranged. "The Carnation" is the largest exchange we have received this month. It is finely arranged and the different pictures add greatly to its make up. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. Mattresses, "Re^ Springs, Iron Beds, Picture Frames, Repair Work done promptly. Under-taking- a specialty. - Telephone No. 97. EC. IB. IBerLcior, 37 Baltimore St., Gtttynburff, 1** THE WINDSOR HOTEL 1217-2 FILBERT ST., PHILABELPHIA-HEADQUARTERS FOR STUDENTS. THOROUGHLY RENOVATED, REFURNISHED, AND REMODELED. FKANK M. SCHEIBLKY, Manager. Graduate of Lafayette College 1898- ICE CREAM. SODA WATER. Telephone Call 1612. SheaoY High Grade Confections 37-39 Chambersburg Street, GETTYSBURG, PA. FRUITS. Restaurant Attached HENRY KALBFLE1SCH new line of all grades of CIGARS, PIPESJOBACCOS, &C. Pool Parlors in Connection. Chambersburg St., Two doors above Eagle Hotel. GETTYSBURG SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON HELPS AND SUPPLIES, P. ANSTADT & SONS, Publishers, Book and Job Priniinrj of all Kinds OjrUc for Prices. YORK, PA. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. ConkUn's *"■ Pen For busy people. No bother. 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The Mercury February, 1902 R. ST. Cl.AIK POFFENBARGER. J. F. NEWMAN. MISS ANNIE M. SWARTZ. CURTIS E. COOK. E. C. RUBY. A. B. RICHARD. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY The Literary Journal of Pennsylvania College Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter VOL. X GETTYSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY, 1902 No. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS My Heart, Be Not Dismayed 241 Significance of the Insignificant 242 Hasty Judgments 248 His Two Girls 249 Wit That Wounds and Wit That Cheers 250 The Most Interesting Man That I Have Known 252 Editorials 257 The Record of a Notable Year 259 Causes of the Decline of Poetry 260 The Crowning Event 262 Money 265 The Gains and Losses from a Territorial Division of Labor 270 Exchanges 273 Book Reviews 275 MY HEART, BE NOT DISMAYED [TRANSLATION FROM HEINE] E. C. R., '02. Oh my heart, do not be in dismay, But bear thou thy destiny. New Spring will give back to thee, What the Winter has taken away. How much unto thee is remaining! How pretty the world, indeed! My heart, in love may'st thou feed, On all that to thee may be pleasing. ■ The tongue is prone to lose the way, Not so the pen, for in a letter We have not better things to say, But surely say them better. —EMBRSON. 242 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY i SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INSIGNIFICANT HERBERT FINCH, '98. " T F anyone should write the history of decisive loves that have * materially influenced the world in all its subsequent stages it would be an astonishing history." This is the observation of Sir Robert Palgrave in his "History of Normandy and England." The thought is striking. Because it calls attention to those little happenings, which we have all seen, yet have never taken the time to trace out in their true bearing. The significance of the insignificant. It is the operation of the principle, not a particular example, or instance of its operation to which we would call attention. A principle operating not only in the "amiable feelings" but every1 where and at all times. The play of what seems to be mere chance in the physical world, as well as in that more subtle sphere, the sphere of life and conduct. It is a common observation that the precise forms which mat-ter takes is determined by the accidents of location, environment, and the multitude of its disturbances; likewise that the most care-fully arranged plans of conscious conduct are defeated in the ex-ecution by the unforseen and unexpected contingency which shapes things to its own ends, not to our plans. This is the truth that gives the "little falls of fate," as we call them, a new setting, and brings out their real significance. A significance which is simply startling. We need not fancy that this is the first time in the ages that the gleams of this open fact have beeu seen under the dust and tangle of affairs. If you so fancy, take up your Roman and Greek mythologies, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid, and read again. The votive horse to Minerva—a ruse of a wily Greek—was the fertile source of calamities and adventures enough to form the subject of the tragedies and epics of Greek and Roman literature. And I doubt not is the inspiration of three-fourths of the imaginative literature since. That strategy of Sinon, fatally believed, ended a siege of ten years, and ac-complished what arms, bloodshed and the heroism of demigods could not. That deception succeeded where the wisdom of Nestor failed, and his maturest plans were mocked by a skillful lie. All this is the thrilling development of a contest for the I THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 243 prize of beauty, so insignificant in itself and so foolish. Yet it set Aeneas on his wanderings ; it founded the Roman State; and to that State the world owes most of that which is of value in religion, politics, law, art, and literature. It was only a pebble thrown in the water by a careless hand, but that pebble is the beginning of circles of influence, gliding quickly the one after the other, and spreading till the face of the vast sea is transformed by the turmoil. The shifting fortunes of war and peace, the rise and fall of nations, and the uncertainty of individual achievement were facts with which these men saw that they had to deal, and life became the more intensely interesting to them thereby. Our science is not so ingenious as that of the Greek's. We are not always ready to give as definite a reason for each thing that happens, as they. The storm that rages and dashes the boats against the rocks is not necessarily the divine wrath wreak-ing vengeance for some act of impiety or neglect. Cassandra's wisdom of foresight and prophecy may be the innate quality of a naturally gifted mind, and not the gifts of a divine lover. He who goes through the battle unhurt may never have heard of the invulnerable mail of Vulcan. We do not expect to find some personalty or agency so imme-diately behind every act. It belongs to the child age to imper-sonate the forces and materials about them. Yet, who will deny that there is a great truth at the heart of this childlike simplicity? "Alice and little Dot are sisters, and very fond of each other. So' when Alice went away over the great sea, Dot was very sad and restless and went about, looking in all the corners as if she could find Alice in them. At last she came and said, 'Is Alice gone over the great deep sea ?' Yes, she has gone over the great, deep sea, but she will comeback again some day. Some water poured out in a basin was standing on a chair nearby. Dot ran to it, and got up on a chair, and dashed her hands through the water again and again ; and cried, 'Oh, deep, deep sea ! send little Allie back to me.' " There's a dear little heathen for you. The whole heart of Greek mythology is in that prayer. And how natural and beautiful it all seems. Yes, before the modern nations of Europe and America were born, the paradox of the vast influence of little things was ap-" parent to the ancient peoples. And the fact of the matter is, we ■ I ■ -'■ I I ■ 244 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY cannot escape seeing this paradox if we will but open our eyes to what is every moment going on about us. The little crystal of snow embodies the laws and forces of the universe to the mind that can see it. The filthy mud under his feet has wonderful possibilities in it to the mind of the seer. "When left to itself this mass of mind will cease its anarchy and competition, and will be mud no longer. The clay in it will whiten and crystalize and harden into a beautiful gem, to gather and concentrate the azure blue of the sun's rays, and you call it a sapphire. The sand will gather in rows, wash off its soot, and look real nice and clean. Then if you will just leave it to itself for a little while, it will crystalize into that beautiful drop of the aurora, called opal. The soot under the same law of co-operation loses its blackness, and obtains in exchange the power of reflect-ing all the rays of the sun at once in the most vivid rays any solid can shoot. This we call a diamond. And what is left of the mud ? A drop of water. If you wish it will become a dew-drop, glistening like orient pearl on your favorite flower. Yet, if you insist it will crystalize into a star." And for the ounce of slime—by a single accident—the accident of rest, we have a sap-phire, an opal, and a diamond set in the midst of a star of snow. The mud in the foot-path will always be mud. Why? Be-cause it was placed in a bad environment. An environment in which there is an eternal broil among the members. By a differ-ent chance and a nobler fate, the sand, the clay, the soot, andthe water, in rest and co-operation, reach their true destiny in the opal, the sapphire, the diamond, and the crystal of snow. But the importance of this truth, which we shall call the "significance of the insignificant" is of far greater moment and in-terest in the influence on life, character and conduct; and es-pecially the direction given by it to the great movements of life, which we call history. A great historian begins a chapter on a famous battle by say-ing, "Arietta's pretty feet twinkling in the brook made her the mother of William the Conqueror. Had she not thus fascinated Duke Robert of Normandy, Harold would not have fallen at Hastings. No Anglo-Norman Dynasty could have arisen, no British Empire;" and we may bring it still nearer to our own hearts and say, no English speaking America. What is brought out in this statement? Only the play of ac- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 245 cident, the effects of which we saw in the mud and the gems. But the idea has gained a new significance, because its objects are no longer stones, but men and women. To state that the quality of blood which flows in the veins of the great English peoples, was determined by the chance view of a peasant girl's pretty feet, dangling from the bank of a brook, or "twinkling in the water," looks like an impious burlesque of serious history. A play of the imagination for effect only. A dramatic situation to set events in a bolder relief. It is none of these, but the statement of a great and eternal truth. "There is no great and no small To the Soul that maketh all." 14fe, with all that word means, is changed by just such chance occurrences. Eed off in a new direction, reaching a different goal, changed eternally by an act, which, at the time, was a mat-ter of indifference. Life is comparable to a busy highway, with opeu doors all along its course. Entering one of these doors quite accidentally one day—only for rest and refreshment—an idea, a purpose, sprang to your mind ; that purpose did not rest till it became an act; the act has long since become a habit ; that habit is a part of your character. You will pardon the digression if I ask the nature of that habit; whether it sets in your character like a beautiful jewel. Is it a jewel beautiful and priceless, of which you are proud ? Does it blend in color and symmetry with the other gems into something exquisitely lovely and precious ? Or is it a coal needing only the torch to destroy it and the others as well? Oh, the power for weal or woe in the little things of life ; in the indifferent thought, word and deed. And what is the testimony of History ? What does its per-spective show to be the turning point in great national and world crises? Some trifling circumstance, the miscarriage of a message, the choice of the wrong path ! These are the small hinges on which turn the immense doors that open into destiny. When the racial domination of Europe and America was the issue of a contest between Carthage and Rome ; and the question of oriental superstition and sloth, or Christian hope and industry was being decided in that questionable balance-war ; it is awful to trace the fortune of a single mission on which hung the decision of the momentous contest. ■■ w 246 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Hannibal, the prince of generals has carried his arms from the deserts of Africa, over the steep and frozen Alps into the very-heart of Italy. He has not only maintained them there on his own resources, but has won a series of magnificent victories : the battles of Trebia, Thrasymene and Cannae. Rome is reduced to extreme exhaustion and desperation. The flower of her sons has fallen in battle, her treasure is spent, her fields are unsown, her commerce is destroyed. And with all this sacrifice, nothing has been accomplished against her born enemy, the eldest of the "lion's brood." Can you imagine her dismay then, and the terrible realness of the danger, when Hasdrubal, the second of the "lion's brood," a general scarcely inferior to his great brother, appears in Italy with an army of veteran soldiers, trained in the wars of Spain ? The brothers are now within two hundred miles of each other. Should they succeed in forming a juncture of their forces, a terri-ble fate awaits Rome. The necessity of acting in concert with the other Carthaginian army, in the South, is evident. Hasdrubal therefore sends a message to Hannibal, announcing his line of march, and the place where they would unite their armies, to wheel round on Rome. The message traveled in safety the greater part of the distance to Hannibal's camp ; but when near the goal, fell into the hands of a detachment of Roman soldiers, and Hasdrubal's letter, detail-ing the plans of the campaign, was laid, not in his brother's hands, but in the hands of the enemy. The victory so nearly won! a hairsbreadth ! Three thousand miles traveled in safety, only one more to go, then to fall in the hands of the enemy ! Through the failure of a messenger boy to deliver his message, the plans, the toils, the travels of years dashed to the ground ! It is tremendous. Yet, when we look down the vista of the years from our van-tage ground, and see the beneficence of the accident, we marvel not at Hannibal's defeat, but that such beneficence should ap-parently be left to the hazard of a messenger to accomplish its mission. We marvel that so small a thing as a letter discovered on the person of a spy, should be the means for wresting the dominion of the Western World from the Phoenician, and of giv-ing it to one "better fitted to receive and consolidate the civiliza-tion of Greece ; by its laws and institutions to bind together bar- MPHW|Ni«TOWJA**rr THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 247 barians of every race and language into an organized Empire ; and to prepare them, when that Empire is dissolved, to become the free members of the commonwealth of Christian Europe and America." No less striking is the turn of events, when all Europe was convulsed by the ambitions of the modern Hannibal, when institutions and governments were crushed under the colossal stride of him who aspired to the throne of all Europe, and came dangerously near achieving his aspiration. When neither arms nor bloodshed, coalitions, nor council, nor even his island fastness, could tame the restless spirit of Napoleon. The lying words of a peasant boy to a French General, "Go this way and not that," decided Waterloo and Napoleon's fate. The fall of Napoleon, but the liberation of Europe, is in that sentence of the peasant lad. Grouchy was expected and Bliicher came up. Destiny has its turn in the road. A rustic lad is the mouthpiece, or sign-board, if you choose. "The throne of the universe was looked for and St. Helena's islet-prison loomed up !" These are a few instances in which we see the significance of little things, the insignificant, and the way they become the hinges on which the great changes in nature, individual destiny, and the world movements are made to turn. And when we think what these contingencies entail—injury of body and dis-tempers of mind, their influence on charac ter and destiny, the way they make for war and peace—weak and helpless in the face of these uncertainties, we cry in the words of Tennyson : " Are God and Nature then at strife, That Nature lends such evil dreams ? So careful of the type she seems, So careless of the single life ; " That I, considering everywhere Her secret meaning in her deeds, And finding that of fifty seeds She often brings but one to bear, " I falter where I firmly trod, And falling with my weight of cares Upon the great world's altar-stairs That slope through darkness up to God, " I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope, And gather dust and chaff, and call To what I feel is Lord of all, And faintly trustithe larger hope. " 248 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY MASTY JUDGMENTS M. R. HAMPSHER, '04. TVTEBSTER defines a judgment as an act of the mind in com- w paring ideas or examining facts to ascertain the truth. We easily perceive that there can be different methods by which the mind ascertains the truth : by a careful study of the facts, or by a superficial view of them. We also know that a hasty decision is sometimes made necessary by the attendant circumstances ; for instance, in the case of a man in imminent danger of death. But, since hasty judgments are formed on the spur of the moment and without due deliberation, they are usually inaccurate or incorrect and are productive of more harm than good. The evil^effect of hasty judgments may be considered in three aspects : social, in-tellectual and moral. It seems somewhat irrational to make the statement that hasty judgments are an evil in society. Yet they have created discord and confusion in social life. They have been the means of sep-arating good friends; for many times have persons made state-ments concerning the character of their friends which they would not have made after some reflection, and friends have often fallen into controversy over a matter which careful consideration could settle immediately. How careful, then, one should be in express-ing his judgment, in order that he may not cut asunder the bond of friendship ! Again, the hasty distribution of justice is often the cause of discord in government. A rash judgment of a law court creates confusion and establishes unlawful precedents ; and, therefore, national and international relations should be the object of care-fully weighed judgments. All treaties, agreements, etc., should be examined in every detail ; for a single mistake often plunges both nations into a dispute more bitter than before. It is very important then, to take time to consider the question under dis-cussion, before one expresses his judgment of it. The Schley Court of Inquiry furnishes us a good illustration of this statement. Review its proceedings, its investigation of de-tails, one by one, and contemplate the effect, if the inquiry had been conducted in any other way. The intellectual phase of this evil presents itself in the injury to the mind of the man who indulges in it. He becomes careless THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 249 in his habits of thinking; his reasoning power is weakened and his will is under the influence of other men. He gradually grows narrow-minded, and the amount of knowledge he receives is ma-terially lessened. His whole intellectual growth is retarded much more than if he had formed the habit of investigating things and finding their true meaning. If in no other way, however, hasty judgments are morally wrong, both towards God and man. Ever since the great teacher gave the command "Judge not, lest ye be judged," this truth has been evident. We wrong our fellowmau by misjudging the intention of his deeds. Almost all the slanders and gossip that help to injure a man's reputation arise from hasty judgments of his actions. All past history teaches us that such judgment is a moral injury to our neighbor. But we wrong our God, also, when we do not investigate his teachings, and when we pass hasty judgments on certain doctrines and beliefs. Infidelity, the greatest foe to Christianity, wins the most of its adherents through their own hasty and impulsive judgment. The evil of hasty decisions, therefore, is very great, socially, intellectually, and morally. And we should exert our utmost efforts to overcome the habit in ourselves, and to form the habit of expressing our opinion only after a long and careful judgment. HIS TWO GIRLS THE GIRI, HE WANTED. She must be fair as summer skies, With cheeks of crimson gloam, And the light that lies in her starry eyes, Outshine the twinkling- dome. Her lips like roseate bowers must coat The pearly gates of song, And the notes that float from her liquid throat, Must match an angel's tongue. Her locks like silken mist must fall Adown their Albion steep, Her dainty ears smile out through all, Like atolls of the deep. i She must be crowned with fortune's gold, Lead on the social row, Her graces must the blending hold, Of heaven's ethereal bow. I I■ I i 250 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Her heart, whene'er it leaves its cage To wing- love's fragrant air, Must find in mine its foliage, And nestling, warble there. THE GIRL HE GOT. She is deaf as Egypt's mummied kings, And blind as tawny owls, No song her dry tongue ever sings, No smiles erase her scowls. Her nose stands out, a parrot beak, Her ears they are no pair, Her toothless mouth is sadly weak, And fiery is her hair. Of gold she has no single grain, Of sense no fool's estate. No power has she o'er hearts to reign, Can neither love nor hate. You wonder how it happened thus, 111 fortune's quick decline, I'll tell you friends, the damsel was A comic valentine. —J. B. BAKER. WIT THAT WOUNDS AND WIT THAT CHEERS MAY T. GARLACH, '04. '"PRUE wit, that subtle "flavor of the mind," is just what man *■ needs to bring him out of himself, and add the zest and spice and relish to the life that is apt to be dull and prosy, if taken too seriously. It is, indeed, "the salt" that makes life palatable and keeps it from being stale, flat and unsatisfying. Wit is just the ingredient needed to give the proper seasoning of mirth, cheerfulness and lightness to a life that would otherwise be heavy and sad. But, like every other good thing, wit can be and often is, abused. It is too often used as a lash to wound and hurt and torture. Its cruel scorn and withering contempt are blighting in their effects, and its underlying impulse of hatred and malice makes it doubly disagreeable and hurtful. In this capacity wit is a dangerous weapon. Sydney Smith says: "When wit is combined with sense and information, when softened by benevolence and restrained by THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 251 principle ; when it is in the hands of a man who can use it and despise it, who can be witty and something more than witty, who loves justice, good nature, morality and religion ten thousand times more that wit—wit is then a beautiful and de-lightful part of our nature. Genuine and innocent wit like this is surely the flavor of the mind." And herein lies the secret of true wit. The keen delicate thought that is quick to detect the hidden or absurd connections between remote ideas; the wit that shows the old idea in a new and entirely different light, that creates only pleasant surprise and goodnatured laughter, is truly the wit that charms and cheers. The gentle humor, which is without hostility to anything or anybody, stimulates and amuses by its sprightly life and spicy repartee. Its brightness in making old thoughts new, its keen-ness in criticising without giving offence, its sparkle and flash in illuminating and making sunshine, all minister to man's innate love of fun and laughter and happiness. The irresistible humor that can point out the imperfections and peculiarities of men and at the same time appeal to their sense of the ludicrous, is indeed a boon to over-sensitive mankind. We have examples of this delightful wit in Shakespeare, Dickens, Irving, Lowell and Holmes. Of these each wrote in his own peculiar style, sometimes criticising with sharp sarcasm the follies and frailties of mankind; sometimes delightfully humorous, simply witty in a good-natured way. Their apt power of attributing to their fictitious characters such faults and im-perfections as the reader recognizes to be his own, and their sharp yet ludicrous criticism of these same failings, has a tendency toward good, for while men laugh and are amused, they will yet try to remedy the weaknesses thus pointed out, and which they feel to be their own. On the other hand stands the wit that wounds. Here sarcasm and ridicule hold full sway, and are adepts in the art of wound-ing, while irony stalks, sometimes unattended, sometimes hand in hand with these, its co-workers of pain. Malicious, biting sarcasm puts the knife into its victims heart and twists it, and laughs with fiendish glee. Cruel, relentless ridicule uses the lash of derision, and flays its subject in full sight of the heartless, mocking crowd. Irony, with veiled hatred, hurls its "boome-rang which goes in a different direction from that which it is I 252 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY thrown, and does not strike the one at whom it is seemingly aimed." Truly, in all the world, there are no surer implements for wounding than these three qualities of wit. There is, however, just one field in which their cruelty may serve to good purpose, and that is where they attack the pre-teutions and follies and faults of maukind in general. Here their stinging, biting humor may rouse men to a sense of their weakness, and stimulate them to better action. Considered in its best sense wit is invaluable, since it not only tends toward reforming the manners and customs of the times, and correcting the faults of mankind; but also, by its brightness, sharpness and sparkle brings man