Suchergebnisse

Evaluating Welfare Reform -- Copyright -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- INITIAL CONCLUSIONS -- SHORT-RUN RECOMMENDATIONS -- Identifying Key Policy Concerns -- Defining Key Populations -- Capacity-Building and Cross-State Comparability -- Documenting State Policies -- ASPE Leaver Study Grants -- 1 Introduction -- PROGRAM BACKGROUND -- INITIAL WORK OF THE PANEL -- 2 Framework, Principles, and Designs for Evaluation -- RESEARCH AND POLICY QUESTIONS AND STUDY OBJECTIVES -- Evaluation Studies -- Monitoring and Descriptive Studies -- STUDY POPULATIONS OF INTEREST -- Studies of Recipients: Caseload Dynamics -- Implications -- OUTCOMES AND TIME FRAMES -- STUDY METHODOLOGIES -- Randomized Trials -- Nonexperimental Studies -- Pure Before-and-After Designs -- Pure Cross-Section Designs -- Combination of Cross-Sectional and Before-and-After Designs -- Cohort and Repeated Cross-Section Designs -- ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF REFORM COMPONENTS -- DATA SOURCES -- Administrative Data -- Survey Data -- Linking Administrative and Survey Data -- Data Providing Descriptions of Programs -- PROCESS EVALUATIONS -- CONCLUSIONS -- 3 ASPE Leaver Studies and Other Current Research on Welfare Reform -- ASPE-FUNDED LEAVER STUDIES -- Outcomes -- Study Populations -- Study Methods: Definition of Cohorts and Comparison Groups -- Data Sources -- RESEARCH ISSUES FOR THE ASPE LEAVER STUDIES -- Cross-Study Comparability -- Monitoring Versus Evaluation -- TANF Entry Rates -- Data Collection and Availability -- OTHER WELFARE LEAVER STUDIES -- OTHER MAJOR WELFARE REFORM PROJECTS -- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation -- Administration for Children and Families -- Survey of Program Dynamics -- Urban Institute: Assessing the New Federalism Project -- Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation: Project on Devolution and Urban Change.

Irrigation-Induced Water Quality Problems -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Irrigation-Induced Water Quality Problems -- Executive Summary -- KESTERSON AS AN EXAMPLE OF A BROADER PROBLEM -- UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENTIFIC DIMENSIONS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM -- UNDERSTANDING THE INSTITUTIONAL DIMENSIONS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM -- RESOLVING PROBLEMS: ESSENTIAL STUDY ELEMENTS -- RESOLVING PROBLEMS: IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING ALTERNATIVES -- RECOMMENDATIONS -- Planning Issues :Related to Irrigation-Induced Water Quality Problems -- Policy Issues -- Responding to Irrigation-Induced Water Quality Problems: A Shared Responsibility -- 1 Introduction: Kesterson as an Example of a Broader Problem -- WESTERN U.S. AGRICULTURE -- THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY -- The Natural History of the San Joaquin Valley -- Differences Between the East and West Sides -- KESTERSON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE -- STATE AND FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT -- THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY DRAINAGE PROGRAM -- THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION WATER QUALITY PROGRAM -- FUTURE IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE ISSUES -- REFERENCES -- 2 Understanding the Scientific Dimensions of an Environmental Problem -- HOW IRRIGATION DRAINAGE ALTERS WATER QUALITY -- HYDROLOGY AND SOILS -- GEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY -- FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSIDERATIONS -- PUBLIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- 3 Understanding the Institutional Dimensions of an Environmental Problem -- ECONOMIC FACTORS -- SOCIAL FACTORS -- AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS -- LEGAL ISSUES -- POLITICAL FACTORS -- CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCE -- 4 Resolving Problems: Essential Study Elements -- ESSENTIAL STUDY ELEMENTS -- Recognizing the Problem -- Defining the Problem -- Data Assessment and Acquisition -- Assessing the Data Base -- Acquiring Additional Data -- Interpreting the Data -- COMPLEXITY AND STUDY DESIGN -- Descriptive Complexity -- Interactive Complexity.