out of his prosy self and gives him room for laughter, which, although it is "considered a weakness in the composition of human nature, still it breaks the gloom that is apt to damp the spirits of man, by gleams of mirth, and therefore he should take care not to grow too old for laugh-ter." " Laugh, and the world laughs with you, Weep, and you weep alone. This sad old earth must borrow its mirth, It has trouble enough of its own. " *$&> THE MOST INTERESTING MAN THAT I HAVE KNOWN F. L., '04. '"THREE miles southeast of the town ofW , along the line of ■*■ the H. & B. railroad, a high ridge rises almost precipi-tously from the flood plain of the little Antietam. This ridge, higher than any part of the surrounding country, extends in an unbroken line for mile after mile in a southern direction. Twenty feet above the level of the stream, at the end where the ridge takes its abrupt rise, yawns a black cavern almost large enough for a man to enter without stooping. A short distance within, this passage opens into a large room twenty feet high and forty in width. This subterranean passage, like the ridge in which it lies, extends for mile after mile and has never been explored to the end. Almost directly in front of the mouth of this cave, and on a lower plane, stands (or rather stood, for lam now writing what a boy often years heard and saw) a neat cottage built of limestone. Well do I remember the ivy clinging to its walls, its neatly kept THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 2S3 little lawn with boxwood-bordered walks, and farther on the gar-den where flourished the grandma wonders of the olden time. At the rear of the house was the orchard in a beautifully level, green meadow extending back to the creek and away from the foot of the ridge to a point where a railroad bridge spans the creek. Follow this creek two hundred yards in a northeastern direc-tion, look across a narrow meadow and you see a large farm house, likewise of stone. Here for two brief years, happy, happy days all of them, they now seem, lived my younger brother and I, the privileged sons of an industrious farmer. Those days, with their marvelous experiences, their soul thrills, I shall never for-get. We were at an age when our young souls were just open-ing to nature's wonders, when stories of adventure had a won-drous charm, when from the few books we had read life was ap-pearing superbly grand and beautiful, when imaginations were most active, and when in the overpowering feeling of some moments we tried to blend into one comprehensive whole all we knew of the past, the marvelous wonders of the present, and the vaguely comprehended aspirations for the future, and in such times how the soul did pant and leap and swell till we were more than earth or sky or sea. We had read Scottish Chiefs, Pilgrim's Progress, Robinson Crusoe, and a Child's History of the United States, full of Indian stories. The sorrows, the struggles, the sufferings, the triumphs of the chief characters of these books were made our own, and any strange phase of nature would present one or another to us. How unbearable was the steady, persistent croak, croak of the frogs down by the big spring pool on an April evening, or the chirp, chirp of those nameless crea-tures in the thicket beyond ! Why was it that those sounds so rasped on my soul and filled me with such shuddering ? One summer evening our mother strolled with us along the bank of that ever murmuring Antietam. I dipped my bare feet in the water, a little duck swam by alone, and all at once I was afraid and urged an immediate return across the meadow to the house. What was it that made me afraid, and why do I remember that? And I remember how the moonlight used to come down on the fog along the creek between our house and the high ridge oppo-site. What that put into my soul I cannot describe nor will I ever forget. And so the nights were strange, weird, mysterious,something 1 254 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY of another world. But the days how different, how rich, how full! That shallow stream was our Mississippi, that bit of thicket the endless forest, the timid rabbit, the fleet deer. With bows and arrows of our own handicraft we hunted him, or climbed the hills and stormed the fortresses of Scotland. Following down that bit of forest we met with all the adventures of Crusoe on his island, or skirmished with Indians hidden behind trees and stumps. Our wanderings in this direction brought us to the rail-road, and beyond we saw the stone cottage. But little we knew of it yet. In May, 1889, came the memorable Johnstown flood. Our little stream was swollen beyond its banks, and all night long it surged, and groaned, and roared down by the bridge. When the waters subsided, it was found that the bridge had been weakened and a new one was ordered built in itsstead. The workmen came, and many an afternoon we watched them digging out for the foundation, and swinging the ponderous stones in place. But more than this we saw. Below the bridge, the flood had cut away the left bank of the stream, and the water had overflowed the orchard meadow, carrying away the top soil and leaving the surface covered with sandstones. Here we saw an old man at work day after day, carrying the stones from his meadow and with them building a high new bank for the creek. We gradually made his acquaintance, and, children-like, gave proof of our de-sire to be friends by helping him in his work. The physical appearance of the man had caught our eyes at the very first. Still tall and broad-shouldered, though now some-what stooped, he gave evidence of having been a powerful man in his day. He was quite active for his age, being then as he told us in his ninety-first year. He had personal recollections of three wars, being a boy in 1812, and having served as a private in the Mexican war and as a corporal in the Civil war. This was enough to make him a hero in our sight. So we visited him from day to day. He took us with him to the cottage sometimes, and we learned that its only other inmate was a spinster daughter, who seemed nearly as old as himself. Sometimes we sat with him in the shade, back of the house by the little spring, whose waters we drank from a cocoanut shell. At such times what conversations we had ! For us he was an oracle. What questions we asked him about his life and experi- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 255 ences, about this spring, that stream, that hill, about the Indians who once drank where we did then, about the thousand other things which the imaginations of boys of that age will suggest! He answered us with all patience. In fact he seemed to enjoy our prattle. For us life lay beyond with all its sunshine and promise. It was an ideal world and we longed for a fuller knowl-edge of it. For him life was a thing of the past. He had with-drawn from the interests and conflicts of the world. So neither he nor we were in the great whirl of life, and though we were at its opposite barriers, still we felt that we stood on common ground. He certainly felt this, or why would he have chatted with us so long and so pleasantly ? The memories of his own life were streaming down to him across the years, some sad, some happy, and so he strove to have us know what was good and noble and brave in life. In our simple way, he made us feel the great basal principles of manliness. The man, the time, the circumstances were so blended that those lessons can never pass from my memory. Once or twice we climbed the hill together to the great dark cave. On a smooth stone at its entrance were cut the names with dates of its earliest visitors. One I remember was 1775. That carried us back to the Revolution when, as we thought, all men were good and brave. The Indian legends counected with the cave had come down through the earliest settlers in that com-munity to our old friend as a boy, and now he related them to us. How we wondered at their strangeness ! How our hearts leaped as he told of the brave deeds of war performed there by the forest children. How we listened with bated breath as he told us how the pale faces had been tortured in this place. But he did not frighten us. He tempered the stories to our years, and made us rejoice in the better times in which we lived. Still, I remember, how we stood one quiet afternoon in October at the mouth of that cave. We looked down at the trees scattered along the stream and in the bit of woods yonder. The sun, just one hour high, was touching their drapery into gold, and flashing from the rip-ples in the creek. Then all my soul welled up in me. Life was offering such grand possibilities, and I was longing for the time to take advantage of its opportunities. And turning to the old man, whose face was turned pensively toward the sinking sun, I felt that somehow he was causing these impulses in me. 256 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY One evening in November we went with our father to spend an hour with this friend by his fireside. It was one of those stormy, blustering days heralding the advent of winter, and this evening a wood fire blazed on the hearth as the custom was in that house. He and father talked on various subjects for a time. The fire gradually died down, suffusing a soft mild light through the room. His interest began to flag in matters of neighborhood concern, his face took on a more sweetly pensive expression, and he looked at brother and me sitting at his feet in a manner that was all tenderness. Then he told us of other happenings spent around that hearth in the long ago, and, for the first time, of the two little boys long since lost, whose places we seemed to be filling that night, and of the mother whose headstone we hadseen in the burying ground on the next farm. Finally he ceased, the fire burned lower still, but no one dared speak, for we felt that the place was sacred with the presence of the long-departed. At length we rose to go, and "goodnight" was said in a reverent hush. As we crossed the meadow path, what thoughts came into my mind ! How strange life seemed ! What is death ? Why do some live so long, and others die so early ? These are scattered reminiscences of a man intensely interest-ing to me then, and one whom I shall never forget. What makes him so interesting and so long remembered ? I cannottell unless it be because he came into my life at such an impressionable time, bringing the very things which keen perceptions and an active imagination were ready to lay hold of. \ DVICE is a good thing, but it will always be something of a **■ nuisance until the givers of it accept responsibility for the bad as readily as they take credit for the good. —Saturday Evening Post. Christian faith is a grand cathedral, with divinely pictured windows. Standing without you see no glory, nor can possibly imagine any; standing within, every ray of light reveals a harmony of unspeakable splendors. —Ha-wthorne, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the PosioJJlce at Gettysburg as second-class matter Voi,. X GETTYSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY, 1902 No. 8 E. C. RUBY, '02, Editor-in- Chief R. ST. CUAIR POFFENBARGER,' 02, Business Manager J. F. NEWMAN, '02, Exchange Editor Advisory Board TROF. J. A. HIMES, A. M., LIT. D. PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M. D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD, D. D. Assistant Business Manager CURTIS E. COOK, '03 Assistant Editors Miss ANNIE M. SWARTZ, '02 A. B. RICHARD, '02 Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price. One Dollar a year in advance; single copies Fifteen Cents. Notice to discontinue sending- the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors, and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Business Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EDITORIALS "VVTITH this issue of the Mercury we complete its tenth volume " and shift the duties and responsibilities belonging to the publishing and editing of the same upon the shoulders of our successors. We would bespeak for them a successful year. The journal is in excellent condition financially, and, as far as we were able, we tried to maintain its literary position. There is plenty of room for improvement and no doubt we shall see some of this improvement before another year shall have passed by. Among the first of these improvements which we are sure the editorial staff will heartily favor ought to be a greater liberality on the part of the student body in furnishing material for the journal. This step could not help but encourage the staff iu making other improvements. That this suggestion may not be in vain is the wish of the retiring staff. "Heaven helps those who help themselves," is an old proverb, truer than most proverbs are. No race, no nation, no tribe has ever been civilized by the mere outside application of ■ I■ ■ Im 258 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY the forms of civilized life. No amount of philanthropy has done more than make a miserable loafer of the American Indian, who seems less capable than most other races of taking into his soul the minor virtues of Christian culture. And so no man has ever risen to eminence except by his own efforts, while too many have fallen short of greatness, or of what is better, usefulness, merely by the superabundance of means at their command. " The right man in the right place" is not such an accident as most good-natured people suppose, but the legitimate result of perseverance, energy of purpose, patience, courage, and self-control, applied in the proper direction, or, indeed, in any direction, one might say; for the man who has these qualities is pretty sure to work himself out of the woods somewhere. It is not the man who cries lustily to Hercules that gets out of the mire, but he who puts his shoulder to the wheel and does not fear to soil his Sunday clothes—in fact, perhaps, has no Sunday clothes. RESOLUTIONS BY PHILO SOCIETY. "Death touched him and he slept." The merciful angel of death has taken from Philo society a much esteemed member, Paul Cover ; therefore be it Resolved, That, as in him we have lost a most faithful member, our devotion to the society may be strengthened by his example. That we emulate his modest disposition and gentlemanly character. That we as a society express our appreciation of his life and services by extending to the bereaved family our sincere sym-pathy. That a copy of these resolutions be recorded on the minutes of the society and published in the college and town papers. HAROLD S. L,EWARS, FRANK LAYMAN, WILBUR H. FLECK, Committee. RESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT BY THE CLASS. WHEREAS, It has pleased Almighty God in his infinite wis-dom to call from our midst to his home on high, Paul Homer THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 259 Cover, whom we have always regarded with the utmost esteem as a classmate and student. Therefore, at a meeting of the class of '05, Pennsylvania Col-lege, January 7, 1902, be it unanimously Resolved, That by the will of God one of the most worthy members of our class has been removed, whom we always knew as being upright and noble in character, faithful in his studies and Christian duties, whose pleasant disposition gained for him many friends during his short career at college ; and also Resolved, Although our class has been saddened by the un-timely death of a fellow-student at the beginning of our college course, we humbly submit to the will of God, believing that he in his mysterious ways doth all things well ; be it further Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the af-flicted family, and that we implore God's blessing upon them in their dark hour of trouble, and also Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the sor-rowing family, and to the college journals and town papers. CHARLES W. HEATHCOTE, HARRY R. RICE, BENDER Z. CASHMAN, Committee. THE RECORD OF A NOTABLE YEAR TNTJRING the year just closed the two greatest nations of the *~* world changed rulers. Queen Victoria died at 6:30 P. M., January 22, and the Prince of Wales became king, with the title of Edward VII. On the sixth of September Leon Czolgosz twice shot President William McKinley, and the victim lingered until 2:15 o'clock, Saturday morning, September 14. The afternoon of the same day Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office. The Ameer of Afghanistan died on October 3, and five other deaths notable in the politics of the world were those of Ex- President Benjamin Harrison on March 13 ; Hoshi Toru, Japa-nese statesman, assassinated June 21 ; Prince von Hohenlohe, who died on July 6 ; Signor Crispi on August 11, and L,i Hung Chang on November 6. The war in South Africa dragged along at an expense to the British of millions a week. So far the cost is about a billion dol- I I 260 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY lars, and the English losses in men have been about 20,000. In the Philippines Aguinaldo was captured by the brilliant Funston, and the effort was made to inaugurate civil government in the islands, but the pacification is by no means complete, and the year ended with fears of a general uprising, and with a message from General Chaffee that he would need all his 60,000 soldiers for twelve months or more to come. Matters improved in Cuba, and a President will be elected on the twenty-fourth of February next. The Powers withdrew from China and the Court began its return to Peking. In our national affairs important progress was made. The re-apportionment based on the census of 1900 increased the mem-bership of the House of Representatives to 386. The army can-teen was abolished. The centennial anniversary of the elevation of John Marshall to the head of the Supreme Court was celebrated. The count of the electoral votes gave McKinley and Roosevelt 292 each, Bryan and Stevenson 155 each. The most important de-cision of the Supreme Court concerned our relations with our new possessions. By narrow majorities it was held that the Constitu-tion follows the flag, subject to the action and regulation of Con-gress. This led to special legislation for Porto Rico and for the Philippines. President Roosevelt urged reciprocity with Cuba. The various reciprocity treaties which have been hanging fire for more than a year are still unacted upon. The Pan-American Congress in the City of Mexico was a social success and a politi-cal failure. The great international fact of the year was the Hay- Pauucefote treaty, by which Great Britain allowed to this country the right to go ahead and build the Isthmian canal. The treaty was ratified by an overwhelming vote. —Saturday Eve?ii?ig Post. CAUSES OF THE DECLINE OF POETRY JOHN A. MAUGHT, '04. TN the treatment of this subject it may be well first to state what •*■ I believe poetry to be, and especially poetry such as this subject requires. True poetry is the concrete and artistic ex-pression of the human mind in emotional and rhythmeticai language. If all verse, which bases its right to be called poetry merely upon its rhythm and rhyme, should be adjudged as such, my THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 261 conviction that poetry is upon the decline could not exist, since, at the present time there is nolack of attempts at poetizing, which accomplish only what is least essential in poetry, namely rhyme. Poetry as it shall be considered here is that lofty and sublime language which carries with it universal truth and convictions. The cause for the decline of poetry may be classified under four heads, ist. The present manner of living. 2nd. The absence of an inspiring cause. 3rd. The literature of a nation is first made manifest in poetry and for that reason less attention is given to poetry after prose is introduced. 4th. The present preference of brevity and clearness to beauty and style. First, I shall try to show what is meant by the present manner of living. The growing inclination to mass in cities and towns is disadvantageous to poetic thought and passion, for what pro-duction of any consequence, either of poetry or of prose, was ever composed amid the unceasing noise and bustle of a city ? Poetic passion to materialize most needs quiet and repose. Again, men are engaged in too persistent a chase after wealth to allow themselves to be inspired either by the beauties of nature or by the embellishments of daily life. In time past, dating from the founding of Rome to the dis-covery of America, men were content with sufficient wealth to comfortably maintain life, whereas to-day opulence is apparently the highest ambition. Has a true poet ever lived who was avaricious? The absence of an inspiring cause shall next be considered. In order to produce poetry the soul must for the time being have reached that state of exultation, that state of freedom from self-consciousness, which is most beautifully por-trayed in the following quotation from Tennyson : "I started once, or seemed to start, in pain, Resolved on noble things, and strove to speak As when a great thought strikes along the brain And flushes all the cheek. " Into this mood the poet must always pass before he can write a truly poetic line. But in order that this mood may exist must there not be first a cause ? Paradise Lost, that famous epic of Milton, would never have been written had it not been for the English Revolution. If Dante had not been banished from Florence by the relentless Charles of Valois his memory would never have been perpetuated by the Inferno. We now come to I wMiiMiwiiMfflinn 262 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY the third head. Since the literature of a nation is first manifested through poetry, as the language grows older its style changes from that of a purely poetic strain to a more matter-of-fact way of expression. The literature of France was first introduced by the Trouleadours and Trouviurs, the poets of Southern and Northern France. But after fifty years prose began to share the literature with poetry and from that period dates the preference for prose in France. And so it has been in the case of the literature of ancient Greece and Rome, Arabia, China, Germany, and of other nations needless to mention. The fourth and last reason now confronts us—the now prevalent preference of brevity and clearness to beauty and style. In this the 20th century a composition accurate in detail and replete with poetic sentiment is not desired nor is it greatly appreciated. This lack of preference for lofty composition may be attributed to two causes. 1st. The great popularity of the newspaper. 2nd. In this age of activity men have not time to read a detailed and difficultly comprehended article when a clearer and more concise style may be had. And in conclusion, I may say that as the world advances in years, poetry, like a time-worn structure, shall eventually pass into oblivion. THE CROWNING EVENT CHARLES W. HEATHCOTE, 'OS. 'THE crowning event or turning point comes earlier or later in *■ every man's life. Will he be ready to meet it as did Christ? Or will he succumb to his baser passions as did Mohammed ? A man's morals is one of the essential things which lead up to the crowning event. There have been very many men who have gained power in various countries ; but their morals have been very base. Too often the morals are overlooked. It is a shame that such a man who has gained power is considered to be smart, the people therefore overlook his morals. He must have the stamp of honesty and purity in his face. Benedict Arnold, the traitor, had no stamp of honesty about him. Suppose Arnold had been allowed to go on with his schemings, he would have succeeded. Then the weak minded would have apologized for him and said, "Oh, suppose he was dishonest and tricky, he suc-ceeded." Strong will power and moral courage is needed not to 1 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 263 succumb to the weaker passions. The theorists tell us that Christianity is good to keep up the nation in morals. The people themselves are required to do this by having strong will power and not yielding to dishonest passions. For a man to succeed in life it is essential that he should have a stable character. Character is not formed in a day. It is formed day by day as we grow. The crown of life is character. Charac-ter is nature in the highest form. There is no use to ape it. True, a young man in forming his character does meet with obstacles, temptations and discouragements ; but with a strong will power he can overcome them- Each battle will make him stronger. He will be able to develop a character without suspicion or reproach. A character that will be an example for others. When the turn-ing point does come he will be ready to meet the storm calmly. Energy is the secret of success. Energy exerted in the proper sphere becomes a second nature or habit. Mr. James, in his Psychology, says, "Let no youth have any anxiety about the up-shot of his education, whatever the line of it may be. If he keep faithfully busy each hour of the day, he may safely leave the final result to itself." Be full of enthusiasm and ardour in whatever you may under-take to do. 'Are you in earnest ? Seize this very minute ; What you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, power, magic, in it ! Only engage and the mind grows heated ; Begin it, and the work will be completed.' The one thing mankind mostly desires is action of some kind, something which has life in it; and the more mankind receives, the more their pleasure and satisfaction. For a number of men are dull and weary. Think out some rich thought and commu-nicate it to mankind. We are born to communicate ourselves to our fellow mortals. Above all let there be no delay in beginning, no more dreaming. The value ofself confidence is also necessary in going on toward the crowning event. Many a young student has failed because he lacked tenacity and persistency. They decide that luck or fate is against them, and that it is of no use to try further. Outside of character itself, there is no loss so great as that of self-confi-dence ; for when this is gone, there is nothing to build upon. It 264 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY is impossible for a man to stand erect without a backbone, es-pecially when he has much weight to carry. Nothing can keep a man down when he has grit and determination. Self confidence makes men gods, whose wills must be obeyed. The victor who wins life's battles wears the air of a conqueror. His manner, gait, and voice show that he is a conqueror. It is vivifying. It makes the weaker assume a stronger role of self-confidence. The crowning event came to Christ's life when he was tempted by Satan. As a man he met the temptations. His morals, pure-ness of life, character, determination and self-confidence had so implanted themselves in his life, that he was able to meet the storm calmly. At that moment he flung the power of the world from him. Mohammed on the other hand after the "Heigira" found that he had the balance of power in his hand. This was the turning point of his life. Previous to the "Heigira" he was content to preach his religion peaceably ; now he determined to spread it with fire and sword. Mohammed was willing to suc-cumb to his baser passions, to satisfy his own selfish desires at the cost of Arabia. Christ did not forget his mission on earth. Therefore the pureness of his life shines out. The crowning event generally comes to a college man after he has graduated from college. Then is when he must make his de-cision. How quickly an undecided, vascillating man communi-cates his uncertainty and vascillation to those about him. Every-one who comes in contact with him, unless he is well poised, catches the disease ; it is as contagious as small-pox. Everything about him drags, the whole atmosphere is loaded with indecision. A young man as he starts out on life's journey should always keep his ideal in sight. He starts out fresh from college, his mind charged with fine ideals and expectations. He is not out long before his lofty sentiments give way to the pursuit of wealth or position. If one will only read, for a few moments each day, one of the great masterpieces of literature, he will be able to keep his ideal before him. The more Christ is patterned as an ideal the more that ideal will be able to be realized. To live an ideal life is to associate with pure and noble souls. The potent personality of our divine Master draws us to follow him as an ideal. Christ believed in an ideal life and strove to in-culcate that ideal in man. A man's ideal is his guiding star. All those who struggle are able to reach their ideal. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 265 As to failure the less we think of it, the better. In thinking of failure, men lose the power of action. They will not work with the same view. Whatever they do, the shadow of failure shrouds them. Their ardour is gone. True our work does often seem to fail; and the world cries out, "He is defeated ; he saved others, himself he cannot save." These were the same words the crowds hurled at Christ when he was crucified. But Jesus, who lost himself in his work, knew that he had not failed. "I have finished the work.': "Consummatum est," he cried. It was the cry of triumph. In the end when we lay down the work assigned us we also can say as did the Christ. MONEY ROBERT W. LENKER, '03. TWJONEY is the most important factor of the world's activity. ■*■*■*• It is the boy's essential to procure his spinning top or sail-ing kite. It is the power that connects Continents with Suez Canals, and spans oceans with cables, tunnels mountains, and sends through their bowels speeding trains of human freight. It has annihilated space and brought Nations together in speaking distance. It has wrested from nature the wings of lightning. It has conjured into wedlock Niagara's waters and electric fire. Money is the food that sustains the world's commerce, whether the purchase of the feathers in a lady's hat or a line of railroads or ocean steamers, the one gives satisfaction to pride, the other to the millionaire's greed. Both are led by the same impulse which phrenologists call the organ of acquisitiveness, and which we possess respectively in a higher or lower degree. Cultivated by benevolent motives, it sends messengers on wings of healing and charity, perverted, it goads the criminal to murder, and a Judas Iscariot to betray his Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Money is the synonym for the possession of the good things of the world, for it will procure them. Persons may preach of the discipline and advantage of poverty, but, practically, men will not listen to the arguments against the pursuit of silver or gold, when they are out at the elbows, and their children are crying for raiment and food. Lord Bacon says "Believe not them that seem to despise riches, for they despise them who despair of 266 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY them." Who has ever seen a scowl upon the minister's face on a Sunday morning when he found a twenty dollar gold piece in the contribution box ? Who has ever known any one to do violence the universal craving for the good things of the earth, and refuse an unexpected windfall by the death of a rich old uncle or aunt ? Men will make any sacrifice for money. For it they will delve in the deep and dangerous mines of the earth, work at un-healthful labor, making matches or powder. The galleons of Spain ploughed the stormy ocean in search of gold. Not so much the love and teaching of the cross led Cortez to murder the rulers of the Montezumas, and Pizarro the Incas of Peru ,as the lust for gold. A problematical silver or gold mine, of supposed fab-ulous wealth and magnificetit distance, has many a time been the key which unlocked the hoarded savings to sink them in the stocks of the bogus mines. Likely there is danger in loving money too much. The love of money has seared or hardened the soul of the rich man, it has caused the giddy wife to leave her husband, it has filled the land with thousands of rum-holes, which fill our poorhouses and jails with paupers and criminals, and burden us with taxes. But the love of money is not the root of all evils. There are many other evils that do not radiate from a silver or golden stump or tree. The use of money and the possession of riches may in themselves be all right, while their abuse may be all wrong. Solomon, Abraham and Job did not lose their favor in the sight of the Lord on account of their riches, but on the contrary, they were ap-proved of. No one seeks poverty from choice, as the dangers of poverty are manifold greater than the dangers of riches. When one lacks the luxuries, yes, the necessaries of life, and is exposed to want, sickness, and disease, discouragement and despondency, he is in no condition to exercise the highest function of mind and soul. It is true that the ennobling virtues are sometimes practiced in spite of poverty, but not because of it. Job was an exception, but his faithful wife could not bear the pressure of affliction and wanted her husband to curse the Lord. The girl that makes shirts for six cents apiece and lives in a garret, and the boy without work, money or home, are driven to temptations of which the rich know nothing. The philosophy which teaches a contempt for money is not very deep. We THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 267 should all seek to lay up something for old age, and keep us from want in sickness and out of the poorhouse. It is true that the Saviour taught his followers not to be over anxious about to-morrow, but like many of his sayings, this teaching was prompted by local influences and surroundings. This was the case in the genial clime of Jordan, where the earth brought forth food spontaneously and required little effort from man. The want of money is the stimulant to our work and the appetizer to the business nerve. It is that which gives stimulus to ingenuity, invention, intellect and ambition. It is this want of money and the constant struggle for it that keeps society and the world in equilibrium. L,et each one have a few dollars more than he is sure he needs for a life time, and anarchy would follow. His effort of mind and brain would be spasmodic. The very labor a man has to put forth to obtain money brings out his self denial, economy, energy, tact, it is his education. It will bring out his practical qualities as well as his mental and moral qualities. A writer has said "The soul is trained by the ledger as much as by calculus and gets exercise in the account of sales as in the account of the stars." The provident man must of necessity be a thoughttul man; living as he does not for the present but for the future. Knowledge is power, but it is not all power. Money is power. It brings comfort, it brings influence, sometimes unworthy influence. Shakespeare says "The learned pate ducks at the golden fool." With many the intellectual pigmy becomes a giant of influence. In our country the only title seems to be based upon greenbacks, and the young dude who is still struggling with his embryo side whiskers beneath his ears and a few millions to his name, is con-sidered the catch of the season, while some of our millionaires' daughters sell themselves to the scrofulous owners of foreign titles. The love of money and the abuse of wealth have their evils, but the present age is blest witii great opportunities and enjoy-ments. Science has done much for the luxuries and comforts of the working class and those of moderate circumstances. Money is the magicians' wand which places at their disposal the means of cultivation and refinement. It means gas, electric light, and cheap travel. It means warm, well ventilated, 1 ■I I 268 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY \ commodious houses, filled with pictures, aud music, and books. It helps to make the home the earthly heaven of the family. Money sends our ships to bring to the washer woman's table the teas of China, and the fruits of southern climes. From sunny Italy it brings the costly fibre from the silk worm's looms to clothe our factory girls in silken garments. It gives us choice seats in the cars and lecture rooms. It comforts us in sickness and necessary idleness. The want of it produces cheerless and comfortless homes, haggard and pinched features, distressed looks and pale cheeks such as may be seen any day in our great cities. What causes this difference in worldly condition ? On the one hand men are endowed by nature with the instinct of making money and how to save it. Their dollars come regularly and multiply rapidly, by shrewd bargains, and judicious invest-ments. They would be untrue to their gift of nature if they did not accumulate money, for the talent and inclination to make money, is as strongly worked and uncontrollable in them as the power and desire of Beethoven and Mozart to produce the beautiful symphonies, and that which led Phidias and Michael Angelo to bring forth their immortal statues of marble and of gold. The mission of each is pointed out by the faculties which the Creator has given him. Hugh Miller, though a poor boy, while playing truant in the caves on the coast of Scotland, received his inspiration from the surrounding rocks, and revealed their history in his grand works. So our Peabodys, Pordees and Girards followed only the promptings and guidings of their nature; and to do violence to them by turning away, would be wrong. Their accumulations have left rich blessings in hospitals, colleges, and railways to make thousands happy. It does not necessarily follow that a millionaire should dwarf his spiritual nature and turn his brain into a ledger and his heart into a millstone; if he does he perverts his gifts. The owner of capital often reaps the least reward of it and it often gives as much power or pleasure. He can occupy only one house at a time, each member of his family but one seat in cars, or theatre, or church. He can eat, drink and wear only a man's portion of the good things of the world. To be healthy he must eat like a poor man. If he eats more than a man's portion, he will have a perverted aud dis-tended stomach, conjested liver, and sleepless nights. Stephen IHE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 269 Girard wrote to a friend "As to myself I like to live like a galley slave, constantly occupied, and often passing the nights without sleeping. I am wrapped up in a labyrinth of affairs and worn out with cares. The love of labor is my highest motive. I work during the day so that I can sleep soundly at night." No one should worship the golden calf or mortgage his soul to mammon. The love of gold has starved every other affection. Let us then get the true estimate of money. Let us neither love it nor despise it. We should earn a little more than we spend. We should avoid debt. The class that toil the hardest spend most recklessly the money they earn. The man that spends twenty cents a day for beer and tobacco spends that, which with its compound interest, in fifty years would amount to twenty thousand dollars. Some say that is a long time ; but many men live to be seventy-five, and they can begin to save long before they are twenty-five. It is not so much what one earns as what he saves that brings comfort. Every man should acquire the habit of saving. We may practice economy without being miserly; God himself does not waste. Every atom that He created still exists. He does not destroy, but only changes. Herculaneum and Pompeii were not destroyed ; they were only buried. Ice melts into water, water is made into steam, and one has as much matter as the other. "Go and gather the frag-ments" said the divine teacher, after the feast on loaves and fishes. The autumn leaves have fallen for centuries to enrich the soil. The bodies of the dead fatten the wheat fields of Gettysburg and Antietam. Nature knows no waste, she saves every action. Let us do likewise. We have no right to enjoy that for which we do not pay. Many a youth blows away his brain and prospective manhood in cigarette smoke, while he rides an unpaid or installment bicycle—better walk. To drink unpaid beer or champagne is the act of a cheat. To sing loud hymns, and repeat loud prayers from an unpaid pew, is the act of a hypocrite. Let us resolve to be in no man's debt, to earn all we can and spend it in the way it was intended by the one who put coal into our mountains, diamonds into our rivers, and gold into our rocks. ■ I I 270 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE GAINS AND LOSSES FROM A TERRITORIAL DIVISION OF LABOR rx IVISION of labor as applied to tbe individuals in a communi- *-* ty is a principle which greatly increases the productive capa-bility of that community, ist. By shortening the term of ap-prenticeship. 2nd. By developing dexterity on the part of the laborer. 3rd. By obviating the loss of time and the distraction of thought which would be involved in passing from place to place and exchanging tools. 4th. By facilitating invention and leading to the discovery of improved processes and new material. 5th. By giving employment to women and children and partially disabled men. 6th. By placing the most efficient men in such an order where they can labor to the best advantage. These gains, however, are not secured without any losses. There is a degradation of the laborer, who, by the repetition of one single movement, which is as simplified as possible, is reduced to play a purely mechanical part. Indeed, as soon as the work has been so simplified as to become mechanical, it will not be long before the workman is replaced by a machine. There is also an extreme dependence of the workman who is incapable of doing anything except the fixed and special operation to which he has become accustomed. In an organized society where division of labor is firmly established, man becomes so dependent upon his fellows that if he is separated from them, it is almost impossible for him to live. But serious as these losses may seem theoretically, they are practically of little consequence when compared with the great gains in production in the community where the principle of division of labor is fully carried out. Since this principle is so advantageous to the productive capability of a single community, many are disposed to think that by analogy the same principle will apply equally as well to communities and nations, or in other words, that territorial division of labor would be just as advantageous in the same proportion. This idea can be accepted or rejected only by comparing its gains with its losses when thus extended. So then let us consider what the gains and losses to the economic world would be by extending the principle to communities and nations. When the principle of division of labor is extended to different communities in the same nation it must assume a some- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 271 what different form. We can no longer speak of divisions in one industry into individual laborers, but of division into industries, and of these as occupying their places so as to bring about the most efficient and economical productiveness. This form of division in a single nation certainly has some advantages which must not be overlooked. There are very few nations which do not have within their boundaries sections which are peculiarly adapted to certain industries. It may be that the mineral resources are in one section, the best physical conditions necessary for agriculture in another, the greatest economical advantages for manufacturing in another, and thus these in-dustries can be carried on in their respective sections with far greater gains in the productiveness of the nation than if they were all equally distributed throughout each community. The people in each section as a group will become more and more efficient in their work and thus increase the produce and in all probability lower the price of that product There are also gains arising from the production of the various commodities on a larger scale where the entire group of laborers can be em-ployed in those places of greatest advantage. Thus we see that the gains from a division of labor among communities are some-what similar to those obtained from a division in a single industry. Now let us see whether the losses under this extension of the principle are in the same proportion. It would hardly be fair to speak of groups of individuals as becoming degraded because they are engaged in the same industry all their lifetime, nor as being in danger of displacement by machinery, for it would mean the degradation or displacement of the industry itself. But when we come to the question of dependence upon others we find that there would be a very serious loss, if the principle were strictly enforced. Those who engage in one industry exclusively become dependent upon all the other industries in at least two ways, ist. For the sale of their own product in excess of their own consumption. 2nd. For the purchase of the commodities produced by the other industries. For the bringing about of these transactions to the greatest advantage there must be a market as close as possible. The nearer this market the greater the economy. This fact has caused the various industries to group themselves together as closely as possible. Hence we find nearly all the industries sometimes confined within a very 272 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY small circle. Of course, this loss from inconvenience to market is gradually becoming less on account of the increasing facilities for transportation and the national security in the freedom of exchange carried on between different sections of the same nation. Another loss might arise from the fact that many small sections would remain undeveloped because the industry could not be profitably carried on there and those people who have preferences in employment would crowd certain localities and exhaust them in a shorter time and thereby endanger the existence of that particular industry. Take for instance coal mining. If the smaller and less profitable mines were allowed to remain un-worked until the larger ones were exhausted it is hardly likely that the same industry would be continued. In such a case how would it effect those who are dependent upon this industry ? In the case of some of the other industries the dependents may also be seriously affected by local calamities. Thus we see that the proportion between the gains and losses is changing as the principle of division of labor is extended to communities. In-deed, the gains and losses under this extension of the principle are approaching each other very closely. It now remains to be seen whether they continue to approach or begin to diverge when the same principle is extended beyond the limits of a nation. That there would not be some gains in a further extension of the principle of division of labor so as to include nations no one attempts to prove. For if we consider the fact that there is a great difference between the efficiency in workmanship in different kinds of work among the different nations we must admit that there would be a gain in the production of wealth if labor were so divided as to place these different nations in their proper workshops. Then again, there are some nations which have better physical conditions for production of a certain kind. In fact nearly all the gains which are secured in the consecutive division of labor in a single industry or the contemporaneous division in a nation can be attributed to a national division. But since the division is not as complete in the last instance the sum of the gains will not be in the same proportion. These gains would all depend upon a strict adherence to theoretical rather than actual conditions. If the natural agents and physical conditions were all so distributed upon the earth as to have definite boundary lines coincident with the national boundary THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 273 lines the proportion existing between the gains and losses in a single industry would still be slightly different from that under these conditions, because of the necessary separation from all marketSj This fact is serious enough under the existing circum-stances. As it is many misunderstandings arise between the manufacturer and the consumer so that the production of wealth is often retarded because of a failure to supply the demand at the proper time. If the consumers of the world would be dependent upon one nation for some particular commodity it would mean a very expensive commodity to those nations farther away, and besides, that nation may be engaged in the production of commodities which are of a relatively greater value and necessity. Thus even under a freedom of trade in exchange the great difference in the kinds of products would cause nations to discriminate in their exchange and so bring the nation which might be engaged in the production of luxuries to ruin. The prices of some commodities would be higher because of the necessity of transporting the raw material from a country where it can be produced best to the country where it can be best turned into manufactured goods. Would it not also destroy the com-petition between nations, a factor in the production of wealth which holds a very important relation ? Without the action of competition the productive capabilities of the nation will not reach its highest degree. This would result in very great loss when the spirit of indifference would exist in all the industries. Continuing the figure of the two lines approaching each other, I would express my conclusions by saying that these lines keep on approaching each other as the principle of the division of labor is extended until they intersect at a very short distance beyond the boundary line of a nation and after the intersection we find that the gains and losses have entirely exchanged places. EXCHANGES TN reply to a query in a recent edition of the Georgetown College *■ Journal, we wish to state that after duly examining the records we find that Messrs. Pope, Dryden and Byron have not matricu-lated at this institution ; neither could we discover that any of our students have ever made a reputation by asking impertinent questions. r:^mmmmmimmmmi 274 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY The Amulet, of West Chester Normal School, is a welcome addition to our exchange list. The Lesbian Herald continues to hold its position among the best magazines which visits our table. We are highly pleased with the Christmas number of the Kee MarJournal. It will always find a welcome place on our desk. J* It is unfortunate when a young man or a young woman has ambitions far beyond his or her powers of achievements. It is a fortunate day in our lives when we can recognize our limitations and we are doubly fortunate if we are able to abide cheerfully by the consequences of this discovery. There is sometimes some-thing fine and heroic in the giving up of one's high aspirations because it has been made clear that they are beyond one's power of achievement. Ambition without ability and intelligence, with-out force of character, has been the ruin of young men who had not the good sense, nor yet the good grace, to recognize their limitations and abide by them. —The Midland. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A LETTER FROM MY SWEETHEART 30METIMES I get the blues, and in life all interest lose, And all the world seems somehow going wrong ; But the postman comes around, and my heart gives one great bound When he says "Will, here's a—" something just in season. Oh, there's nothing like a letter from my sweetheart. How I wish that I might get one every day ; For there's nothing sweeter, better, than just to get a letter From my sweetheart far away. And now I sing some song, or whistle all day long, How swiftly now the moments slip away ; Now my heart again is light, and everything's as bright, I've a letter from my sweetheart, that's the reason, Oh, there's nothing like a letter from your sweetheart, Don't you wish that you might get one every day ; For there's nothing sweeter, better, than just to get a letter From your sweetheart far away. —St. yohtt's Collegian. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 275 "A college contest in oratory is open to the diffident that he may learn of his own ability. It is open to the bashful that he may stand before men and exhibit his nerve. It is a benefit to the egotist if defeat draws him to the plane of his fellow students and teaches him that ordinary ability is common to man. It is a benefit to all participants when defeat is a stimulus to greater effort, and victory is followed by a modest conception of one's own ability." —Central Collegian. We acknowledge the receipt of the following :—Nassau Lit, University of Virginia Magazine, Dickinson Literary Monthly, Bucknell Mirror, Washington-Jeffersonion, Haverfordian, Susqne-hanna, Phoenix, Buff and Blue, College Student, Ursinus College Bulletin, Touchstone, Juniata Echo, Philomathean, Monthly, Mountaineer, et all. BOOK REVIEWS "The Art of Teaching." By E. E. White. American Book Co., New York. 'T'HE; author of this work is an acknowledged master of both *• the sciences and art of teaching. In this work he gives a clear and helpful discussion of the fundamental principles and practical methods which pertain to teaching as an art. He care-fully marks out the true value and limitations of all special methods in order to guard teachers against the common error of accepting them as general methods. This book will doubtless meet with a hearty reception among all active and progressive teachers. "Tales." By Edgar Allen Poe. The Century Co., New York. TN this attractive volume we have a collection of Poe's best ■*■ prose. In reading these tales, one is especially struck both with their ingenious plot and with their felicitous and often brilliant diction. His characters strike one, however, more as phantoms than as real and companionable personages. They are part of the machinery of horror and phantasmagoria which Poe loved to make use of to effect his weird purpose. They help to create that haunting atmosphere which enshrouds his characters and makes for the mystery of his stories. The ingenuity of his I 276 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY plots is no less remarkable than the skill with which they are wrought out, while the artifices of his style marvellously heighten their effect. Among the writers of the age few have excelled him or have more effectively enlisted the art of the literary conjurer for the purposes of ingenious prose narration. "Birth A New Chance." By Columbus Bradford. A. C. Mc- Clurg & Co., Chicago. Pries $r.jo. IN this book the author has posited a theory which resembles in *■ some respects that of Theosophy, and in his arguments to prove his hypothesis shows considerable skill in turning and twisting scriptural passagesto suit his own views. If the same personality reappears in another body in due time according to the conditions which the author supposes, it may not be impossible that we have in our midst in the body of the author himself the old Greek philosopher, Empedocles, with his ancient views slightly modified. As to the correctness of this theory of having more than one chance to aid in the perfection of the human race we feel that the author has not succeeded in presenting adequate proof. F. Mark Bream, Dealer in Fancy and Staple Groceries Telephone 29 Carlisle St., GETTYSBURG, PA. COLLEGE EMBLEMS. EMIL ZOTHE, ENGRAVER, DESIGNER AND MANUFACTURING JEWELER. 19 S. NINTH ST. PHILADELPHIA SPECIALTIES: Masonic Marks, Society Badges, College Buttons, Pins, Scarf Pins, Stick Pins and Athletic Prizes. All Goods ordered through A. N. Beau. No. 3 Main St., GETTYSBURG, PENNA. Our new effects in Portraiture are equal to photos made anywhere, and at any price. Weikert $ Crouse Butchers EVERYTHING IN THIS LINE WE HANDLE GIVE US A TRIAL Balto. St. Gettysburg PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. E. H. FORAE3T gather Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, Sausages. Special rates to Clubs. P .i85o-igoi. Our Name has stood as a guarantee of Quality for over fyalf a Century C. K. P>oas JEWELER and dlWERSttlTH 214 and 216 Matket St. Harrisbutg, Pa. Latest Designs Prices Reasonable CHAS. S. MUMPER (Formerly of Mumper & Bender) Furniture Having- opened a new store opposite W. M. R. R. Depot, will be pleased to have you call and examine goods. Picture Framing promptly attended to. Repair Work a Specialty Students' Trade Solicited I For a nice sweet loaf of Bread call on J. RAMER Baker of Bread and Fancy Cakes, GETTYSBURG. PA. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. The Century Double-Feed Fountain Pen. Fully Warranted J6 Kt. Gold Pen, Iridium Pointed. GEO. EVELER, Agt. for Gettysburg College PRICE LIST. No. 1. No. 1. No. 3. No. 3. Chased, long or short $2 00 Gold Mounted 3 00 Chased 3 00 Gold Mounted 4 00 Spiral, Black or Mottled $2 SO Twist, " 2 50 Hexagon, Black or Mottled 2 SO Pearl Holder, Gold Mounted S 00 THE CENTURY PEN CO., WHITEWATER, WIS. Askyour Stationer or our Agent to show them toyou. Agood local agent-wanted in every school &mmmmmmmmmvmmwwmwt£ PrittitigandBitidhij We Print This Book THE MT. HOLLY STATIONERY AND PRINTING CO. does all classes of Printing- and Binding-, and can furnish you any Book, Bill Head, Letter Head, Envelope, Card, Blank, or anything pertain-ing to their business in just as good style and at less cost than you can obtain same elsewhere. They are located among the mountains but their work is metropolitan. You can be convinced of this if you give them the opportunity. Mt. Holly Stationery and Printing Co. *SPRINGS, PA. ^ H. S. BENNER, .DEALER IN. Groceries, Notions, Queensware, Glassware, Etc., Tobacco and Cigars 17 CHAMBERSBURG ST. WE RECOMMEND THESE BUSINESS MEN. Pitzer House, (Temperance) JNO. E. PITZER, Prop. Rates $1.00 to $1.25 per day. Battlefield a specialty. Dinner and ride to all pointsof mterest,including the tb ree daj-s' fight, $1.25. No. 127 Main Street. R. A. WONDERS, Corner Cigar Parlors. A full line of Cigars, Tobacco, Pipes, Etc. Scott's Corner, Opp. Eagle Hotel. GETTYSBURG, PA. You will find a full line of Pure Drugs and Fine Sta- People's Drug Store Prescriptions a Specialty. W. F. CODORI, StoonTcodort Dealer in Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal, Sausage. Special rates to Clubs. York St., GETTYSBURG. J. A. TAWNEY »" Is ready to furnish Clubs and Bread, Rolls, Etc. At short notice and reasonable rates. Washington and Middle Sts., Gettysburg .GO TO. CHAS. E. BARBEHENN, Barber Eagle Hotel, Cor. Main and Washing-ton Sts. L. D. Miller, GROCER Confectioner and Fruiterer. Ice Cream and Oysters in Season. 19 Main St. GETTYSBURG The Pleased Customer Is not a stranger in our establish-ment— he's right at home, you'll see him when you call. We have the materials to please fastidious men. J. D. LIPPY, Merchant Tailor 39 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg, Pa. CityHote, ggjj? Free 'Bus to and from all walk from either depot Dinner with drive over field ■• with four or more, SI.35 Rates $1.50 to $2.00 per day- John E. Hughes, Prop. S. J. CODORI, arber C3f)op For a good shave or hair cut. Bar-bers' supplies a specialty. Razor Strops, Soaps, Brushes, Creams, Combs, Mugs, and Coke Dandruff cure will cure Dandruff. .No. 38 Baltimore Street. GryrT
The Mercury February, 1908 HELP THOSE WHO HELP US. The Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume. Cotrell & Leonard, ALBANY, N. Y. Maker* °f CAPS AND GOWNS To Gettysburg College. Lafayette, Lchigh. Dickinson; State College, Univ. of'Penn-sylviini , Harvard. Tale. Princeton, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr and the others. Class Contrasts a Specialty. Correct Hoods for Degrees. To The Class of '08. We have begun our college campaign for next Spriug and Buuimer. Over, 25.000 employers li-ok to Hapgoods for their men in sales, offices and technical positions in all departments. Must of these firms use college men. They arrange with us to cover the entire college world for them. We have a unique proposition of immediate interest to any college aiau who will be open fora propo-sition. Let us tell you about it. Write to-day. TIIK JVMTMOJYAi, «/.■•.'./.WX./7/O.V Oh' iiit.JM.v itiio1,1:us. Commonwealth Trust Building, Philadelphia, Pa. HOTEL GETTYSBURG, Headquarters for BANQUETS. Klectric Lights, Steam Heat, All Conveniences. Free Bus to and from station. Convenient for (Commencement Visitors. RATES $2.00 PER DAY. .wiver-y G.tio,c"ked. Joliq P. JV[c(^tiri, Proprietor. IF YOU CALL ON C. A. Blocher, Jeweler, CENTER SQUARE, He can serve you with anything you may want in REPAIRING or JEWELRY. WE RECOMMEND THESE FIRMS. Established 1867 by Allen Walton. ALLEN K. WALTON, Pres. and Treas. ROBT. J. WALTON, Supt. Humraelstown Brown Stone Company, QUARRYMEN and Manufacturers of BUILDING STONE. SAWED FLAGGING and TILE, Waliorvvllle, TSo.-u.pK-in, ^c, Pa. CONTRACTORS FOR ALL KINDS OF CUT STONE WORK. Telegraph and Express Address, Brownstone. Pa. Parties visit-ing quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station on the P. & R. R. R. For Artistic Photographs Go To TTPTON The Leader in PHOTO FASHIONS Frames and Passapartouts Made to Order. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS Come and Have a Good Shave or Hair Cut —AT— Harry B. 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Give Them Your Patronage IF»»ft«»*««««««««««ft«ft«««««»ft»««ft«sft#£iftee$$# PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. "i" 7F. '•!■■ "F ii. * "F \i- T •j "F •t "ir •i- 'i" i Weaver Pianos and Organs Essentially the instruments for criti-cal and discriminating buyers. Super-ior in every detail of construction au.d superb instruments for the production "■ of a great variety of musical effects and the finest shades of expression. Close Pricss. Easy Teras. Old lustra ants Siohiujai. =~^2 '>" WEAVER ORGAN AND PIAN^ CO., MANUFACTURERS, YOWK, PA , U S A. —i-H--t--:-X Students' Headquarters —FOR - HATS, SHOES, AVI) GENT'S FURNISHING. Sole Agent tor WALK-OVER SHOE EGBERT'S STORE. Prices Always Right TIJB Lutheran . Publicmioii Society No 1424 Arch Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA. Acknowledged Headquarters for anything and everything in the way of Books for Churches. Colleges, Families and Schools, and literature for Sunday Schools. PLEASE REMEMBER That by sending your orders to us you help build up and develop one of the church in-stitutions with pecuniary ad-vantage to yourself. Address HENRY S. BONER, Sup't. THE MERCURY The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College. VOL. XV GETTYSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY, 1908 No. 8 CONTENTS ALUM X I SPIRIT .*. 2 PROF. is. j). s'i'.uii.i:v, u.n., "tl. THREE GREAT PHILOSOPHERS. Plato—Part II.11 CHARLES W. IIKATHCOTK, '05. WINTER Poem 16 BOWMAN '10. THE PERSONALITY OF THE MUSICIAN" 18 II. KI:Y WOLF, '09. THE EALNBOW HOPE • 21 Q. ARTHUR KliF.Y. SEMINARY., '08 TAX AX ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOE PREACH-ING BE DEVISED? : 25 KiiiiiiAirr, '09. IS THE MATERIAL FOE iSTOVELS EXHAUSTLESSF.-.28 VIRGINIA BEARD, '09. EDITORIALS 31 XH E MEPOUEY. ALUMNI SPIRIT. PROF. G. I). ST.AHLKV. VI.IJ., 187T. R. CHAIRMAN, Members of the Pen and Sword So-ciety, and Students: It is pleasant to have■honors thrust upon one. I appreciate the privilege of becoming a member of the Pen and Sword Society. It has occurred to me to utilize the present occasion hy speak-ing on the subject of Alumni Spirit. A proper alumni spirit, and college prosperity go hand in hand. The alumni are ungrateful and despicable, if they do not lovingly hold in remembrance their college days, and contem-plate with gratitude their alma mater—their nourishing mother, who guided their adolescent steps through the preliminary paths of learning, and established their feet on broad and well tested avenues leading to higher culture. And on the oilier hand that college is short-sighted indeed, that does not recognize-the ne-cessity of co-operation with its alumni in carrying on its educa-tional wmk. To lightly esteem or ignore alumni opinion or in-fluence is 3 suicidal policy for any college to adopt. Alumni spirit has its foundation in college spirit «nd class spirit. It is therefore a product of the four years passed in the college community, and is not a I'rame of mind originated on .commencement day. and formally received, with the diploma, from the hands of the president. Those who have been gradu-ated from college and have frequently seen others graduated, know that commencement day is a day of subdued sadness. The emotions may be well mastered, but the undertone of regret at the breaking up of pleasant companionships certainly exisits. and if not realized by the student then, will he realized later [f the alumni spirit is not invisibly conferred with th degree, then the degree will lack a sentiment and a subtle influence, which will greatly mar its effectiveness as a symbol of eminence attained. Let as consider college spirit as a primal factor in the culti-vati I' alumni spirit. The existence of a college spirit invari-ably follows, wherever there is a college having students. It cannot be otherwise, The institution is the center of the college idea and the exponent of college traditions. The students are THE MKRCURY. there for what the college can give them—of training, incentive, •council,—and it is the rallying jjoint for all their scholastic in-terests and activities. It is their educational home, and it wordd he just'as unnatural for them to disregard their college colors, as it would be to hold in contempt their own family honor. There are various influences winch contribute to the building up of a college spirit. In these days there is no lack of college activities which have in view the betterment of the institution, from tlie student view-point. Athletics with its varied and strenuous features, the musical organizations, literary publica-tions, debating and dramatic clubs, the college Y. M. C A., fra-ternity and inter-fraternity fellowships, together with social en-gagements, present a complex of student interests, which from the amount of time and personal attention they require, often causes alarm, when we stop to consider that in addition to all these activities there is such a thing as a curriculum, \vbieh by fight should also claim a certain portion of the student's time and attention. *J?o those unaccustomed to a student's life, and ignorant of the easy adaptations which characterize college men. the problem of student efficiency, under such conditions, becomes a puzzle, and they shake their heads in emphatic disap-proval. But to those of us who are on the inside, the situation is not alarming, and the logic of our thoughts is to the effect that all these activities contribute mightily to.the building up of a vigorous college spirit. They converge and unify the varied energies of the student body, and definitely determine a rallying center about which to engage with inspiring shouts and songs. Of course there are tendencies in these activities which \wd to be regulated. I beard recently of an employer who said that so many of his workmen were only interested in "pay day and quit-ting time" So it sometimes occurs that students become more interested in these self-assumed enterprises, than in the prose-cution of their studies. But this need not be so. More than fifteen years ago one of our students asked me—"Can a man play football and yet continue to be a good student." I replied —"It can be done, but it requires a level-headed man to do it." fie did not tell me what his decision would be, but I noticed that ■he continued to play football, and during an iniporta.it season he was captain of the team and one of its crack players: when lege is not frequently in their thoughts and their interest seems dormant aft9-de'ad. Such an one I met recently, who did not know of the existence of a certain department in our college, although that department was established twelve years ago. However his heart is all right, and he expects to attend our com-mencement exercises this "summer. A genuine alumni spirit, when at its best, will not allow tin cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches to choke it and to render it unfruitful. Those of us who are officially, or as students connected with the college, and whose interests are therefore at white heat, must not expect the alumni spirit to be always abundant, intense and persistent—but when we do find it characterized by these admirable qualities, we should be willing to accord due credit We have with us to-day an alum-nus, whose spirit of interest in his alma mater'has the qualities T have just mentioned—it is abundant, intense and persistent— I refer of course, to Dr. Gies, the founder of the Pen and Sword Society, the donor of valuable prizes to stimulate literary work in the college, and whose interest in his alma mater has neve] lessened, notwithstanding the multiplied and arduous duties imposed upon him by the professional chair he so ably fills. Alumni interest and college prosperity go hand in hand. The former is i >st valuable asset of the college, and without it. its resources are insignificant indeed. The alumni ptand, as THE MERCURY. did Aaron and Hur, in holding up the anus of Moses,—they assist mightily in securing influence and prevailing power. Many of the best men of the college boards of the land are alumni of the institutions they serve, and some of them are the official rep-resentatives of the alumni associations of their respective col-leges. The alumni on these boards, have, '"both theoretically and as a fact, the best interests of the institution at heart. II' these alumni have been actually engaged in educational work, so much the better,—and for the very forceful reason that familiarity and experience will insure wise opinions and judicious councils. Our own board did a most commendable act, when last commence-ment, they added to their number Dr. Luther P. Eisenhart of the class of '96. Professor Eisenhart secured his doctorate at Johns Eopkins University, and is now a member <.!' tht faculty al Princeton University. His experience and observations at both of these institutions will undoubtedly be of great value to us here. I do-not sympathize with the idea, sometimes express-ed, that a university trained man can be of no service in the coun-cils of a small college. The. objection made is that such an one will endeavor to introduce inapplicable university methods. I belieye this danger to lie imaginary. If Governor Stuart were to be elected Chief Burgess of Gettysburg, 1 do not imagine that he would proceed to establish a State government within the bor-ough limits, but I beli tat his knowledge of what a State government should be, would greatly aid him in building up a good borougli government. His sense of needs, and of adapta-tion, would guide him mosl admirably in giving us a most effi-cient civic administration. At the next meeting of the Board of Trustees, another oppor-tunity will be afforded ih,m. of again adding an educator to their number. As most of you know, at the meeting of our gen-eral Alumni Association during commencement week 'ast sum-mer, when it was announced that the Association had a vacancy to lill in the Board, at once the name of Dr. (lies, of the class of '93, was proposed, The marked enthusiasm which greeted his nomination as the nominee to the Board, and the hearty and unanimous election which immediately followed, was a bigh and merited endorsement by the general alumni body. In addition THE MERCURY. to this, the Pittsburg-Gettysbtfrg Club and the New York-Get-tysburg Club, have, in specific resolutions, unanimously second-ed the request of the general Association. The existence of a provision, which bars from election, an alumnus who is a member of a college faculty cannot consistently be recognized by the Board at its meeting (bis summer, since it has already, and very justly, ignored the propriety of such an objection, by the'elec-tion of Professor. Eisenhart, The qualifications of Doctor Gies ;is a counselor in educational matters are beyond question. He has been a university man for the past fifteen years. He *m.< ■' received his degree of Do-.tor of Philosophy at Yale in 1898, and that fall began to organize a department of Physiological Chemistry in Columbia University. So well did he succeed in this work that in 1904, or in eleven years after his graduation here, he became a full professor in that great university. Our college, needs (he interest of its alumni, and it needs the active counsel and assistance of those of our alumni graduates who have a practical acquaintance with the educational methods of on- dav. Alumni spirit needs the fosteiing care of recogni-tion, in order that it^iecoiiie^a power for good in advancing the interests of our beloved college We have an institution here to be proud of. E desire to utter the it-liberate judgment, based upon history, observation and fact, that Pennsylvania College has always compared favorably with any other American collegiate institution,—in respect to advantages offered, the standing of its alumni in the higher ac-tivities of life, and. in the representative character of its student body. ■ • Through veais of toil, and by reason of the devotion of its ardent trends and the labors of its instructors, Pennsylvania College has secured to itself a rich prestige of scholarly tradi-tions, and a name and fame for honest achievement, which we . -will do well to guard with jealous care. The past is secure. No profane tongue may successfully dis-credit either the work or the workers. The success of the in-stitution has been evolutionary, cumulative, progressive and we of to-day have inherited a privilege and an obligation. The de-cades of the past mark successive periods of continuous growth and development, and the obligation is insistent that future de- 10 THE MERCURY. cades shall come to their proper inheritance. The work of the present is admirably consonant with the achievements of the past. Progress is still the watchword, as is witnessed by the recent additions in instructors, new departments and new courses. All hail, then, to bur college in its continued onward strides, and all hail to thai essential alumni spirit, which if properly recognized and nourished, will do wonders for our alma mater. And all hail to our undergraduate body of students, who are now diligently cultivating college spirit and class spirit, in order that they may become efficiently equipped with an abundant alumni snirit. [Note:—This address was delivered by Dr. Stahley upon his initiation into the Pen and Sword Society at its annual public .neeting February twelfth. The members of the Society, appre-ciating its excellence, unanimously voted after its collation, to have it published in the MERCURY in order that those who were not present at the time it was delivered might have an opportu-nity of reading it.—EDITOR.] THE 3IEKCURY. 11 THREE GREAT PHILOSOPHERS. Plato—Part II. Cir.VHI.ES W. HEATHCOTE, '05. HE underlying principle in Plato's philosophy is his Theory of Ideas. The various philosophers who pre-ceded Plato prepared the way for the development of his Doctrine of Ideas. He takes the golden thread which runs through their philosophical systems and withvhis master mind weaves the network for his own system. In great part he was indebted to the Eleatics, Heracliteans and Pytha-goreans for his Doctrine of Ideas. He took the abstract matter of thought and moulded it into a "concrete form of an ideal vision." . The Idea.- ( iBei ) stand as archetypes of Being. They are the conceived essence of true existence. Plato gave to the Ideas a separate existence. Their home is in the Universal Mind or God. There is a gradual rise from the lower ideas to the high-est. The highest is the idea of the Good which Plato seems to identify with God and which he construes to be the source of knowledge. Plato was in harmony, in part, at least with the current view of his age, in recognizing the existence of certain minor dieties, but he purified this thought with the true spirit of his philoso-phy. He asserts again and again that the Ideas are divine. In recognizing one Supreme Idea, he held that this Idea was the Highest or God: As a manifestation of this goodness, God cre-ated the world. Or as Zeller well says: "In thus determining the highest Being as the Good, and as Season assigning an end, Plato apprehends it as the creative principle, revealing itself in the Phenomenon; because God is good, He formed the world." In forming the world, Plato firmly held in mind that God had created it perfect. It was not controlled and governed by Blind Force. Law and order prevailed everywhere as the rul-ing factors. Thus mind and intelligence formed the basis of all this creative power. As Plato conceived of God's intelligence being so clearly marked in its perfect form of creation, he also developed the idea of the World-soul. .That is Plato believed 12 THE MERCURY. that intelligence could not exist apart from the soul life. Con-sequently, he believed that God placed the world's intelligence into a true soul-life known as the World-soul. Plato divided this World-soul into two parts, known as the outer and inner. These •parts conceived of as being spherical in form make up the world-system. The outer circle is the system of fixed stars and the inner "the seven spheres of the planets." Thus the soul on ac-count of it; very nature is governed by true law and as it moves continuously it gives the proper place, position and motion of all the heavenly orbs. To tine"World-soul, because of its self-mo-tive power, he ascribes it the faculty of generating knowledge. Plato in writing of the power of the World-soul was using figurative language. It is true that he literally ascribed a sou] to the world yet.the meaning of the word as he uses it embraces too much in its broad conception. With respect to the soul of man Plato carefully reasons that God formed it out of the same elements as the World-soul, but less pure. When the Creator made the souls of men, he made as many souls as there were fixed stars and each soul had one of these stars as its true and eternal habitation. When'man was created, one of these souls would be implanted in his body. To-the soul that would be victorious over wickedness and evil it would be released from its bodily home and be restored to the realms of immortality. But the individual who would fail to-conquer the temptations of his lower nature, his soul would be condemned to dwell among the fierce beasts. But since the soul has pre-existed without bodily form, in the end it will be freed from its sinful bodily home and will fly to those realms where it can grow in power and strength and attain perfection. Plato-did not think that any one did wrong willfully, but Virtue and Good were overruled by a weak and disordered body. This was due to the improper use of the body and the lack of careful Ju-dicious exercise. Thus, parents should live nobly in order that their children would be spiritually strong, in order that the soul might be pure and reach that ideal state of perfection. He firmly believed that man was placed at the head of crea-tion and because of this grand heritage he should continually strive to live the Higher Life. Plants and animals were cre-ated for man's use and to serve his purpose. Animals were THE MERCURY. 