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- INTRODUCTION -- Purpose of the Study -- Current Use of Animal Sentinels in Risk Assessment -- CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS -- Characteristics of Animal Sentinel Systems -- Species -- Exposure Sources -- Duration of Exposure -- Measures of Effect -- Reference Populations -- Objectives of Monitoring Animals Sentinels -- Advantages and Limitations of Animal Sentinel Systems -- Multifactorial Causality -- Measurement of Exposure and Extrapolation to Humans -- FOOD ANIMALS AS SENTINELS -- COMPANION ANIMALS AS SENTINELS -- FISH AND OTHER WILDLIFE AS SENTINELS -- ANIMAL SENTINELS IN RISK ASSESSMENT -- SELECTION AND APPLICATION OF ANIMAL SENTINEL SYSTEMS IN RISK ASSESSMENT -- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS -- STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT -- 1 Introduction -- OVERVIEW -- PURPOSE OF THE STUDY -- HISTORICAL USE OF ANIMAL SENTINELS -- CURRENT USE OF ANIMAL SENTINELS IN RISK ASSESSMENT -- STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT -- 2 Concepts and Definitions -- CHARACTERISTICS OF ANIMAL SENTINEL SYSTEMS -- Species -- A sentinel should have a measurable response (including accumulation of tissue residues) to the agent or class of agents... -- A sentinel should have a territory or home range that overlaps the area to be monitored -- A sentinel species should be easily enumerated and captured -- A sentinel species must have sufficient population size and density to permit enumeration -- Exposure Sources -- Duration of Exposure -- Measures of Effect -- Reference Populations -- OBJECTIVES OF MONITORING ANIMAL SENTINELS -- Human Health Effects -- Contamination of the Food Chain -- Environmental Contamination -- Adverse Effects on Animals -- ANIMAL SENTINEL SYSTEMS IN OBSERVATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES -- Descriptive Epidemiology -- Analytic Epidemiologic.

THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY The Literary Journal of Pennsylvania College Entered at the Postofice at Gettysburg as second-class matter VOL. X GETTYSBURG, PA., OCTOBER, 1901 No. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Nature's Chain, . 137 The Survival of the Fittest, . . . .138 Man Was Not Made to Mourn, . . . 143 Some Important Deductions from a Comparative Study of My-thologies, . . . . . . 147 The Thunder Storm, . 1SS Editorial, . . 157 Resolutions of Respect, . . . . 158 Oration: The Character of Our Early American Forefathers, . 159 James Russell Eowell, . 165 Exchanges, . . . . . 170 NATURE'S CHAIN [From the "Essay on Man"] Look 'round our world; behold the chain of love Combining- all below and all above, See plastic nature working- to this end, The single atoms each to other tend, Attract, attracted to, the next in place, Formed and impelled its neighbor to embrace. See matter next, with various life endued, Press to one center still, the general good. See dying vegetables life sustain, See life dissolving, vegetate again; All forms that perish other forms supply (By turns we catch the vital breath, and die); Eike bubbles on the sea of matter borne, They rise, they break, and to that sea return. Nothing is foreign; parts relate to whole; One all-extending, all-preserving Soul Connects each being, greatest with the least; Made beast in aid of man, and man of beast; All served, all serving; nothing stands alone ; The chain holds on, and where it ends, unknown. —POPE. ^•jataut HHOMIHIHHBBHHHmBIBH 138 77/^ GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE SURVIVAL OF TME FITTEST D. C. BURNITE, '01 [dies Prize Essay—First Prize] "Ivives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime." —Longfellow. TV/fANKIND is like the face of a mountainous country. As we -*■'*■ view the human landscape, here and there, like peaks which rise above the plain and rear their snow-crowned heads among the clouds, appear, in bold contrast to the ordinary level of their fel-lows, the mighty men whose lives are the pages of history. And as we contemplate these epoch makers, there wells up in us, and quite naturally, too, a strong spirit of emulation. We admire them and would be like them. Of course, not every one of us can be a Napoleon, or a Wash-ington, or a Franklin, or a Grant; but each has abundant chances of becoming a less conspicuous, but yet quite prominent, feature in the plane of humanity. And it is the existence of such chances that prompts the youth of today to ask himself and others how best to pursue success. Geologists tell us that peaks owe their existence to their dur-able qualities. The surrounding material, by the action of aqueous erosion, has been carried away, leaving these tall projections which have been able to resist for ages the frictional action of water. Upon this same principle rests the success of the "makers of his-tory." Certain things in their make-up have enabled them to stand firm against the attrition of such circumstances as have swept their less sturdy fellows into the "realm of innocuous des-uetude." Their success is the result of the operation of the prin-ciple of the survival of the fittest. Ever since the world began, the principles and causes which have resulted in such changes as have been mentioned have al-ways been the same, and are the same, as those in operation to-day. And this is true of human affairs; so that the young man must realize that the same principles and causes which determined the success of great men, still operate. Ere he can resist the downward pressure of the busy, indifferent world about him, and, as Greely says, "bulge out over the top, where he is sure to be seen," it is necessary that he follows the same plan to secure suc-cess as that which has enabled others before him to become emi- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 139 nent. Just as they have survived innumerable discouragements and scaled the heights of fame because they have made themselves the fittest, so must the youth, in order to reach a high place, develop in himself those things which will