13 formed not only as food for him, but also as the dwelling place of man's soul that had proved itself unworthy for the realms of immortal life. "Plants too are living beings, but their so\rl is of the lowest kind, capable neither of reason nor opinion, but only of desire and sensation; a soul only moved from without, to which has been denied the motion that proceeds from and re-turns into itself—self-consciousness, therefore, plants can never change their place." (Zeller page 432.) Socrates had taught that the attainment of the Good by each individual should be each one's best and noblest endeavor. Plato imbibed this golden truth from his great master and inculcated the principle that the individual should so live day by day that his soul would attain the Ideal—the Highest Good. This was to be the ultimate aim of each soul, both for the at-tainment of it in the individual life and for the interests of the State. Plato was so deeply impressed with the reality of evil in the world that the soul was never free from it. As long as the soul resided in the body it was fettered there as in a prison or a dungeon. It was unable to flee away to the Higher Life. However the soul, at. the first opportunity, he realizes, must escape from this corporeal existence and seek its home with God in order to be happy. However, true philosophy serves a pur-pose which is helpful in part, at least, that by its very essence, it has the power of purification. The soid, the center of the intelligence' desires'this philosophy not per se as a pleasure re-sulting from contemplation, but as a power and a help to purify it foi* the Higher Life that is to come. On the other hand, Plato well observes that a soul that does not feel the sting of pain, suffering and anguish could not truly appreciate the Higher Life. Though the soul may be surround-ed by wickedness in its darkest form, nevertheless, there are times when the soul is able to be glad and joyful for the rays of goodness that it is able to receive from the Eternal Light. Pleasure in a certain degree may be considered as a part of the Good. The soul in its present prison, Plato rightly believes, is able to enjoy certain pleasures that are in harmony with natural law and careful living. Those joys that require the im-proper use of the faculties are impure and destructive in their participation. The first and supreme pleasure should be the 14 TIIH JIERCUKY. contemplation of the Idea Good in the present soul Kfe and the striving to realize or actualize the Good in the present life as far as possible. This plan will make the soul truly crave Virtue. In this thought Plato truly reiterates the sublime principle of Socrates. For he emphasizes the idea that morality is based'upon a clear conception of virtuous living. The soul fills itself with the Divine Goodness through contemplation. It is the true philoso-phy of life Then the soul becomes strong and even here on earth can treak down many of the bars of evil and wickedness which summoned it. Through this power it can copy more clearly the archetype conception of Goodness, for the very thought becomes indelibly impressed upon the soul. ' It has been shown that Virtue was the great Ideal for the in-dividual to attain, so this same principle was to be the foundation of the State and Platonic Society. The Greeks held the true organization of the State to be of the utmost importance. They were taught to give true allegi-ance to th.T State. Although Plato strongly believed that moral integrity and good government were necessary for the well being of the State, but he looked upon ihe participation in its affairs not as an absolute but only a relative duty. He thinks the life of the philosopher as he contemplates, in a quiet and undisturb-ed way, on the Higher Problems of life is fulfilling the true end of living. Since it is impossible for all men to live thus, philo-sophically speaking, the State is a moral necessity in order by education to inculcate virtue in the minds of its citizens. The philosophers can only give the inhabitants of the community a true conception of Virtue and they should be the ruling class and Philosophy though united with political ideals, should oc-cupy the first place and all trouble and discontent would be avoided. Or as Uberweg says: "The State is the individual on a large scale. The highest mission of the State is the training of the citizens to virtue. In the Ideal State each of the three principal functions and corresponding virtues of the soul is represented by a particular class of citizens. These are (1) the rulers, whose virtue is wisdom; (2) the guardians or warriors, whose virtue is valor; and (3) the manual laborers and trades-men, whose virtue is self-restraint'and willing obedience. The THE MEKCURY. 13 rulers and warriors are to labor only for the realization of the true and the good: all individual interests whatsoever are for-biddui them, and they are all required to form in the strictest sense one family, without marriage and without private prop-erty." It has been observed that Plato believed in the existence of •God. He clearly shows throughout his philosophical system that lie is a Theist. He repudiates all the stories of the various gods ;is myths and false. Plato was unable to describe God fully as one who is Love, although he catches glimpses of this great fact, but it remained for the Gospel to give the conception of God to the world. In his conception, of the State he inculcates the grand truth that God must be sought after in order that virtue mav be the crowning possession of the soul. Plato also ascribes nnchangeableness and perfection to God. According to Plato in the Laws every citizen who holds public office should fear God and remember his duty to God and the soul that God gave him is higher than the body. Thus every citizen should be faithful .and honest in the discharge of his duties. It is true that the philosophical and governmental teachings of Plato were ideal in their conception, but he was nevertheless truly conscious of his surrounding conditions. He tried by his teachings to help the Athenians in a practical way toward attain-ing better governments and living. Plato more than any other philosopher made Athens the philosophical center of the world, that remained years after she lost her political supremacy. A large number of students from all parts of the world were at-tendant upon his lectures at the Academy. The influence of Plato was widely felt and as time has gone on his thought has affected philosophy and theology. After Plato's death his nephew, Spensippus, succeeded to the headship of the Academy. He was followed by Xenocrates a philosopher.of considerable ability and power. Many of the philosophers of the Platonic school departed from the original teachings of their master. They developed a phi-losophy known as Neo-Platonism which was not pure. Greek philosophy hut was a combination of Hellenic, Helraic and other Oriental speculative thought. However, true constructive historical criticism has resulted in 16 THE MERCURY. giving to the philosophical world purer Platonism and his spirit is not lost in the meshes of Neo-Platonic thought. His thought and philosophy have so deeply permeated oiu own language that gain and again in discussing various philosophical problems we will speak of Platonic conceptions unconsciously. Or as Milton n II Peneseroso has said: "Or let my lamp at midnight hour Be seen from some high lonely tower, Where 1 may oft outwatch the Bear With thrice great Hermes, or unsphere The spirit of Plato, to unfold The immortal mind that hath forsook Her mansion in this fleshy nook; And of those/lemons that are found In fire, air, flood, or under ground, Whose power hath a true consent With planet or with element." WINTER. no W.MAX. '10. The cycle of a year is closed. The seasons one by one have passed: Spring's rising beauty, summer's ioy And autumn's gold are gone at last, And now o'er every field and wood, And brook and stream in all the land There sways the scepter, firm and strong. Of old Kino- Winter's icy hand. CHE MEKCURY. 17 That 'monarch rales with will supreme; By his decree' the brooklet's voice, To summer woods, the croaning charm No more shall make the soul rejoice; For fetters, strong as hands of steel And cold as touch of gruesome Death Have bound the stream from shore to shore, Forged by King Winter's icy breath. O'er his domain a curtain white- Is falling thick and fast, The trees are bending with the load The gloomy shy upon them cast, And o'er the hill and meadow cold The icy wind and snowflakes drive, And here and there before the storm In quest of shelter snowbirds dive. Though all without is cruel, cold. Yet by the hearth there's sunshine, love; For by the fire young and old Enjoy the blessings from above; They hear the sire talk of yore, They drink to one another's health. Forgetful of the cold and snow, Enjoying all the farmer's wealth.' Though Winter rules with cruel hand, Ami cold and gloomy seemeth all; Though nature's beauties all seem gone And hopelessly thy spirits fall, Remember Winter has its joys And love and sunshine may reside Within thy heart, if thou but wilt Look on the bright and happy side. IS THE MERCURY. THE PERSONALITY OF THE MUSICIAN. II. RET WOLF.-'09. OMB one has said thai personality is individuality ex-isting in itself, with nature as a ground. Another says thai personality in a broad sense is a silent but powerful coercer of liunian minds.- 1 would not at-tempt to give a definition of it, but it seems to be a vital princi-ple of life. It is a mystery and seems to defy solution. We know to a certain extent from our own experience what perso-nality is. We see its manifestations from day to day in human ■experiences but we can not detect or define it as something thoroughly comprehended. I think we will not be over estimating when we say that one's success in life depends very greatly on one's personality. It seems that in some person; a strong individuality is a natural gift, while in others it must be acquired. A teacher's personality is a very important factor in his work. His influence over the pupil is something marvelous. His movements are watched, bis every action is carefully obseived and even his moral and mental attitude toward va-ious problems is noted. He is taken as an example; hence the importance of a strong personality. The teacher must have personality, the minister, whom we may class also as a teacher, ought to be able to command respect, the orator's influence depends upon it. the business man's success is measured largely by bis individuality and it is only the politician having some such personal magnetism, who can sway the multi-tudes. Lyinan .). Gage, formerly Secretary of the tJ. S. Treas-ury. in speaking' recently of personality, says, that deep within the man often unconscious to himself, lie the forces, the aptitudes, the desires, the anticipations, the tastes, the proclivities, the temperamental qualities which find outward expression indepen-dent of bis will. Further in the article he states that a change in our personality in the direction of improvement, whatever the cause, must come from within. The mental faculties can be strengthened by exercise an*: the emotional nature nourished by pure ideals. It is our duty to develop these useful inward forces and powers which really constitute one's personality. It is this personal factor tbat-lifts one into prominence and power, and- THE JCEItCURY. 19 gives him that strength of leadership which nothing else can do. Thus, we see of what importance individuality is in the different vocations of life. I deem a strong personality in the fine arts to be the highest kind of personality. It is really difficult to find language prop-erly to express just what is meant. While all culture has a re-lining infhiaice, continually nourishing our minds with the very best of noble ideals and aspirations, yet some arts seem to give more culture than others. Among such arts we would place music as one of the first. It would be impossible for one to de-scribe the numerous emotions and sundry expressions of feeling that musi"; reveals. Every selection of music is to represent some emotion or feeling Since we class music as such a distinguished art, the question now arises as to how a musician's personality is shown. We can safely say that this is revealed in his work as a composer or in his interpretation of the thoughts of others, as they are repre-sented in music. Harmony and teehnic must of course be mast-ered, but after a thorough knowledge of teehnic is acquired, there is boundless opportunity for expression and style. Teeh-nic. must always be a mechanical art, and as such, it has no real musical feeling in it. Fere is the opportunity to show indi-viduality. Scarcely two persons will place the same interpreta-tion upon a selection of music, thus showing the difference of human powers in interpretation. There is just as much differ-ence in the merits of musical compositions as there is in the merits of powers. Some are strictly true to nature and to life, while others are of mediocre merit. Of course, this is entirely a matter of individuality again, showing, on the other hand, a keen and perceptive mind, tnd on the other, a lack of keen in-terpretation. What we call genius is really nothing but the highest manifestation of personality. We sometimes speak of persons playing music by eae. This shows musical talent and is nothing but the crude and untrained personality seeking an out-let. It seems that the appreciation of really good music conies only through education, however broadly that term may be appli-ed. By culture we are brought to the appreciation of classical music, just as we are brought to the appreciation and preference of Shakespeare to the common, ordinary literature. 20 THE AU'JHCCJKY. It is only through persistent study that this musical person-ality can be attained. We may read numberless musical maga-zines, we may attend all tha high-grade concerts ttyat it is possi-ble for us to attend, but it is oniy by personal efforts that any-thing in this direction can be accomplished. We must take some selection, study the composer, know his nature, study the title of the composition, find out, if possible, under what circumstances lie composed that special selection, then study the music measure by measure, and endeavor to catch the spirit and feeling of the composer by placing yourself in his mental attitude. This may seem to be a rather crude method of procedure, but personally I have found it of inestimable value in interpreting a composer. Having studied a composition carefully, the next step is its proper execution. Music, if it is worthy to be called music, must appeal to our higher instincts. We must think and follow its meaning just as if we were paying attention to some one talking. This is true art at its greatest. The musician also shows his personality in the selections that he plays. Unfortunately, classical music is rather unpopular. The, popular music is light, catchy and gay and to many means simply to dance or an accompaniment. Harmony is an import-ant element in music and any selection that is harmonious is re-ceived with applause. Classical music may often seem unharmo-nious, especially to the untrained hearer. This is one reason why it is spurned. This idea of harmony in our nature rests on a psychological fact and music only serves as an excellent proof of it. There is nothing more simple and at the same time more beau-tiful than some of Mendelssohn's songs, Schumann's "Frau-merer" or Chopin's nocturnes. Such selections as these are worth mastering. Webber's "Storm" and Gottschalk's "Last Hope" are very popular. A careful study of such selections can not help but create within us noble ideals and wonderfully broaden our ethical natures. Of course we would not entirely ignore the popular music of the day, it .has its qualities and therefore has its place, but it ought to be strictly held to its place. It is well, however, whenever the opportunity comes to dem-onstrate the superior qualities of good music. Thus we can be-come acquainted with a person to a certain extent, by the kind THE MERCURY. 8] of music that he or she plays. We generally play the kind of music that we admire, because it expresses our sentiments- and feelings. We therefore embody in music, and through it, ex-press our ideals. Can there be anv higher manifestation of personality? Tqp RAINBOW HOPE. C. AliTIiri! FliY, SrEMlXARY, '08. EARLY four thousand years ago one of the spiritual giants of antiquity propounded the weighty question: "Ir a man die shall lie live again ?"—a ques-tion which lie himself answered. Probably the most thonght-of, the most talked-about, the most writ-ten- upon subject of all times has been that of immor-tality. Problems in science, art, philosophy, government, etc., all live their little day, in the arena of thought and disappear, but the human race has never outlived this question of Job's. It is still a burning thought in the hearts of the cul-tured, scientific twentieth century as it has been to all the conn-tries since the dawn of time Scholars in all branches of learn-ing are still brooding and writing upon it, and the common peo-ple are asking and re-asking this gVeat question, and will con-tinue to do so until time shall be no more. It is the one great universal problem which has maintained itself in every age and clime and has never lost its interest and power in the thought of mankind. No race or tribe of men have ever been known who were destitute of the thought of immortality. And why is it thus? Surely it must be more than "the riddle of the uni-verse." Men are not haunt.d with riddles. It's an intuition of; the human mind, an appetence of the human heart, wrought into, the whole fibre of the race that cannot be dismissed without1: some sort of solution, any more than the appetence of li.iui.u"<-i - that gnaws in the stomach and demands satisfaction. 22 THE MEHUURY. "It must be so Plato, thou reasoneth well! Else whende this pleasing hope, tbis fond desire. This longing after immortality? Or whence this secret dread and inward horror Of falling into naught? Why shrinks the soul Back on herself, and startles at destruction ? 'Tis the divinity that stirs within us; Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter, And intimates eternity to man." Listen to the testimony of Eobert G. Ingersoll, the prince of modern agnostics, in the last words he wrote: "Immortality with its countless hopes and fears beating against the shores of time, was not born of any book nor of any creed, nor of any religion. It was born of human affection, and will continue to ebb and pow beneath the mists and clouds of at. doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death. It is the rainbow of hope, shining on the tears of grief " What strange words from one who shrouded that "rainbow of hope" in wreathing clouds of doubt and fear and darkness, to whose thought "the golden bridge of life from gloom emerges and on shadow rests, and the secret of the future has ne'er been told." However, men may reject God's revelation in His Son, or deny the future life, yet they cannot utterly silence the voice of God speaking in their hearts. Yes, there are some who say,—and their number is so infmi-tessimally small that we may rightfully call them mental curios, yes mental freaks, if you please—that "death ends all." What a horrible thought! The Gnod, the True, the Pure, shall at least become the brother of the Base, the False, the Vile in death. Tendencies and qualities that in life are far.as the poles asunder, and can never be rconciled, shall at least become a unit in deat'i If that be true, then virtue has no lasting rewards, then unde-tected wrong-doing will forever go unpunished, and the wrongs inflicted upon innocence will never be made right. If death ends all then life has no meaning, no purpose, no inspiration., "and the human race with all its grand achievements, with it-continuous onward and upward march will finally reach the THE MERCURY. 23 zenith of perpetual night, beyond which shines no resurrection morn The light in the sun and stars shall be extinguished, the human race with all that it has done and hoped, shall become a nonentity, and the universe will go into everlasting darkness. Standing at the grave of sieve loved one how much comfort does that theory give:" How much light does it throw upon the dark avenues of human life? How much strength does it impart for the bearing of life's burdens? What inspiration to high en-deavor and noble living does it kindle? None! To affirm the negative of being is to rob hope, faith, patience, love, forbear-ance and kindred graces that enrich life and make character beautiful, of their meaning, and make them well nigh valueless. The noblest aspirations of the heart and the loftiest Teasoning of the mind all revolt when confronted with the postulate of eternal non-existence. Not only within ourselves do we find the intimations of a higher life, but all nature round about us seems to voice the truthfulness of our intimations. The natural world teem? with analogies which suggest the eternal life of the spirit. Take for example the migrations of birds, and especially the ndy-thmated humming bird, the only humming bird known around here. When the leaves begin to fall and the flowers fade he wends his way toward the South American home and spends the winter in his warmer native climes beyond the Amazon. But when it's, early spring here, he becomes restless and yields him-self to the migratory instincts working in his being. If you were, to ask him where or how far he is going, he couldn't tell you, for he doesn't know. All he knows is that his instincts tell him to fly and they point out to him The direction in which he shall go. So he starts out for the far north lands thousands of miles away, feeding by day, flying by night over mountains and plains and seas until he arrives here in these temperate zones of the North, where the dimly implanted instinct of migration which he has obeyed, finds its fullest satisfaction: God never cheats the little bird. So every human being is endowed with the instinct of immortality. Constantly within us we feel the movements of the higher life. There's an inward impulse that tells of a higher world order and bids us seek it, and with our superior intelligence and the light of God's Word we follow this dimly-implanted impulse, we too shall be satisfied, for the God 2<± THE MERCURT. who does not deceive the little humming bird will not deceive man. "He who, from zone to zone, (inides through the boundless sky the certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone Will lead my steps aright." Nature literally abounds witb bints on immortality, and as men of large vision, like Bacon. Newton and Fiske. uncover her secrets they find nothing that would contradict our best hopes, yea. many of these men acquainted with nature's workings have built their arguments for immortality on this very knowledge. For the Christian believer, however, this problem is no longer on debateable ground. His Lord and Master lias spoken the final word and revealed for human life, a destiny so glorious, a purpose so exalted, that it makes life well worth the living, ting-ing it with rainbows of joyous hopes and golden promises, not ending in "zero and a wall of blackness," but sweeping up through the clouds, and beyond the stars, to the walls of jasper, the gates of pearl, the streets of gold, and "the river of the water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God." To such the question of immortality is not a nightmare of thought, nor is the future wreathed in mists and fogs so dense that we cannot know what lies beyond, but rather is bright and radiant :as the noonday sun. Jesus Christ is the one all-convincing an-swer to this problem of the ages. He alone is the all-satisfying response to the cry of the human spirit for God and the life be-yond, and in Him the native intuition and longing for immor-tality is transformed into one of the abiding, unshakeable cer-tainties of existence, so that with him who "heard the voice from heaven as the sound of many waters and saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven" we can say, "Xow are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is." THE MEROBBTSJ 25 CAW AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE FOR PREACHING BE DEVISED? f E-IEHAKT '09. X this tiny and generation when men arc prone to look with disdain upon the "Old Things" and are con-tinually striving to produce something now, original, and up-to-date; when men are much inure attracted, by worldly things than their own soul's salvation; when the mere fact that the preaching of the Gospel is able to claim its true origin from Christ and therefore to be classed among the prac-tices of the ancients, we often cast about us and seek a substi-tute for the preaching of the Gospel from the pulpit. Can there ever be found a substitute for the active, earnest, consecrated minister, whom everyone must recognize and to "whom so much of our scanty praise is due? . Without a doubt there would be or perhaps have been suggest-ed ways and means whereby a substitute for preaching could be obtained, but when we get down to the very essence of things it is clearly apparent to a man of ordinary common sense that it would be impossible to do so without very dire results following. • The very nature of man demands it, it seems. .Man must have some ideal, perfect and spotless, kind yet omnipotent, to look to, to worship, and to whom his mind may turn for help in time of trouble,—for to many, trouble alone will cause God to come into their thoughts. The natural mind demands this. We see it among all nations and classes, from our own class of people down to the lowest forms of human kind. If the heathen in his superstition, fol-lowing the inclination of his mind and. fearful of things un-known to him worships so reverently in his blind way. and is so diligent in doing what has been laid down to him as precepts. how much more ought we who are certain and assured in our faith and have reason to believe ours to be a real and ever pres-ent God, one to whom we owe much and to whom our poor thanks and praises are ever due? How much greater should be our reason to guard ourselves and strive to abide by what has so often been impressed upon us both by word and t\w<]! The natural man is open and susceptible to suggestion to a. 26 THE MERCURY. very marked degree, being ever ready to yield to and turn aside whenever am rldly plJ«easun obsta the h "/on,. regardless of the consequences. In his weakness, he must have some outside agent to offset these, evil influences that sur-round him and by counter suggestion or example turn his mind toward the true way to happiness, away from the gaudy "fool's gold" of the world. I hear the question, "Cannot man by studying his Bible thor-oughly, the concordance of the Scriptures, and books of such a nature, if he is earnest so hold, guide and guard himself as to he above and beyond these evil influences as well as he who goes to church front Sunday to Sunday and listens to sermons direct from the same sources?" Ai first thought this would no doubt seem good logic and peiv haps in theory would be beneficial, but let us consider:— Take it for granted,—although we all know such would not be the case,—that each church-goer and church member would study his Bible lesson thoroughly, think it out for himself, weigh it carefully and eventually apply it to himself as it seems best to him. would he derive as much bench! ami see the same pre-cepts embodied in the subject as he who has listened to a well prepared sermon by an eloquent minister, whose business it is to make a careful research along such lines and then goes home to ponder and reflect? As a powerful analogous example take our own colleges: they stand out squarely against any such principle. They recognize that men cannot attain to any degree of perfection of knowledge through dry text books alone. We ourselves know that more real knowledge comes to us through the lectures than any mere study of the text could warrant. The living voice is the prime factor in all education, shown only loo clearly in the Mu<\y of languages, including our own. The Christians as well as the students cannot possibly get in a few hours' study what their ministers or teachers get who have spent many years or even a lifetime doing only such work. Xo matter how diligently and faithfully Christians would work and study their Bibles, ours.would soon be a divided reli-gion, falling far short of its original purpose, a subject for con-troversy, doomed to Sorrow and despair, because of the manv THE MEKCURY. 27 different and even false interpretations which would of neces-sity be put upon the Scriptures, whether through sincerity on the part of the Christians or by the unscrupulous. We need not even take into consideration the natural back-sliders or the lower and less'educated classes of people for their condition speaks out strongly for itself against any course such as would be proposed. They of a certainty cannot do without the willing shepherd's care and attention. In order that the Word of God may become popular and stand out against and hold its own with the other attractive literature of to-day, it must be preached, spoken from the pulpit and its beauty and powerful truths shown as well as to have light thrown upon it. What has made Roosevelt and his policies so popular? The MTV fact that he is able to preach (speak) his theories and then by example prove their value. I dare say his policies are reeog-. nized all over the world and only because he does not hesitate to speak them and then practice what he preaches. The lawless forces in our country attack, and yet fear him and his disciples, striving to bring about their downfall as strongly as does Satan and his mighty host to bring to naught the works of righteous-no.- and God's worshippers throughout the world. Can we see any advantages arising in view of such conditions, if we should substitute? But examine and consider the doctrines and teachings of the great, noble, men in the church of the past and we see that they too. whose authority and precepts we must accept on account of their value alone, have not overlooked this very thing and that they realize fully that the existence or non-existence of our church rests alone in the preaching of God's Word. Paul in 1 Cor. 1:1
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SPALDING'S TRADE=MARK on Athletic Goods is the of guarantee of quality. Don't be deceived by "just as good' that some dealers offer you. Spalding's supplies are made better and last longer—and the price cheaper, when you consider the wear and tear they will stand Spalding's goods are made to last with the toughest kind of use. A. G. SPALDING & BROS. NEW YORK INCORPORATED CHICAGO DENVER J. I. MUMPER. 41 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pa. The improvements to our Studio have proven a perfect success and we are now better prepared than ever to give you satisfactory work. * »- THE GETTYSBURG JIERGUHY The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College Voi,. XI. GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1902 No. 3 CONTENTS SESTIUS {Poem) 74 CHAS. W. HEATHCOTE, '05. NATURE IN EMERSON'S POETRY 75 CHARLES C. STORRICK, '02. THE LIFE THAT IS RECORDED 80 FRED. G. MASTERS, '04. ,'KITTY" {Story) 85 C. B. GI,ATEEI,TER, '04. THE ROMAN EMPIRE TAKEN AS A MODEL FOR THE PAPAL EMPIRE 86 D. MONTFORT MELCHIOR, '02 ALEXANDER HAMILTON 93 W. W. BARKXEY, '04. "YARNS" 99 FRESHMAN. "THE MILL WILL NEVER GRIND WITH THE WATER THAT IS PAST" 101 LYMAN A. GUSS, '04. EDITORIALS 105 Spring Term—Senior Memorial—Catalogue. EXCHANGES 107 BOOK REVIEW . 107 74 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. TO SESTIUS. (Translatedfrom Horace.) CHAS. W. HEATHCOTB, '05. TNCLEMENT Winter melts away, lo Spring with sunny skies ~ And gentle zephyrs; sailors launch their ships again from shore Now cattle leave their stalls, and peasant quits his fire, And fields bloom with flowers where laid the snow before. By Venus led, while moon shines over head, The comely graces joined hand in hand with alternating feet Strike on the ground, while glowing Vulcan scatters fire fierce and red From the forges of the Cyclops, with repeated beat. 'Tis fit with myrtle green to crown our head Or with flowers, the earth from the fetters of Winter freed. And to sacrifice to Pan in some grassy bed, A lamb or kid if he prefers such offering feed. Death comes alike to all—to the tyrant's lofty mansion Or the cottage of the poor—his advances none can stay. Oh, happy Sestius, achieve each day some certain action, Enjoy thy life to-day with far reaching hopes away. Soon shall the grave enshroud thee and the Manes' feeble crowd And shadowy home of Pluto shut thee in, There shalt not thou cast lot for ruddy wine, Nor woo the gentle Lycidas whom all are mad to win. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 75 . NATURE IN EMERSON'S POETRY. CHARLES C. STORRICK, '02. (Graeff Prize Essay.) /V LL who are familiar with the literature of the period of ^ •*■ Queen Anne, know that it was devoid of poems based on Nature. About the time that Wordsworth came into promi-nence as a poet, an insurrection arose against the school of literature represented by Dryden and Pope. This insurrection was called "a going back to nature." Burns exemplified it in fresh and original poems, Cowper also manifested it in minute descriptions of natural objects. Compare one of Burns' or Cowper's poems with the conventional verse of the times, and the latter is completely overshadowed by the beauty and mean-ing of the new style of literature. William Wordsworth was the great head of this revolution. He endeavored not only to describe but to interpret Nature, to examine into her various forms and to discover the meaning she conveys. By communing with her he discovered that she was spiritually alive, that his own soul was not only touched and inspired by viewing her, but that the spirit animating her was similar to his own. Wordsworth's experience was the re-sult of genuine insight, and not crazy, mystical metaphysics. If we do not understand Wordsworth, we cannot hope to un • derstand and appreciate Emerson, as he was even more mys-tical and complex than Wordsworth. Emerson belongs to the same school of literature as Wordsworth. Nearly all of Emerson's poems show a love and keen under-standing of Nature; the power of interpreting her "various language, also the all absorbing joy in communing with her." The lover of Nature, he says, is he "whose inward and outward senses arc still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with her becomes part of his daily food. In her presence a wild delight thrills his soul. In the woods a man casts off his years as a snake its slough, and is forever 76 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. young. Here is perpetual youth ; within these plantations of God a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he could tire of them in a thousand years." Thus it was that Emerson beheld Nature. Let us now consider what he denned Nature to be. We can best do this by using his own definition—"Nature in the common sense refers to essences unchanged by man—space, the air, the river and the leaf. Philosophically speaking, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul." His chief idea was that the whole universe of thought and things was a complex manifestation of a Central Unity; that "the all" was a manifestation of "the one;" man in his loftiest perceptions of Nature, communed not only with the soul ani-mating the visible universe, but also saw and felt that his own soul was identical with it. Thus the value and weight of natural objects on the mind. In the development of his thought he seems, at times, to be a pantheist, at others, a deist. He was, in truth, however, a transcendentalist. His deity is "imminent" in the universe of matter. In one of his poems he complains that many writers and scientists have lost the sense that Nature is spiritually alive. He considers Nature as a powerful teacher from whom we may learn the greatest and most beautiful truths. One of his first poems was "Good bye, Proud World." These lines were written when he was a teacher in a Boston school, and his "Sylvan Home," described in the poem, was his country boarding place, not far distant. In these lines he gave the first evidence of his intellectual and moral independence. His work of teaching seems to have been a drudgery to him, judging from the way his soul was thrilled when he escaped to the country. Then he burst forth in the exulting joy of the deliverance from his task, as follows: Oh, when I am safe in my sylvan home, I tread on the pride of Greece and Rome , And when I am stretched beneath the pines Where the evening star so holy shines, I laugh at the lore and pride of man, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. JJ At the sophist schools and the learned clan ; For what are they all, in their high conceit, When man in the bush with God may meet? In "Wood Notes" we behold Emerson in his most rapturous mood. There is inspiration in every line. Here he is in direct contact with Nature; he throws off all the chains of conven-tionality, and sings as if he were the first and only one of his race—an Adam who has seen the growth of all things, and witnessed the creation whose secret purpose and plan he per-ceives. Here he is free from all care and worry; here is all that charms and delights; all that appeals to a poet of Nature, and his heart wells up to overflowing with praise to his God and Maker. Here he discovers that each rock, and tree, and stream gives to him some divine inspiration. The rock sug-gests firmness and stability of purpose ; the clear stream, pure-ness of life; the tree, uprightness of character. All convey to him beauty and grandeur. In the first stanza of the "Wood Notes" he says: "Caesar of his leafy Rome, There, the poet is at home." Here in the forest he imagines the trees speak to him all the living languages, conveying to his mind great and divine truths. All that is worth learning, Nature confides to him when he thus communes with her. In the poem entitled "Monadnoc" he goes forth to the moun-tain of this name and there communes with Nature. The trees relate to him great truths, and the dashing mountain streams sing to him music of angelic strains. He considered it better to live in such a place as this in a hut than in a pala-tial home in the fashionable city. The general trend of his writings goes to show that the aim of the spirit which under-lies Nature is to build up intrepid manhood in human nature. In this same poem he says the soul of Nature goes on to mould and shape better men. What is the mental mood in which the human mind, lifted above its ordinary limitations, sees into the heart of Nature ? 78 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Emerson calls it a mood of ecstacy—a sort of heavenly intoxi-cation which, while it may blind the eye of the soul to things as they appear, sharpens and brightens its perception of things as they really are. In "Bacchus" we have an example and a statement of this inspiration. "Bring me," he says: "Bring me wine, but wine which never grew In the belly of the grape * * * That I intoxicated, * * * May float at pleasure through all nations; The bird language rightly spell, And that which roses say so well." Emerson says that his ideal poet never lived. The greatest poets have only suggested here and there, the possible "Olym-pian Bard," who would sing "divine ideas" on earth without any break in the stream of his inspiration. His character would ever be on a level with his loftiest aspirations. The secret of the universe such a poet would reveal, but most poets caught only glimpses of this secret in certain moments when they saw the "Real shining through the mask of the Apparent." The mask was visible nature, the real was the soul within and behind it. He sees in Nature an exemplification of the doctrine of the "survival of the fittest." What we call evil he considers to be often the greatest good. "Evil is good in the making, not a positive substance, but a mere imperfection of good." "If one shall read the future of the race hinted in the organic effort of Nature to mount and meliorate, and the corresponding impulse to the Better in the human being, we shall dare affirm that there is nothing he will not overcome and convert, until at last cul-ture shall absorb the chaos and gehenna. He will convert the Furies into Muses, and the hells into benefits." Passing by Emerson's poetic philosophy of Nature and man, and the poems which represent it, he is still the author of some short poems which are admirable and beautiful. Such are, "Each and All," "The Rhodora," "The Seashore," "The Snow-storm," "The Humble-bee" and "Forerunners." In the last of ■ THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 79 these he tells us of his joyous and resolute pursuit of unattain-able beauty. He ever abhorred the ugly. No poet was ever more susceptible to the beautiful. In Nature he saw beauty re-alized. He felt, like his own humble bee, an abhorrence of "Aught unsavory or unclean." In his poem, called the "Sea-shore," he sees beauty in Nature which far outranks that of Art. The sculpture far outranks that of Phidias. The beauties of the sunset and sunrise are far more beautiful in Nature than those the artist has portrayed on his canvas. The dewdrop, glittering in the morning sun, far outshines the beauty of the ruby or diamond. The fantastic shape of the drifted snow and the beauty of the flakes microscopically viewed are beauty real-ized. The pure whiteness of the snow signifies true nobility and strength of character. The music of the sea and forest stream is far sweeter than that of the sad Orpheus. Emerson is truly a poet of Nature. In the woods and fields his soul leaps up in joy and he is awed by the majesty and mystery of Nature. Here all is pure and not polluted by "the traces of vulgar feet." Destroy his poems on Nature and we have, in fact, destroyed them all, or at least the best and most attractive of his poems. This was his only theme—Nature its mysteries and grandeur. From her he obtained all his wis-dom and learning. To be perfect as Nature was his ideal. »-'T^ How glorious is man ; how high his power! The fairest diadem of things that are, Who sees his Maker's beauty in the flower, His greatness in each planet and bright star. To man all animals submission pay, To him the elements in homage bend, And nature owns his universal sway, That they with him might their due honor send To God's refulgent throne, and ever raise Through him their voices loud, hymning eternal praise. —JOHN B. FAY in Georgetown College Journal. 8o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. THE LIFE THAT IS RECORDED. FRED. G. MASTERS, '04. "*l'| '•HE great are only great because we are on our knees • ^ let us rise up."—PRUDHOMME. "From the lowest depth there is a path 'to the loftiest heights.' "—CARLYLE. The subject, The Life That Is Recorded, stands in contra-diction to other life that is unrecorded. By the recorded life we mean that life which has been of so much importance in the world that its achievements will be perpetuated for ages in the best literature. Do we mean to include the records of the majority of lives as published in the newspapers of the day? No! At the present time we may believe just about one third of what we read in our dailies. One can travel the path of learning but a very short distance without hearing the names of such men as Solomon, Nero, Caesar, Paul, Plato, Homer, Virgil, Horace, Shakespeare, Milton, Voltaire, Washington. It is the lives of such men, men whose achievements are written in capital letters in the world's history, that we wish to speak of in this paper. Men are prone to recognize qualities of greatness in a man, whether this greatness be for the uplifting of humanity or for tearing it down. He who would have his life recorded must be a genius indeed. He must be made of different dust from the generality of men. He must have a spirit that brooks no opposition, and stands waiting every opportunity to go a step higher. Why is the lifework of Shakespeare recorded ? Is it because he was the first dramatist of any note that wrote in the English language, or is it because he was the greatest ? It is for the latter reason that scarcely a day passes without our hearing of the Bard of the Avon. He has given us masterpieces in their line. His works are read with increased interest as we become familiar with them. He has depicted for us human life as no other author ever did. Milton, sitting alone in darkness, gave THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 8l us his Paradise Lost. Bunyan, languishing in jail at Bedford, wrote his famous allegory, Pilgrim's Progress. It is men of this kind who make their names immortal, men who are burn-ing with the intensity of their subject, men who feel that they have a mission to perform, and consequently do it with all their might. Let us not think that good men alone have become great. The greatest villians of history have their names written side by side with the benefactors of mankind. Judas is known throughout the world. But, alas, for what? For having betrayed a kind and loving Saviour for money. Charles IV has become famous. For what ? For having ordered the most bloody slaughter of his fellow men that the civilized world has ever seen. Benedict Arnold is known to every schoolboy. He is not spoken of because of his heroic conduct at Quebec, but because of his base desertion of his native country, then struggling for freedom and justice. And so we might go on speaking of both the good and the bad, telling why their names are recorded. It is much more pleasant to hear good of men than bad, hence we would confine ourself to the good record rather than the bad. We see, in history, that men have become eminent and in-fluential, not by force of circumstance, but by energy and in-dustry. Especially in our own country do we see those who have sprung from the lowest walks of life, occupying positions of the greatest honor and trust. We see Lincoln, coming from the log-cabin in Kentucky, flashing upon the public gaze like a meteor. But, mark you, his achievements, up until the time he became president, were by no means meteoric. They were the results of persistent labor and a high aspiration. Other men might be mentioned, as having sprung from similar en-vironments ; such as Garfield, Webster, Rittenhouse, Carnegie, Edison, Black, Franklin, Clay, and others. As we have already remarked, it cannot be mere chance and genius that have thrust men before the gaze of their fellows, and will cause them to maintain the same enviable position for centuries. The man who is not willing to work and to strain 82 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. every nerve to accomplish a definite end, need not hope for success and probably an epitaph written in the world's history. To borrow an expression, we dare not lie on our backs and hug the delusive phantom, Genius, trusting it, alone, to work out our destiny for us. In all things, as in literature, native bent or genius is not sufficient. It must be combined with culture and discipline. Man is what he is by effort, and not by nature. Water is raised above the level of the original fountain by artificial means, and so man raised himself above the level of ordinary humanity by artificial means. Nature favors certain ones, it is true, but she is far more impartial than we give her credit for. The life of a great man is a continual struggle, it matters not what character he is playing in life's great drama, whether he be a poet or a statesman, a Washington or a Bunyan, it is equally arduous. We are sure to encounter rivalries if we come to be of any importance at all. A revelation of this kind awaits every young man who leaves his quiet, sheltered home, to enter the lists and engage in the strifes of men. He will find himself on the edge of the whirlpool of fierce contemplations. He may have been unduly flattered at home. Possessing unusual natural ability, he may have been even first in his native vil-lage. How dwarfed seem his own pitiful accomplishments, when once he has been ushered into the fierce competition of the larger world, in the presence of his more gifted fellows—men of brilliant intellect and high attainment. Holland says : "A young man will not be noticed until he becomes noticeable, and he will not become noticeable until he has done something to prove that he has an absolute value in society." To attain to true greatness one must have confidence in the possibilities that lie before him. The actual is what is, what may be is the possible. The actual and the possible of things are widely separated. They bear not the faintest resemblance to each other. We are too easily satisfied with what we are, and what we have already done. Men are too prone to rest on the actual. Men like Lincoln are the exceptions, but the THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 83 actual rail-splitter was the possible president. Probably every man feels that, in a sense, he is not what he ought to be, and what he might have been. He has let slip many opportunities t he has wasted many precious moments, he has listened to many evil suggestions, and can recall many failures. Many men in perfect health have made a miserable failure in life. Such men may well be shamed by the recital of what others have accomplished in illness and even in the very shadow of death- Milton, though blind, wrote "Paradise Lost." Greene wrote his "History of the English People" while suffering with an in-curable disease. We should seek to know, first of all, what our strong points are, and where our greatest power lies; and then seek to de-velop ourselves along those lines. A man can do at least one thing well, and failures come from trying to do some other thing. Never confuse Ambition and Presumption. Ambition, which leads to the greatest success ofttimes, is worthy of all praise; Presumption, which leads a man to try what he is not fitted for, is folly. Many a first-class carpenter, who might have become an architect of renown, has frittered his life away as a third class professional man. Many a poor preacher might have amassed a princely fortune in the business world. The value of discipline is incalculable. We are unable to exercise authority over others before we have conquered our-selves. Why does the educated man have an advantage in the competitions of life? Surely it is not on account of the names, dates, formula, etc., that he learned in school. These slip away from him with rapidity that is surprising. What is it, then, that gives him his powers to rise ? It is training, discipline. He is able to seize mens' problems and master them, because of demands made upon him, in the course of his training, which required a certain grasp and quickness. How many, many men are toiling, hard and earnestly, for a place on the world's honor roll ? How many have elements of greatness in them, and genius, which, unassisted by the things mentioned in the preceding paragraph, have not been devel-oped ? 