render him, too, fit to combat opposing forces. And what are the elements of that fitness which has led to the success of men? Rvery person expects to be or do something, some day; that is, all have purposes. Yet most of these are more or less vague. But what we who would get on in the world must have, are defi-nite purposes. A race without a fixed goal is nothing. Without a definite end to strive for, life is a mere "struggle for existence," and existence is all we get. But life is more than this. The fu-ture holds out many prizes to each of us, to be won only by those who decide definitely for what prize they shall strive. The trav-eller must know, if not to what distance he desires to go, at least what is the bearing of the course he wants to pursue, or he may travel in a circle. If we want to move from our present positions, we must have purposes which, though they are not necessarily limited in extent, yet in direction must be definite. Napoleon, at the very outstart of his brilliant career, aimed at the rulership of the French nation. Lincoln had a definite intention, formed early in life, to do good to others. And how signally he suc-ceeded when he liberated those millions of sufferers! And to rise as these men did, we too must adopt this important element of their fitness,—a definiteness of purpose. Besides the fact that great men have had definite intentions, we observe that they all show elements of fitness in the characters they possessed. All the truly great—and we mean by truly great, not a Nero or Lord Byron, but those whom the good admire,— have been men of high morality. And the more elevated their moral traits, the more we admire them. High moral qualities are a part of the equipment which has bsought them, and will bring us, success. As a possessor of such characteristics, "Old Abe" stands pre-eminent,— a veritable personification of honesty; an honesty which did not allow him to support the unjust, though legal, side of a question; an honesty which made him lose in purse, but gain in esteem, till as a result of this quality he attained a world-wide re-spect, which will last as long as man and memory exist. Lincoln's is real fame, and the young man can do nothing better than adopt 140 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY \ I in his character the prime element which brought renown to "Honest Old Abe." True courtesy is a moral quality, based upon thoughtfulness and consideration for others. Men must be gentlemen, if they want to make progress. Great men are not always polished models ot etiquette, but courtesy has always been a mark of their fitness to occupy the positions at which they have aimed. ' 'Jeffersonian simplicity" did not hinder the third President from reaching the place to which he was helped by Jeffersonian courtesy. Eet us avoid error, and imitate in ourselves this essential quality of fit-ness to advance. Impure and intemperate habits invariably destroy all chances of complete success. Neither Burns nor Poe have secured all the glory which steadier lives would have brought. Irregular habits undermine and weaken all the qualities of body, mind, and spirit, and under their influence complete triumph is impossible. Better adopt the kind of habits which rendered long and useful the lives of Greely, Bismarck, and Gladstone. Their temperate lives are models from which men may safely mould their conduct and there-by place themselves among the fittest to survive. Morality is admirable, but when heightened by the influence of Christian principles, it becomes sublime. Men like Luther and Washington, who have worked under the rule of Christianity, stand at the very summit of human esteem. Elijah Morse once said: "Young man, a good character; yes, and a clean, religious life, are the foundation stones for success." But the moral and religious traits we have spoken of are not all that bring success. It is true that they are the "foundation stones," but upon these there has always been built a structure of other materials, which have made their possessors able to sur-vive opposing forces. The extremely pious are not always re-membered, but those whomwe admire most and shall never for-get have linked their piety, as we should do, with other things essential to render them fittest to endure. L,et us speak also of these. Josh Billings says- "Energy is what wins. Many men fail to reach the mark because the powder in them is not proportional to the bullet." Men must have "vim," or they fail to remove what to them seem insurmountable obstacles. The Alps were no barrier to the vigor of Bonaparte. Neither must the young man THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 141 of to-day lack this same sort of energy. It will enable him to sur-vive in the conflict with whatever comes between him and victory. The life of the man who would "fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer," testifies that the aspirant must try to imitate that in Grant which, in vulgar parlance, we call' 'sticktoitiveness.'' He must have a spirit of assiduity. Pluck cannot get along with-out Plod. Those who have become eminent have done so because they have hung to their purpose till triumph has crowned their persistence. Sir Isaac Newton, although met by what would seem to most men an impassable barrier, worked on for thirteen years before he was able to give the world the correct theory of gravity. The pursuit of success is up-hill work and a halt on the slope is fatal. Not one of the world's great men would have been able to survive the friction of ever-appearing hindrances, without this quality of persistency. Neither can any others who lack it hope to appear among the fittest. "Eternal vigilance is the price of success." It was on this principle that Mark Twain worked while becoming famous as a Mississippi River pilot, and later, while rising to his present lit-erary status. He himself testifies to the importance of this trait, when he gives this advice: "I say, young man, put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket \" We must "Stop, look and