84 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Let each one of us strive to cultivate in himself qualities, which, if they do not lend immortality to his name, will show our fellowmen that we have not lived in vain, that we have not been mere cumberers of the ground. Let us go forth, then, "to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart." Let us neglect no opportunity, spare no pains, submit to no discouragement. This done, we may say to Fortune: "Smile and we smile, the lords of many lands ; frown, and we smile, the lords of our own lands ; for man is man, and master of his fate." VESPERS. Dim shadows stretch along the hills, Her first shy note the wood thrush trills, • . In sweet alarm ; The lowing cattle homeward stray ; 'Tis twilight hour—the lingering day Hath lost her charm. Afar chime sweetly vesper bells ; The gathering gloom their anthem swells And peace bestows ; A dreamy echo, faint but fair, O'er evening throws the hush of prayer, Full, calm repose. —HAROU> E. WII^ON, in Wesleyan Lit. A MEMORY. The rustle soft of silk and lace, The fragrant blossoms falling slow, The moon's white light and thy dear face, So many years ago ! Before mine eyes stand now as then, Because I chance to see Our names deep-carved in that old bench Beneath the cherry tree. —1,. v. R. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 85 » , "KITTY." C. B. Gr,ADFEI,TER, '04. f t TT£ ITTY, dear, do you sec that beautiful green valley, **" flecked with white cottages, while beyond, the river, like a .stream of molten silver, flows rapidly on toward the falls ?" inquired Mr. George Wellington, as he turned his gaze from the glimpses of beautiful scenery which presented them-selves from the carriage window, and addressed his wife, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, beside himself. "I'll bet I do! It's high, aint it? It just knocks everything I ever see in the shape of stunnin' scenery! White Mountains can't hold a candle—" There is no telling how much farther the lady would have carried her extravagance of can't phraseology, had she not been suddenly checked by her husband. "Kitty, my dear, I cannot listen to such language as yours, which I assure you is highly improper for a lady or gentleman to make use of. You may be able to appreciate and admire the beauties of nature, yet if you cannot express your thoughts and comparisons in more lady-like and more becoming and elegant language, you had better remain silent. When I first saw you four months ago, and falling in love with your pretty face and comely form, asked you to become my wife, and took you from the humble position of a farmer girl to make you the wife of George Wellington, I had no doubt that with your ex-cellent disposition and willingness to be taught, I should soon be able to eradicate those blemishes of education common among girls of your former position ; and also to give up those "can't terms, " or "slang phrases," which I may say is the only bad habit to which you are addicted," said her husband, firmly, yet kindly. "Well, now, I'm sorry you're so tender-eared, but I can't go dictionary talk. You sail in on big jaw-breakers like a horse> but you see, I never had such schoolin'," she retorted feelingly "It is not the simplicity or plainness of your language o 86 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. which I object," he continued, "and I can also overlook your ignorance of the rules of grammar, which you may easily learn ; but I dislike your "slang terms," which mar the effect of nearly every sentence you utter. If you wish, I will illustrate my meaning plainly." "Go in," she exclaimed. " 'Go in' is a phrase which no lady will make use of when it has no reference to the subject of her conversation." "Up a tree, again, am I ?" "Why do you say, 'up a tree ?' It has no meaning as you used it." "I can't see it. You're too minceing. Talk English, I say; go the whole hog." "Will you reflect previous to speaking, Kitty, and be very careful ?" "Yes, I'll put in all I know how." "Why not have said, you would try ?" "That's played out. I'd rather do a thing than be keeping books on a thing I can-not do, try all I can muster. Puttin' on airs is a thing I de-spise," she remarked, more earnestly than grammatically. "You are incorrigible," he returned. "That's so," she re-plied, as if the subject, as well it might, was becoming distaste-ful to her. "Kitty, I have no desire to cause you a moment's pain," he continued, kindly, "but I must request you to use language be-fitting a lady, for if you should utter such phrases as you have made use of since our marriage, and which I have repeatedly requested you to abstain from, to no purpose, it will cause me vast mortification, and I shall feel far from proud to introduce you to my relatives and friends in the city whither we are going, and where I had hoped to bring a mistress who should preside with beauty and refinement in the mansion at 264 N. Centre St., C—, which is being put in readiness to receive us." "Do you want me to put a stopper on my mouth for a whole term ? If you mean so, sail in and say so," she replied, evi-dently with the intention of letting the matter drop, and her husband, who seemed to think it a hopeless case, was also THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 87 silent, and the subject was not alluded to again during the journey. ******* * Mr. George Wellington had returned to the city and had brought home a wife, who, while she was very beautiful and graceful, and dressed with taste, could not speak a loud word, in fact, "did not utter a syllable above a whisper." So said the neighbors, who had called upon Mr. Wellington and lady, and as the story was in everybody's mouth, it cer-tainly must be true. The visitors had undertaken to hold conversation with Mrs. Wellington, and although she was not deaf, and could under-stand perfectly all that was said to her, yet she was obliged to answer them by way of her maid, Crete, who first listened to the words of her mistress, uttered in a faint whisper, and then repeated them to the ladies that had called. This method, of course, was not approved by the "fashionable world," or that portion of it which resided in the vicinity of Mr. Wellington's residence, for several reasons. In the first place, it did not please the ladies who conversed with Mrs. Wellington to ad-dress themselves to the servant, in order to reach that lady's ears, for they sometimes forgot that Mrs. Wellington was not deaf, and seemed to speak as well as listen to the words of Crete, who was well educated and conversed with an elegance and purity of diction remarkable for a domestic; and, in the second place, it did not give them an opportunity to draw out family secrets, so as to ascertain Mrs. Wellington's social standing at G— previous to her marriage with the renowned lawyer; for had it been known that she "was nothing but a farmer girl," not of that circle of "aristocratic" ladies who were so profuse in their compliments and good wishes, not one would have ever honored the new wife with their visits. But the lady's anteced-ents were all in the dark, and rumor asserted that she was the "daugher of an English banker," so that all gossip concerning her right of admission to their "set" was soon dispersed. It must be admitted that the strange conduct of his wife, in refusing to speak aloud or to hold any conversation with guests, 88 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. save with Crete as "interpreter," was a matter of surprise to Mr. Wellington; but his questionings were all in vain, and threats were useless, as Mrs. Wellington still persisted in "keep-ing mum" as she elegantly expressed it in whispered accent. A few months after, Mr. Wellington was startled and pleased to hear his wife conversing in rather loud and cheerful tones, and by the animated accents he judged that something had at last induced his wife to resume her former tones, and at the same time, he noticed that her language was free from all "slang phrases" and was quite befitting a lady. Unable to ex-plain this sudden change, he entered the parlor and found his wife engaged in lively conversation with a mutual friend. After the visitor had left he quickly asked Mrs. Wellington the reason of her sudden resumption of voice, and also her motive in cor-recting her language, which was the most pleasing circum-stance of the two, he smilingly observed. "Louis," she re-plied, addressing him by his family name, "I will confess all. I knew my use of 'can't phrases' arid 'slang terms' was a habit which was in my power to overcome If it vexed you, it was distressing to myself, and I soon formed a plan for its cure. I sent for an old friend of mine, Crete Martin, to whom I con • fided my plan, and she promised to assist me, for besides in-structing me how to speak and how to avoid loose expressions, she volunteered to become my 'interpreter' to all who called, providing I would remain silent or not speak above a whisper, and to her only. This plan was put into execution, and you, dearest husband, have seen the result." "How can I express my pleasure, oh, dearest of wives?" passionately asked the hus-band. "By forgiving me for the harmless ruse I have made use of to effect my cure of the "lingual disease" and by confessing that you are not sorry that you married the little 'farmer girl,' " replied his wife. The fashionable friends of Mr. and Mrs. Wellington were astonished to hear of the lady's recovery of her voice, but they never heard Kitty Wellington make use of any "slang phrases." THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 89 THE ROMAN EMPIRE TAKEN AS A MODEL FOR THE PAPAL EMPIRE. D. MONTFORT MEIXHtOR, '02. T^fANY people are amazed at the greatness of the Catholic A*A Church, wonder at its strength, power and firmness. We all know how amid the strife, contention and turmoil of Protestant Churches the Roman Catholic Church moves on without a ripple to disturb the placid calmness of its govern-ment. The great question with many people is why this should be the case with this one church and not with the rest. A great deal of dissatisfaction is expressed and complaint made about wranglings in the Protestant Churches; and the Papal Empire is upheld as a model and criticism of perfect church manage-ment. It is not that Protestantism is weak, but that Catholi-cism is strong. Rome has been regarded the greatest model of perfect gov-ernment the world has ever known. From 754 B. C. to the fall of the Eastern Empire, in 1452 A. D., Rome or its equiva-lent tried almost all kinds of government imaginable, and not until the time of the Empire did it show its maximum of true strength and irresistable power. In her earlier history when Rome was acknowledged all powerful, and when there were no other formidable powers to oppose her, it was a comparatively small matter to be ruler of the world. But to call itself the mightiest of world powers and then defend that title against the rest of a civilized and strengthened world was another mat-ter. The republic in a comparatively short time failed to at-tain the ideal of strength, owing, at first, to a lack of centrali-zation of power and afterwards to the high-handed measures of the Triumvirate. When Octavianus assumed supreme rulership he had to face the problem of founding the mightiest nation the world had ever seen. And even under him and his immediate successors Rome did not attain its summum of strength and greatness— 9o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. at least in firmness of civil organization. It remained for Diocletian and Constantine to establish a sytsem of government the principles of which could well defy all other forms of rule ever attempted. When yet a youth it was prophesied by a Druidess that Diocletian should at some time be emperor, and consequently throughout his early life he always kept this ambitious end in view. When he did ascend the throne, vigorous measures were necessary to get the Empire under his direct control, and ere long the Senate was deprived of its powers, and everything was brought under his immediate control. One writer says, he instituted a variety of forms at court, which precluded access to his throne, and entrusted the care of his palace to the vigilance of eunuchs; required every subject, even the highest rank, to fall prostrate to the ground, and to approach him as a divinity; ordained them to even kiss his feet, and had his shoes for the purpose of this ceremony, em-broidered with gold and studded with precious stones. To quote from Morey, "To exalt the person of the emperor was one of the first objects of the reforms of Diocletian. This prince assumed the diadem of the East, and the approach to his person was rendered difficult by complicated ceremonies. Every means was used to prevent any detraction from the im-perial honor and sanctity." But ere long Diocletian found his throne threatened by pre-tenders, and feeling the need of an assistant, "Diocletian had associated with himself in the government his companion in arms, Maximian ; and under the name of 'Augusti' these two persons had divided between them the Eastern and Western provinces. Each Augustus also chose an associate under the name of 'Caesar.'" Thus all the Roman provinces were grouped into four great territorial divisions. This formed the basis of the provincial system of Constantine, who not only perfected the territorial organization of the empire, but also separated the civil from the military authority. For purposes of civil administration the whole empire was THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 91 divided into four great praefccturcs each under its own governor called a Pretorian Praefect. The praefecture was divided into dioceses each under an officer called a Vicar. Each diocese was subdivided into provinces under officers called Presidents or Consulors. Each governor represented in his own dominion the Imperial authority. By the hierarchy of civil officers thus established the government of the Roman territory was reduced to the most systematic organization." This was the key note of the great success of the empire as a civil organization under Diocletian and his successors. Let us now turn to the Papal Empire. In organizing itself the Church followed the model of the Empire, the ecclesiastical divisions conforming to those of the civil administration. In the organization of the Roman Empire we have had at its head the Emperor, who was all supreme, and whose decisions were never questioned; in the Papal Empire we have the Pope, whose commands are regarded as the commands of God; in the Ro-man Empire we had directly under the Emperor 4 Prastorian Prsefects, each ruling over a Prefecture; in the Papal Empire, next in authority to the Pope, are the 4 Cardinals, correspond-ing to the Vicars of the Roman Empire; we have in the Papal Empire the Archbishops; where there were Presidents or Con-sulars in the Roman Empire, there are in the Papal Empire bishops. Thus we notice that the outline of the two great sys-tems is the same. In every respect the Papal Empire modeled itself after the Roman Empire. They went hand in hand for a long time—the one claiming the highest authority in spiritual affairs, the other in temporal affairs. Myers says: "Nor was this advantage lost when misfortune befell the imperial city. Thus the removal by Constantine of the seat of government to the Bosphorus, instead of diminish-ing the power and dignity of the Roman bishops, tended pow-erfully to promote their claims and authority. In the phrase of Dante, 'it gave the shepherd room.' It left the Pontiff the fore-most personage of Rome." Imperial Rome was gone, but the Pope, modeling his rule after that of the abdicated Imperium, placed in its stead Papal Rome. 92 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. "If the misfortunes of Rome tended to the enhancement of the reputation and influence of the Roman bishops, much more did the downfall of the Capital tend to the same end. Upon the surrender of the sovereignty of the West into the hands of the Emperor of the East, the bishops of Rome be-came the most important persons in Western Europe, and, be-ing so far removed from the Court at Constantinople, gradually assumed almost imperial powers. They became the arbiters between barbarian chiefs and the Italians, and to them were re-ferred for decision the disputes arising between cities, states and kings. It is easy to see how directly and powerfully these things tended to strengthen the authority and increase the in-fluence of the Roman See." As in the Roman Empire the Emperor was always appealed to as the highest authority in cases of civil strife, so "all cases might be appealed from the courts of the bishops and arch-bishops of the different European countries to the Papal See, which then became the court of last resort in all cases affecting ecclesiastics or concerning religion. The Pope thus came to be regarded as the fountain of justice, and the supreme judge of Christendom, while emperors and kings and all civil magistrates bore the sword simply as his ministers to carry into effect his sentences and decrees." Thus we see that in looking at an outline of the Roman Empire and the Papal Empire they are identical. Easily is it demonstrated that the Papal Empire was modeled directly after the Roman Empire, and that it js through this fact it has at-tained its excellence as a religious institution. "THE man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils ; And his affections, dark as Erebus ; Let no such man be trusted." —SHAKESPEARE. ■ THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 93 ALEXANDER HAMILTON. W. W. BAKXEY, '04. g^UR Revolutionary fathers were heroes. The mighty con- ^■^ flict they waged for eight long years was filled with deeds of bravery and loyal sacrifice unparalleled in the history of ancient or modern times. Their struggle was long and hard, but they fought with an unflinching determination to free themselves forever from the stern hand of European tyranny and monarchy. They won; they at last realized the dream of the ages, the overthrow of iron-handed despotism with its host of god born kings and titled nobles. It was the death-blow to all those grinding customs and petty systems which had been the curse of nations for many ages, and the glorious establish-ment of the free and equal rights of all men upon the American Continent. What a victory! what a far-reaching stride along the path of civilization! Ours is the legacy to enjoy and main-tain. Rich and blessed is our heritage, the grandest and most perfect government upon the face of the globe. Esteemed and honored everywhere is the man who proudly bears the name of American. The soldier of seventy-six was pre eminently a destroyer. He touched with the fire-brand all that impeded the natural growth and unrestricted development of his country. He laid the axe at the root of the tree of British sovereignty. Glowing with red-hot indignation at his country's wrong, burning with an eager desire for freedom, he shouldered the musket and went forth to conquer or to die, a sacrifice upon the altar of a country's righteous cause, the bravest of the brave and the truest of the true! His work was destruction. Washington was the greatest destroyer of them all, and with him stood Patrick Henry, who thrilled assemblies crying aloud for "liberty or death;" Thomas Jefferson, mighty with the pen, and the ar-dent Samuel Adams, stirring the heart of anxious New Eng-land. England's grip on her prized colonies was loosed, leaving 94 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. them in the full and complete possession of liberty. The wor of destruction was finished. The larger work began the task of the Constitution. The Revolution was ended, but a more haz-ardous war remained, the war for the union and integrity of the States. A temple had to be erected for liberty to dwell in. Our fathers builded and they builded better than they knew. Chief among American builders was Alexander Hamilton. After the lapse of over a hundred years, free from prejudice, envy, and hate, we can look back with national pride upon the colossal grandeur of his character and declare him to be the noblest, the surest, the most profound of all the architects of our government. Next to Washington, he deserves to be classed at the very head of America's greatest statesmen. He was indeed a political giant. His figure stands out in bold out-line above all others. The whole of Europe has proclaimed him to be the ablest jurist and statesman ever produced in America. In thoroughness of scholarship, in extent and depth of knowledge, in profundity of research, in wisdom and judg-ment in application, Hamilton can be equaled by no man ever connected with the conduct of our nation's affairs. After being tried and tested for more than a century of time, the republic stands firmer, steadier, stronger than ever before. Politically, industrially and commercially, Hamilton has helped more than any man to make us what we are, and as the years recede this fact continues to grow clearer and obtains a more complete recognition from the American people. He placed the stamp of his influence and genius upon the character of our institu-tions never to be erased, and out of the greatest crisis which ever befell a country, he brought forth harmony, unity and system. As a boy, Hamilton was precocious and ambitious. Very early in life he showed signs of future greatness. Intense ap-plication of an already fertile mind to all his school and col-lege tasks fitted him for the larger work before him. While yet a mere boy he was grappling with weighty problems of state and government. Almost immediately at the beginning of the Revolution he THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 95 became Washington's trusty aid-de-camp. All through those dark and troublous days, which sorely tried the honored gen-eral's soul, Hamilton was constantly by his side to advise and encourage, to write all his official papers and to act as his diplomat in cases which involved mighty and often uncertain issues. Truly he was the war complement of Washington. He solved the most knotty problems. "He interpreted the past, understood the present, and divined the future." Who will say that his sound judgment and keen foresight did not contribute largely to the final outcome of the war? The condition of the country at the close of the Revolution is well known to every student of American history. A hungry, ragged, unpaid army, a ruined national credit, a bank-rupt treasury, a disordered finance, a distracted commerce, thirteen ghastly States, groping about in the darkness like ghastly spectres in a graveyard with nothing to guide them but the despised articles of confederation and a wretched Congress with power to devise but none to enforce. No executive, no judiciary! A nation free but none to guide! "One today; thirteen to-morrow." Oh, the misery and the dilapidated con-dition of the colonies at the end of the Revolution ! Independ-ence, but no union! It was a crisis, terrible and momentous. Not until the wise men of eighty-seven came together in convention was there anything accomplished. Then the Con-stitution was born. Read our history and you will learn that in the work of that assembly, and in the framing of that instru-ment, Hamilton led, and the very skeleton itself of that great Supreme Law is the fruit of wisdom. The convention ad-journed and placed the work of their hands before the bar of the people. They howled, and cried, "Monarchy," "Tyranny," "Aristocracy," "Centralization." The States cried out against the loss of any of their so-called rights. At this juncture Hamilton came forward in the Federalist. He argued, he pleaded, he persuaded, he overcame popular prejudice, and was victorious in the adoption of the Constitution by the States in eighty-nine. Guizot declares, "There is not in the Constitution of the 96 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. United States an element of order, of force, of duration which Hamilton has not powerfully contributed to introduce into it and give it predominance." In these words he spoke but the world's sentiment. All remember Hamilton's faithful services at the head of the Treasury Department in Washington's administration. Imagine the chaos and confusion, ruin and disorder, at this stage in our history. Upon this state of affairs he turned the full light of his well-balanced mind and out came plans and schemes, order and system. The debt was cleared away, the national bank established, the nation's credit restored, and the country began to prosper. It was marvelous and astounding! Upon the dead skeleton