listen !" for the multifarious dangers we are liable to en-counter. It was the "Father of the New York Tribune" who turned failure into success by following the principle he himself puts forth in these words: "Do the very best you can where you are!" Concentration and thoroughness have marked the lives of those we desire to emulate. We have all made a practice of doing one thing at a time, and doing that well. It was John Wanamaker who once wheeled the delivery barrow of a dry-goods firm through the streets of Philadelphia; and he did it well, too. Concentrated effort in one direction led him finally to make for us an excellent Post-Master-General. And we also can follow his plan and rise. Close attention to little things enabled Watt to notice and use the principle he saw in the movement of his mother's tea-kettle as the means whereby his steam-engine could be impelled. It is of little things the big are made. Nothing we see or experience is too small to receive attention. Andrew Carnegie knows all the details of his immense business,—none too small to be important \ i ■ I i 142 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY to him. Nor must the youth who would succeed act differently from those whose fitness to rise included attention to little things. The best recommendation for the importance of a good educa-tion comes from those who have never had this advantage. Lin-coln's life-long regret was that he had not had a college education, and it limited his powers in many directions. However, self-taught men like he was have managed to climb the steep and reach the level of greatness without it. But just as one member of the body becomes stronger when its mate is injured, so such men, in the absence of higher education, have developed a substitute in the shape of great common sense. This we must have, or our fit-ness to survive the impositions of more shrewd men is impaired All these principles, and many, many others under which great men have worked, we must adopt if we want to aim at true great-ness. However, all cannot reach the topmost places. But an honest attempt to make the conditions in our lives conform to those manifested in the lives of successful men, will, at least, en-able us to rise far above mediocrity. Just as mountain peaks are formed of material most suitable to stand the wear and tear of ages, so must we young men be made of such stuff as will help us to throw off, without injury, those things which would keep us down, and rise till we attract the no-tice and elicit the worthy commendation of our fellows. Yet, let us not forget that the principle of the survival of the fittest extends farther than we have mentioned. For, away back, twenty centuries ago, there appeared a Great Man, a Model such as we find nowhere among the thousands of earthly great. He is the fittest and His survival is everlasting. Would we survive all the ills of this life, would we be classed among the truly fit, would we attain to higher praise than men can give,—heavenly praise ? Ifso, let us emulate him, the Model of all models, the Ideal! Then can we be like Him and join Him in the eternal survival of the fittest. "How void of reason are our hopes and fears 1 What in the conduct of our life appears So well designed, so luckily begun, But when we have our wish, we wish undone." DRYDHN. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 143 MAN WAS NOT MADE TO MOURN J. B. BAKER, '01 [Gies Prize Essay—Second Prize] OOBERT BURNS is the author of a varied and numerous array A * of beautiful poems. As a song writer he is the world's greatest. As rusticity's artist he ranks well with Shakespeare. His heart was great and his genius commensurate, winging its way to loftiest heights and recognizing the meanest things. He has been called the most directly inspired of all the poets. While the fame of other immortals rests upon the matured product of a life study, his finds its basis in the product of an hour. He goes out into the couutr)', disturbs a field mouse and ad-dresses it on the spot in quaint poetic style. A limping hare, a bank of flowers, a winding brook, a chilly blast, a neighbor's weal, a neighbor's woe, all appealed to his sensitive nature and won immediate response in verse. Such an one, however great he be, is in danger. Second thoughts, even in a Shakespeare, are preferable and it is neither a reflection upon the author nor a mark of conceit upon anyone to deferentially differ from him in a passing thought or hastily written verse. Burns said, "Man was made to Mourn.'.' The poem is sub-lime in its pathos but false, we believe, in sentiment. It shows the leaden sky but not the bow of promise. To study the end to which man was made we must ask time to turn backward in her flight for a moment or two and bring up the past. Oliver Wendell Holmes said we ought to begin a man's biog-raphy one hundred years before he is born. We would begin with generic man already when the idea of his creation was first formulated in the Divine Mind, for the idea of creation and the object of existence must have been coeval. They are concomitant notions and of a twin birth. What then was the mood of that pregnant mind at the event-ful date ? That question answered and our query is practically solved, for created things invariably bear the marks of their Creator. The readers of the world know the character and object of a literary production of a known author, before they open the book. They would not expect the sweet placid flow of an Irving from I I 144 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY the rough and rugged Cooper. Nor would they hope to hear the strains of Whittier coming from Virgil's lyre. Neither could have produced the works of the other. Their gems, in prose and song, were merely the externalization of their own minds and they could not have written otherwise because they could not have externalized that which had not already had an anterior internal existence. Precisely so, in our crude, fragmentary, symbolic fashion must we conceive of the Alpha of all reality. We are wooed