of a paper constitution he put flesh and blood and nerves, and into it he breathed the breath of life and it be-came a living, working organism. What a miracle! He had tested the machinery of the government and proved it prac-tical. None have paid Hamilton a higher tribute than Web-ster. "He smote the rock of national resources and abundant streams of revenue burst forth; he touched the dead corpse of the public credit and it sprang upon its feet." All that is good in our financial history for a hundred years, and more, can be traced directly to the creative mind of Hamilton; all that is poor and unsteady can be found in violation of the principles outlined in the Hamiltonian policy. Surely this Hamilton was a true, a manly man, a genuine patriot, a powerful statesman, and the glorious benefactor of a nation mighty and respected among the powers of the earth. He stood for an idea, and that idea was a representative de-mocray with strong central powers. He abhored that monster, States' Rights. He said, "Down with the States and up with the nation;" "We the people," and not "We the States." When Daniel Webster uttered that memorable speech in Congress in reply to Hayne, "Liberty and union now and forever, one and inseparable," it was only the reverberation of Hamilton's warn-ing. When Stephen A. Douglas was crying out for Squatter Sovereignty, he did it in violation of the Hamiltonian principle. And when Abraham Lincoln set free four millions of slaves 1 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 97 * with one stroke of the pen, he was only advancing the doctrine laid down by Hamilton fifty years before. The Civil War was Hamilton's war; its victory, his victory. At Gettysburg, he, as well as Meade, led the hosts for the Union ; at Appomattox, he, as well as Grant, received the sword from the grim-visaged Lee. Oh, that his words of warning had been heeded long before they were proved righteous and correct in that disastrous civil feud. Perhaps the war might have been averted. Neces-sary, or not necessary, we ought to thank God for the down-fall of Southern slavery and the maintenance of our country in-tact. April 9, 1865, marks the dying day of States' Rights, and the complete vindication of the government at Washington. The Union still stands, one and inseparable. To-day we can boast of forty-five States and six Territories, solid and compact as the Macedonian Phalanx, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, bound together by the unbreakable bonds of like lan-guage, customs, and laws, eighty millions of people welded to-gether in unity with common interests and mutual feelings of love and sympathy. Sectional hatred and bitterness have long since died away. The North and the "South are no more. When the late call came for troops to fight Spain in behalf of her suffering, maltreated subjects, the soldiers of Georgia and Alabama marched side by side with the boys from New Hamp-shire and Vermont, General Joe Wheeler linked arms with General Miles, and all advanced abreast, oblivious of the past, mindful only of the struggle for Cuba's holy cause. Alexander Hamilton has passed away, but the principles for which he strove still live and they will continue to live so long as the United States keeps moving onward and upward in the path of righteousness and sound government. Here was a man of destiny. This republic of ours was his master ideal, this government, the substance of his political thought. His services were distinctly national, and it was the aim of his whole life to harmonize, and solidify, and unify the country. Oh, the strength, the grandeur, the power and might of 98 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. America! One to-day, one to-morrow, and may she remain one, firm and steady, until she has fulfilled the whole mission for which God intended her! America, the leader,the civilizer, the Christianizer of the whole world! America, united, "The land of the free and the home of the brave!" THS BELI/. IN the early gray of morning When in dreamland far you stray, Far away from books and lessons And the tasks of every day, You are suddenly awakened, Roused from slumber's drowsy spell By a most unearthly clatter— The unwelcome rising bell. If you're trying hard to scribble Just a line to Jack or Paul, And you think you'll surely finish Ere the postman makes his call; When you're midway in your missive And you've lots of news to tell— Then your roommate shouts, "Oh, Nellie! Eton't you hear the breakfast bell ?" When you're deep in some good story, And the hero of the tale Is involved in awful peril And his plans seem sure to fail; You will hear a sound familiar, An impatient ting-a-ling— At the most absorbing moment, Then the school bell's sure to ring. But when you're in recitation And you know the lesson well, All except the last two pages And you're yearning for the bell From the horrors of a zero Kind deliverance to bring Ere the teacher swoops upon you— Then the bell will never ring. E. H. R. in The College Folio. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 99 "YARNS." FRESHMAN. ^^NE day, this Winter, one of the professors of this institu- ^^ tution agreed to go skating with me. We followed the railroad, which was the nearest way to the pond to which we were going, when we came to a trestle over which we had to pass. This trestle suggested to the professor's mind a story. I will not vouch for its truth, but will say that this and the other stones following were really told. "This trestle," he said, "reminds me of one which I had to cross one time. As I was crossing it I was very much alarmed to find that a train was approaching and was so near that I could not possibly get to the other side of the trestle before the train would overtake me. I had to think very quickly and at once saw that the only thing for me to do was to drop down and hold on the railroad ties with my hands. But it so hap-pened that my one hand was hurt so that I had to hold on only by the other. However, since that was my only possible way of saving my life, I had to drop and hold on until the train had passed." I thought that this was a very good "yarn," but felt that I ought not to be outdone, and so I said: "Well, that may be true, but I had a much more thilling ad-venture one time. It was when I was out in the Rocky Moun-tains. I had come to a very long trestle and was crossing it- It was a bitter cold day and I was hurrying to get to my desti-nation. Nevertheless, I was delayed by an unlooked-for occur rence. A train was rapidly coming on and I was in great peril, for I, like you, could not possibly reach the end of the trestle in time to save myself as you did, for I had in my hands some very valuable packages. Although there was a great deal of water below I felt that in- order to escape the train, which was almost upon me, I would have to jump. You know how your tongue will adhere to iron or steel on a cold day ? Well, as I jumped I thought of this and quickly put out my IOO THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. tongue. As soon as it touched the bottom of the rail, the rail held it and there I hung, held only by my tongue, until the train had passed. I then put my package on the track and having climbed up, went on my way." This was almost too much for the professor, -but he was ready for me and said: "Why, that was nothing at all. I was once in the same predicament. I was on a trestle, a train was coming, I could not get across and I had four valuable packages in my hands. I saw that I would have to jump and at once did so, but my collar button caught on the lower part of the rail and held me until the train passed when I managed to crawl up to the track." Now, these stories may sound a little "fishy," but when you consider that a professor and I told them, I think you will put a little belief in them. However, they helped to pass the time and made us feel in good enough spirits to enjoy the skating immensely. MEMORIES. THE night creeps on. From off the still gray shore A heavy fog rolls in, and seems to shroud The world about me in a murky cloud. Of darkness, such as ne'er was felt before. In my very soul the shadows pour Their sober gloom; in loneliness low-bowed, My spirit faints before a clinging crowd Of memories—of days that are no more. But hark! A strain of music threads the gloom, And like a ray from heaven doth swift reveal My mother dear, singing that song one night, While summer moon-beams flooded all the room. Ah, once again her loving glance I feel, Sweet benediction—all is peace and light. —MINNIE B. MORRISON. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. IOI "THE MILL WILL NEVER GRIND WITH THE WATER THAT IS PAST." LYMAN A. GUSS, '04. ^3^7"HAT is man? Man is two things. First, he is clay ^ * and destined to die. Secondly, he is spirit and des-tined to live. But man is only a singular being and hence must involve these two seemingly separate forms of existence. The first idea associates man with time; the second with eter-nity. Concerning the latter we have no interest so far as material gain and human achievements go. Concerning the former we have the supremest interest, both in regard to worldly advancement and spiritual salvation; for the first stage is but a stepping-stone to the second. To man is granted to know the present and the past, but with reference to the future he may only conjecture. In truth does not even the proverbial saying limit this privilege by proclaiming: "Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." So recasting our former proposition it may be said with equal propriety, The mill will only grind with the water that is present. Man is the mill; the grinding of the mill is his influence and life product; and the water is time. Philosophers would tell us-that there is no present; that there is no mental ground between past and future. They would thereby make time contradict itself. Man acts only in the present, and his work is over as soon as transition from present to past occurs. He has never accomplished anything in the future. The world was made in present time, even in the twinkling of an eye. The God of the universe spoke and the earth was. Every separate act of any kind, simple or complex, contributing perhaps to the completion of some great work is always done in the present—never in the past, never in the future. O Time, defacer of the sculptured stone, Destroyer grim of all things here below— The clay-built cottage and the princely throne By thee are laid, without distinction, low ! 102 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Without a pause thou run'st thy swift career, Within king man does not perceive 'tis so ; He hopes another and another year Till death, unlooked for, strikes the fatal blow. In mail like thine my being ever shall Of Life's bright Present wear its coronal." But let us assume a somewhat broader view; let us consider the present as a day, as a month, or even as a year, and pass unnoticed the record of our acts upon the slate of time until at the end of one of these periods, when a retrospection will reveal the employment of our time, putting on the one side our good deeds, on the other side the bad. Then it is, when an attempt is made to counterbalance these two accounts, that we will comprehend the value of diligence and good works. To-day, this hour, even this minute is the time to act. To-day form your ideals, arouse your ambition, and with all the po-energy of your soul strive to realize them. He who covets success must face obstacles almost unsurmountable, must suffer hardships almost beyond endurance, and must overcome the strongest of opposition with an iron will. Failures are but stepping-stones to greater effort. Let every one have a definite aim, and, having made a firm decision, let him push straight forward to the goal, in order that he may utilize in a profitable manner and to the best of his ability the allotment given him by Father Time, remembering that "Time and tide wait for no man," and that "The mill will never grind with the water that is past." The present is full of opportunities, and there is great advan-tage in alertness. Truly has Longfellow said: "Trust no Future howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act, act in the living Present! Heart within and God o'erhead !" Now is the opportunity given of taking Time by the fore-lock and thereby accruing personal advantage. The idler has never performed any task worth mentioning. Men lacking energy are always destined to fail in Life's battle. Such a per- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. I03 son is lost by the wayside while his companions surge on with the mighty throng endeavoring to scale the mountain of suc-cess. He who fails to progress in worldly conquest is but the retracer of his own footsteps, going about in a circle, as it were, whose radius differs in proportion to his ability. Personal advantage is gained only by instant action in event of possibil-ity for advancement. Opportunities great and small, the smaller tending always to greater ones, continually thrust themselves in our pathway, and ours it is but to embrace them and profit thereby. Every moment of youth is precious as gold, and al-most every hour determines one notch in the wheel of our destiny. Great men whose deeds have startled the world and whose lives have become history have been men of quick perception and of instantaneous action. Ancient and modern history fur-nishes many instances. Did Leonidas make his brave stand at Thermopylae except by grim determination and opportune re-sistance? Did Chas. Martel redeem Christianity except by nerves of steel and timely onslaught? Did Napoleon, the greatest soldier of the modern world, change the map of Europe except by realizing the might and strength of his power?—he of whom it is said: "Decision flashed upon his councils and it was the same to decide and to perform." Or did even a Dewey send a fleet to destruction except by his cognition of favorable circumstances? No indeed. Their convictions have been wholly different from those of the man of slow growth, he -who believes in the hand of Fate. They have been convinced of the fact that to do or die is the only policy in a supreme moment. So time rolls by, sealing every minute the fate of many men. How many lives are spent in vain? How many are wasted by degenerate living? On the sands of time are the foot-prints of the many. Echoing through the corridors of time resound the foot-steps of the few. These are the men of sterling worth, who have discovered the secret of human prowess, who have found the key to success, and who have performed their parts on demand. Now let us employ the future but a moment and • 104 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. hope that the time is coming when the youth of our land will adopt higher ideals, will more eagerly strive to attain them, and will be incited to greater individual effort thereby; while on the ocean of Life they hear the breezes sighing, "The mill will never grind with the water that is past." EVENTIDE. A GLORY gilds the distant hills, While the western sun sinks into the sea ; The golden light shines out more bright For the gathering shadows on the lea ; And then, as the mellow sunlight dies, The stars shine forth in the darkening skies, When the night is nigh. When joys are done, and the setting sun Of our dearest hopes thus sheds around A glory fair ere dark despair Comes like a cheerless night profound ; As fades the slowly dying light, Lo, stars of promise greet the sight In faith's clear sky, —W. G. in The Roanoke Collegian. TWILIGHT. THERE'S a sweetness in the air When the sun is low, And the sky is flushed and bare When the light winds blow. And the shadows come and go While the night bird calls Across the dewy meadows when the twilight falls. There's a sadness in my heart And the tears fall fast As I muse upon a day dream All too sweet to last; And my thoughts are of the past When the night bird calls Across the dewy meadows when the twilight falls. —B. F. G. in The College Folio. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffi.ce at Gettysburg as second-class matter VOL. XI GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1902 No. 3 Editor-in-chief H. S. LEWARS, '03 Assistant Editors Exchange Editor Miss MARY WILSON, '04 SAM. P. WEAVER, '04 LYMAN A. GUSS, '04 Business Manager E. CARL MUMFORD, '03 Asst. Business Manager FRED. MASTERS, '04 Advisory Board PROF. J. A. HIMES, LITT.D. PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M.D. PROF. J. W. RTCHARD, D.D. Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price, one dollar a year in advance; single copies 15 cents. Notice to discontinue sending the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Busi-ness Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EDITORIALS. Who does not love the Spring tide, the SPRING TERM. . , a , . ,,. . time of opening flowers, of budding trees and singing birds ? Surely everyone is glad for this beautiful season, and is happy to bid adieu to cold Winter. Our charm-ing poet, Ghaucer, loved the Spring, and somewhere says: * * "Whan that the month of May Is comen, and ±hat I here the foules singe, And that the flowers ginnen for to springe Farwel my boke and my devocioun." It would seem, when we consider the state of affairs here, that Chaucer is not alone in such sentiments. I do not mean that chapel exercises suffer lack of attendance or recitations a lack of preparation. But this feeling is present and manifests io6 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. itself to such an extent that when recitations are over if you want to find a fellow you look for him on the athletic field or in the woods. Now, this is without doubt beneficial, but liter-ary work suffers greatly on this account, and as a consequence, the literary journal must fall somewhat below its usual standard of excellence. Give plenty of time to exercise; it is a good thing, but there ought to be a reflex action from exercise upon work. Give a reasonable amount of time to athletics; the college depends upon it, but don't neglect literary work. ■^ It has been the custom for many years for SENIOR MEMORIAL. each, grad,uat.i.ng cl, ass to l, eave somet.h,.ing as a memorial. Most classes have planted an ivy vine to cling to the walls of the chapel, and every June a few of the mem-bers attending commencement paid it a visit and watered it if it was needed. Often during a hot summer the little vine cried out for water, but the scorching sun was sent instead, and as there was no kind hand to give it relief, it wilted and died. The present Senior class has another plan for its memorial, and instead of adding to the supply of ivy vines has decided to make a new walk leading from South College to the main road. This is a new departure and is one of the most commendable things done by any class for the institution. It has another feature in it, for every member of the class can aid in the work, and they have done so, for the preliminary work is finished. In future years when they visit the institution they will find no small pleasure in the thought that with their own hands they helped to make this walk. Next year when they are gone, the student rushing into the dormitory in the driving rain, will be spared the inconvenience of sinking six inches into the ground at every step, and will speak a benediction upon this thoughtful class. This walk is a fitting memorial for the class. CATALOGUE. The catalogue for this college year is pub-lished. As a whole it speaks improvement. The book itself has a chaste cover, and the printing and half- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. I07 tone work reflects great credit upon the printers, Barbehenn & Little. Another elective has been added to the coarse, giving those who care to avail themselves of the opportunity another year in French. Hitherto, only one year was offered in French, and it was spent in the elementary study of the language. Another feature has been added to this department. Inter-national correspondence both in French and German has been arranged for those who care to avail themselves of it. This is very beneficial and &11 should welcome the improvement in the department and hence in the college. K^> EXCHANGES. THE exchanges for last month have arrived very slowly^ A few of them are very creditable, but a great majority have fallen far below their former standard. Lack of space will not permit any further review of them but we have quoted from the most creditable, in the body of the magazine. BOOK REVIEW. Vergil's Aineid. Books I—VI. Harlan Balard. Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, #1.50. Houghton, It is a most difficult task to give a faithful translation of the works of a famous writer. The style of the original, the strength of diction, the intensity of feeling are often lost. Es-pecially is this true of poetry and on this account very few good translations are extant. In this translation the author has given a faithful rendition of the text. He has preserved the meter of Vergil—-the son-orous heroic hexameter, Those who cannot enjoy the poem in the original will find this an admirable translation. io8 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. A sk your bookseller to shewyou these books. Published by Hinds & Nobley New York. Songs of All the Colleges - - - $1.50 Songs of the Eastern Colleges ■ - 1.25 Songs of the Western Colleges ■ - 1.26 New Songs for Glee Clubs - .50 3 Minute Declamations for College Men '" 1.00 3 Minute Readings for College Girls - 1.00 New Pieces for Prize Speaking - - 1.25 Pros and Cons (Complete Debates) - 1.50 Commencement Parts,( Orations, Essays, etc.) 1.50 Established 1867 by Allen Walton. Allen K. Walton, Pres. and Treas. Robt. J. Walton, Superintendent. Hiimmelstown Brown Stone Compaq, QUARRYMEN and Manufacturers of BUILDING STONE, SAWED FLAGGING, and TILE, IALTONVILLE DAUPHIN COUNTY, PENNA. Contractors for all kinds of Cut Stone Work. Telegraph and Express Address, BROWNSTONE, PA. Parties visiting Quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station, on the P. & R. R.R. RIDER AGENTS WANTED one in each town to ride and exhibit a sample 1902 model bicycle of our manufacture. YOU CAN MAKE $10 TO $BOA VKEEWbesides having awheel to ridefor yourself. I902 Models SfifiS $9 fo$l5 1900 and 1901 Models M B fl E K s E T s $7 f0 $(| 500 Second Hand Wheels^**, PA I a Ken iii trade by our Chicago retail stores, allyj 10yQ makes and models, good as new ~ ""^~ We ship any bicycle OH APPROVAL to any-one without a cent deposit in advance and allow You take absolutely no risk in ordering from us, as you do not need to pay a cent if the bicycle does not suit you. ItA DAT B5817 a wheel until you have written for our UU Kill DUI FACTORY PRICES & FREE TRIAL OFFER. Tires, equipment, sundries and sporting goods of all kinds, at half regular prices, in our big free sundry catalogue. Con-tains a world of useful information. Write for it. WANT a, reliable person in each town to distribute catalogues for us in exchange for a bicycle. Write today for free catalogue and our speoial offer. J. L. MEAD CYCLE CO., Chicago, III. 10 DAYS FREE TRIAL. . WE RECOMMEND THESE FIRMS. The Pleased Customer is not a stranger in our estab-lishment— he's right at home, you'll see him when you call. We have the materials to please fastidious men. J. D. LIPPY, HXEerelaia.rrt Tailor, 29 Chambersburg Street, GETTYSBURG, PA. CITY HOTEL, Main Street, - Gettysburg, Pa. Free Bus to an from all trains. Thirty seconds' walk from either depot. Dinner with drive over field with four or more, $1.35. Rates, $1.50 to $2.00 per Day. John E. Hughes, Prop. L. M. ALLEMAN, Manufacturers' Agent and Jobber of Hardware, Oils, Paints and Queensware, CETTYSBURC, PA. The only Jobbing House in Adams County. GHAS. E. BARBEHCHH. THE EAGLE HOTEL Corner Main and Washington Sts. | Roehiier's Cream of Roses For Chapped Hands, Face, Lips, and Rough Skin. Removes Tan and Sunburn. Gentlemen should use it after shaving. It cures razor pimples. Price, 25 cents. For sale at CODORI'S DRUG STORE. t B. ^zmillei1, Dealer in Hats, Caps, Boots and Douglas Shoes, GETTYSBURG, PA. WEIKERT & CROUSE, Butchers, Everything in this line we handle. GIVE US A TRIAL. Baltimore Street, - Gettysburg. COME AND SEE one of the larg-est, best lighted and equipped Modern Photographic Stndios in Pennsylvania, which will be oc-cupied about April 1st. Nos. 20 and 22 Chambersburg St. On opposite side of street from old stand. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. AMOS ECKERT Latest Styles in HATS, SHOES AND GENT'S FURNISHING 4k 4* .Our specialty. WALK-OVER SHOE AMOS ECKERT Prices always right The Lutheran puhligjjing {huge. No. 1424 Arch Street PHILADELPHIA, PA. Acknowledged Headquarters for anything and everything in the way of Books for Churches, Col-leges, Families and Schools, and literature for Sunday Schools. PLEASE REMEMBER That by sending your orders to us you help build up and devel-op one of the church institutions with pecuniary advantage to yourself. Address H. S. BONER, Supt., THESE FIRMS ARE O. K. PATRONIZE THEM. E. H. FORREST liaiieliiw Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb. Special rates to Clubs. * 1850^1902 * Our Name has stood as a guarantee of Quality for over half a Century JEWELiEH AND SIIiVE^SJVUTH 214 and 216 Market St., - . Harrisburg, Pa Latest Designs Prices Reasonable Chas. S. Mumper. ^^ FURNITRUE Picture Frames of all sorts Repair work done promptly will also buy or exchange any second-hand furniture. 4 Chambersbnrg St., - - - GETTYSBURG, PA. For a nice sweet loaf of Bread call on Baiter of Bread arxd. Fancy Cakes PATRONIZE OUR ADVEKTIZEKS. HOTBI GE GETTYSBURG, PA. Merville E. Zinn, Proprietor. G, The Leading Hotel. Rates $2.00 per day. Cuisine and Service First-Class. Long &. Holtzworth Livery Attached. CM4/V 6^oofo. tttill DQ. Seligman, Taiio*. 5 Chambefsbupg St., Gettysburg, Pa.