to believe that everything in this central universe bears marks of kinship with Him, and particularly do we believe it to be true of man. We are like Him. Is He glad or is He sad? Does He mourn? That is the question upon the solution of which depends the pur-posed end of man's existence. To attempt an answer to a question like that, however, involv-ing as it does, eons of time and a Being unfathomable, might ap-pear a bit presumptuous, but a little reflection will prove the con-trary. We cannot escape it. The question abides with us through every period of our rational life. It presses upon us as atmos-pheric air upon our frames. It fills the human mind as star dust fills the sky. We must think of God, but without attributes that is impossible. What then are the qualities discoverable in his na-ture to give us an antecedent probability that man was made to mourn? Those qualities discoverable by us and those recognized by ages before us are wisdom, power and goodness and these in an unlimited degree. The gradual unfolding of orderly arrangement, hitherto unknown, reveals the wisdom. The spangled robe of night reveals the power. While the goodness, as for it, it shines from His very nature as light from the noon-day sun. How One possessed at once of Omniscience, Omnipotence and Infinite Benevolence could ever be sad and in mourning is beyond the grasp of human reason. Mourning implies regret at something that has happened and surely nothing could grieve Him who had the ability and fore-sight to avert the offending cause. Mourning is incompatible with the idea of Divinity as held by the majority of men to-day. But some are disposed to call these qualities into question. Not a few thinkers of eminent ability and indubitable integrity find themselves unable to predicate them of Him. I | El l SOME IMPORTANT DEDUCTIONS FROM A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MYTHOLOGIES C M. A. STINE, '01 [Gies Prize Essay—Third Prize] THE meaning of the word mythology is, literally, a treatise of *■ myths, or a writing composed of a number of fables. The term is applicable to the writings descriptive of ancient systems of religious beliefs, their various deities, and the attributes and the relations of these deities. Just as the child peoples the world about it with fairies both good and evil in their intentions toward human beings, so in a somewhat similar manner, the early races personified the phenom-ena of nature and sought to render intelligible the workings of nature thrust upon them for explanation, and which were to them otherwise inexplicable. Out of these explanations arose the vast bodies of legends descriptive of the various deities, their origin, adventures, attributes and relations. These personifications of nature with their body of attendant prerogatives arose from two principal causes: the necessity of pro-viding a cause for an observed effect, and the necessity of supply-ing a want felt in every human soul. Every human soul feels the need of a deity upon which to rest its faith and to whom it may look for aid. Whether the production is evolved by the human soul without a divine revelation does not concern us at present. To arrive at some explanation of the nature of the world, and the operation of those natural laws otherwise unintelligible, as well as of his own genesis, man invented the host of gods and demi-gods. The higher attributes ascribed to the divinities—their more purely spiritual qualities, arose out of man's need. Man is con- 148 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY scious of those forces which we call good and evil. He realizes the constant antagonism between the two, and the ethical super-iority of the former. He feels that according to his sense of jus-tice good should be rewarded and evil punished; yet his experience teaches him that such is not always the case. Hence there arises a feeling of the need of some force which may be supernatural, and which will reconcile the apparent contradictions, and fill the hiatus which is felt to exist. Thus there is the necessity of a god and a future existence. The study of ancient mythology with a comparison of the dif-ferent systems, serves a number of purposes. We gain a knowl-edge of the varying degrees of complexity of the different systems of belief, the height of their spiritual conceptions, and their degree of knowledge of the true God—that is their relation to Monothe-ism, the resemblance of the different creeds in the attributes as-cribed to the different divinities, and the similarity in their names. First. We may judge of the character and location of the people—whether agricultural, pastoral, commercial, peaceful or warlike, inland or maritime; and as to the climatic conditions, and natural features of the territory occupied. Secondly. We may judge as to the degree of civilization at-tained. An enumeration of what is included in the term civil-ization may be in place. By civilization we mean the knowledge of the arts and sciences, mechanical and political; also the degree of purity of religious conception. Upon the true or erroneous ideas of God depends man's treatment of his fellow-man, his real-ization of the principles of universal brotherhood, and divine fatherhood, and all the altruistic impulses. There is certainly but little civilization where these latter are lacking, and upon the extent of the realization and adoption of these principles depends the greater or less degree of excellence to which a civilization may lay claim. Thirdly. A comparison of these systems affords a means whereby the knowledge of the common origin of various branches of the human family may be gained. In our consideration of ancient mythology, the chief form of belief to which we wish to devote our attention is that held by the Indo-Germanic family. The systems of mythology which we shall briefly study, are those of the Greeks, latins, Norse and THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 149 Old Germans, Hindoos and Egyptians, as affording the best illus-tration of the principles enumerated. The system of mythology held and constructed by the Greeks is the one of which the most complete knowledge is attainable, excepting perhaps that of the Latins. But the resemblance be-tween these two is close, and the Greek may be taken as typical. Upon these, therefore, we shall base our conclusions. A study of Greek mythology reveals the following as to the character of the people, their location, and the climatic conditions of the territory occupied. The Greeks were an imaginative people, judging from the vast collection of myths relating to their deities, their doings among men. Every tree, blade of grass, fountain, streamlet and river; every breeze that blew and every raging storm, had its own particular presiding spirit. Gods, demigods, nymphs, satyrs, dryads and hamadryads are multiplied without number. The stories of the gods based upon nature, are given a vast body of detail, and an amount of local coloring which displays the workings of a national imagination of great activity and scope. The race seems also to have been somewhat mercurial in tem-perament. All of the earlier races are susceptible to changes in the seasons, and to the alternations of day and night, but the Greeks were particularly so. The approach of spring was heralded with the most extravagant rejoicings and sacrifices to various gods, especially to Dionysos. From the character of the deities worshiped they must have been a people engaged in pastoral, agricultural and commercial pursuits. We arrive at this conclusion because the people wor-shiped deities who were presumed to have the care of shepherds and their flocks, of farmers and their harvests, and of sailors. Some of the gods are themselves shepherds. Apollo is so repre-sented, although his flock is made up of the clouds in the fields of ether. Demeter is the goddess of the harvests. Hermes is the guardian of the sailor. The Greeks were extremely careful to preserve the favor of their gods, and maintained their sanctity to the last of their na-tional existence. They are extremely afraid of offending their deities, and must have been an exceedingly pious people. But all their piety did little for their morals. In all their business trans-actions we have evidence that they were a lying and a tricky I ; 'f. 150 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY i people. Hermes, the god of liars, the protector of the knave, was greatly venerated. From what we have already said we would infer that the land of the Greeks was suitable for the pasturing of flocks and for the cultivation of the vine. Wewouldalso infer thatit was contiguous to the ocean. It must also have been alandsubject to the change of the seasons, for we have already seen that the festivals com-memorating the change of times and seasons, formed a part of his worship. That he made much of physical excellence is evident from the fact that he prayed often to a god whose chiefprerogativewasthe care of the athlete. Mythology and history are heartily agreed upon this point. He was evidently highly intellectual and capable of abstract thought; for he worshiped a goddess who was the personification of mind and intellectuality. Her attributes are those of mind and she is above the physical desires and passions that enslave. From this recounting of the physical enviroment and the in-tellectual attainment of the Greek we can readily determine the degree of civilization attained. We admit right here that myth-ology is not our only source of information, but we do maintain that we can determine the degree of civilization from the mythol-ogy of the people. Because the Greek engaged in commerce he came in contact with other nations, and thus acquired a knowledge of their arts and sciences. The Greek had his organized household, and was far in ad-vance of the wandering tribe; but not one of his deities is repre-sented as presiding over domestic life. The L,atins with their Lares and Penates, seem to come much nearer to the conception of our modern home. The number of muses presiding over the various forms of lit-erary composition, and the completeness of attributes, together with the veneration in which they were held, indicate literature to have been one of the chief pursuits of the people. The high degree of excellence attained in this respect confirms our position. The degree of his intellectuality is evinced in his conception of the goddess Athene. Then, too, if there had been no artists and sculptors there would have been no deities to inspire that class of men. The same may be said of government and the deities that preside over magistrates. ta THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 151 The worship of a deity supposed to aid in the right government of a state, and to have the oversight of the fulfillment of the ends of justice presupposes a well organized system of government. All this is indicative of the degree of civilization of a people. But all these things are the mere externalities, the polish of civilization rather than the vital principle. Civilization of the heart, that is purity of life and worship, are the fundamental prin-ciples of civilization, and these are attained or not attained accord-ing to the character of the conception of the one true God. It is uncertain in how far the Greek attained to the idea of one God. Very high attributes and lofty conceptions were had by the Greeks, of divinity. This is plainly shown by attributes assigned to their different divinites. In a few cases Zeus is represented as exercis-ing a sort of supreme power over the other gods, which somewhat approaches the conception of the Bible of God and the angels as ministering spirits. As already stated, the Greek was pious in the extreme. His life was one of constant anxiety lest he offend, voluntary or involuntary, some one ofhis numerous deities. The names he applies to his deities are not those which would be ap-plied by a loving creature to a gracious Creator. In Aeschylus we find the words: "Zeus, wherever thou art, by whatever name it please thee to be named, I call on thee and pray." The Greeks made a constant effort to flatter and propitiate the gods, who were regarded as enemies of human happiness. Prob-ably the only god whom the Greeks truly loved was Dionysos. He was thought to rejoice in the happiness of men, and to his worship, in the festivals, the Greek surrendered himself with de-light. He was probably the only deity whom they worshipped from motives of affection rather than fear. Whilst many of the stories related of the various deities are incompatible with our conception of God; it must nevertheless be remembered that many of these stories are mere allegories created to typify and explain analogous happenings in nature. Thus they lose their revolting character. For a long time this was remem-bered by the worshipper himself, but it is feared that in later national history the Greek often gave himself up to excesses under the impression of divine sanction. Whilst many of the stories of the deities are revolting, many are very beautiful, and come close to the Christian conception of right conduct. Therefore there must i 152 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 1 i have existed a high ethical conception in the souls of many. But these conceptions are, after all, the exception and not the rule. The Greek's conception of life was largely fatalistic. Ananka, Necessity, loomed as a vast incontrovertible force from whose decrees there could be no escape. When a crime of any sort was committed the Erynys dogged the unhappy perpetrator with an awful insistence, and at some time, sooner or later, the crime was avenged. The conception of the hereafter as imagined by the Greek was gloom}' in the extreme. The spirit of the ordinary mortal passed at death to a domain of dimmest twilight, to the land of Hades. Here the shadow of the body lived an existence surrounded by in-tangible spectres, in the gloom of the mighty underworld. Only the souls of heroes and those semi-divine beings who were espe-cially, favored of the gods attained the happiness of the sunlit Elysian fields. The soul of the criminal passed to a region beneath Hades, to Tartaros, a place of torment and woe. The immortality of the soul held no joy to the mind of the Greek. His mythology gives us no reason to believe that he had the slightest conception of a hereafter portrayed in the bible. This affords us a complete understanding of the Greek mind. Polished in intellect, beautiful in body, in many ways possessing a refined nature, yet in this one essential the civilization of the Greek fell short. Self-sacrifice and unselfish devotion, whilst here and there in his mythology dimly hinted at, yet to the mass of the nation unknown, never animated the every-day life of the Greek. Thus in this cursory glance at the Greek nature we have pointed out the application of the first two principles enunciated at the beginning of this paper; but these same principles are equally well illustrated in the mythology of other peoples. Whilst our knowledge of the Norse and old German Mythol-ogies is much less complete, since the people were not literary, and preserved their traditions largely in memory and not in books, yet this mythology upon examination, is found to yield the same results as the Grecian. The conception of the god Odin for in-stance, shows the same conformity and coloring which that of the Greek Zeus exhibits. We cannot in this article enter into a de-tailed description of the mythology of the Latins, the Norse and old German, the Hindoo and the Egyptian, yet they all equally THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 153 well serve to show the condition of the peoples who originated them. Let us now pass to the third fact, namely, that by a considera-tion of the mythologies of the peoples a knowledge of their common origin is obtained. No student of mythology will deny that in all the religious beliefs of the different nations there is a certain similarity. The Aztec system with the great god at the head and with its crowd of lesser deities, the North American Indians' conception of the Great Spirit with the host of lesser deities, in common with the nations of the Indo-Germanic family, had a degree of resemblance in the wider facts of their mythologies. The consideration of the conceptions of belief and worship of all the peoples and nations we have studied drives us to the conclusion that these peoples had a common origin. Let us glance at a few of the more marked resemblances which appear. Odin of the Norse, Zeus of the Greeks, Jupiter of the Latins, and Atmer of the Hin-doo- Brahmin systems are all alike personifications of the life-giv-ing properties of the air of heaven. The Egyptian system seems to be much farther advanced at the period with which our record begins, than the other systems enumerated. In fact it had reached a more metaphysical development. Consequently there is greater difficulty in the comparison of the Egyptian conception with the others, but in this system we notice the same overlapping of the attributes of one deity with those of another, and in some degree, an identity of attributes. Zeus is the father of the muses and Odin is the father of Saga, the goddess of poetry. Thor or Donar, another Norse divinity, is the god of thunder. As the god of thunder he resembles Zeus, and as the thunder bolts of Zeus were forged by the smith-god Hephaestus, who dwelt below ground, so the hammer of Thor was forged by the dwarves (Zwerge), or black elves who dwelt within the earth. Thor and Odin are identified with one another much the same as Vishnu and Indra in the Hindoo system. Thor and Vishnu go on foot to the councils of the gods. Vishnu is represented as traversing heaven in three strides. The Norse god, Tyr, is a personification of the brightness of the heavens. He is also named Zui and Saxuot. Here there appears a striking resemblance in names. Zui is iden-tical with the root meaning to shine. Sanscrit, Dyaus, the Greek Zeus, the Latin, Deus. Among the Vedic gods, Dyaus is the god of the shining heavens in the same way as Zeus of the Greeks. 154 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Dyaus-pater is the same as Jupiter, the dy being displaced by the J in the L,atin. Indra, of the Hindoos, who hurls the thunder-bolts, and is "the cloud compeller," corresponds in these func-tions with Zeus and Thor. His beard of lightning is the red beard of Thor. The goddess Ushas is the goddess of dawn among the Vedic deities. She corresponds to the Greek Eos. We notice the striking similarity between the two words, indicating deriva-tion from a common root. Thus we might go on multiplying in-stances and giving examples of this similarity. The attributes of the Egyptian deities are to a large extent interchangeable with those of the Greeks and the Norse. The Egyptian conceptions are arrived at by the same personifications of the powers of nature, and in their attributes represent the same mingling of the mater-ial with the spiritual, as do the Grecian, I,atin, Norse and Hindoo. They all represent the occurrences of nature under similar anal-ogies of deeds performed by the divinities. Their names have similar physical meanings. For in the resemblance thus illus-trated and existing to a much greater degree than we can stop to point out, we derived unquestionable proof of identity in the origin of these peoples. It is probable from the very close simil-arity of the I^atin and the Greek systems, that these two nations were less widely separated after the first division than were the other nations, or else that the separation of these two branches took place at some time after the original body had divided and migrated to different points of the compass. From this hasty glance at a few of the ancient systems ot mythology and a review of a number of their points ofresemblance, we obtain an idea of the vast importance which this study may assume. In conclusion we must remark what is palpable to every stu-dent of mythology, that the Christian religion could never have been evolved out of these systems. In its sweet simplicity, its purity and truth, it over-reaches all others in their utmost stretch. Of a truth there is no god but God, and no revelation but the bible. There is a majesty in simplicity which is far above the quaint-ness of wit.—Pope. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 155 THE THUNDER STORM C. W. WEISER, '01 [Gies Prize Essay—Honorable Mention] Upon a sultry August noon The scorching sun came beating down, And all was wrapt in smoky haze Swelt'ring 'neath the withering rays. Above the rugged mountain brink Arose a cloud as black as ink; Dark and motionless it loomed, As if the peak itself were doomed To bear the threat'ning, murky mass, Towering o'er the narrow pass. Then arose a sullen roar, A sudden rush and down it bore Along its path, As tho' in wrath It meant to take, To bend, or break; Destruction carry, Doom, or harry. Now on its course, In mutterings hoarse, It came with rumble Loud, and grumble. A peal, a mutter, A flash and flutter, And on it swept with dire confusion, And in its wake in swift profusion Came other clouds as swift, now dark, Then livid with old Vulcan's spark. Thro' the whirling and the roar Now the rain began to pour In torrents loud upon the roof, And the pine-tree tops aloof, Dashing 'gainst the shanty walls In a way that most appalls, Beating loudly oh the pane Were the dashing drops of rain. Flash of lightning Heavens bright'ning, Peals of thunder Fill with wonder. Crash ! we hear the loud report, Crash ! returns the dread retort. Heavens lighten, splinters flying 156 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY From the mighty trees outlying ! Crash ! Flash ! Flash ! Crash I Rumble ! Roar! Crash ! Flash ! Hurling death and doom, destruction— Crash ! Flash ! in loud convulsion— Upon the forest, peaks disheveled, Rain-tossed, sighing, lowly leveled; Filling all with consternation At this freak of old creation. Flash !—growing dimmer its existence. Crash !—a pealing now in distance. Rumble, rumble, roar and rumble, Mutterings dull and muffled grumble; Rumble, rumble, rumble, roar, Down the dell, the mountains o'er. Gently now the rain is pattering, On the roof and windows clattering, While below the brook is gushing, Muddy wild and roaring, rushing. Clouds are flying, sky is clearing, The storm has passed, and sun appearing Smiles upon the world again Thro' the crystal drops of rain. i A populous solitude of bees and birds, And fairy-form'd and many colored things, Who worship him with notes more sweet than words, And innocently open their glad wings. Fearless and full of life, the gushing springs And fall of lofty fountains, and the bend Of stirring branches, and the bud which brings The swiftest thought of beauty, here extend, Mingling and made by love unto one mighty end. —BYRON. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter Voi,. X GETTYSBURG, PA., OCTOBER, 1901 No. 5 E. C. RUBY, '02, Editor-in- Chief R. ST. CLAIR POFFENBARGER,' 02, Business Manager J. F. NEWMAN, '02, Exchange Editor Assistant Editors Miss ANNIE M. SWARTZ, '02 A. B. RICHARD, '02 Advisory Board PROF. 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 Published eacli 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. EDITORIAL '"pHIS issue of the MERCURY is made up largely of essaj's which *■ were in the Gies Prize Contest last year. Had it not been for this supply the editor might have had considerable difficulty in finding enough material for this number. We are looking for-ward to the future of our literary publication with a great deal of hope and firmly believe that our hope can be realized. We cer-tainly have among our fellow-students many who possess consid-erable literary talent, and others who desire the opportunity for development in the literary field. To such we would suggest that they should not neglect the opportunity which the MERCURY ex-tends to them. We shall be glad to have all who are interested in literary work place into our hands any manuscripts for publi-cation. We shall carefully examine them and always exercise 158 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY I i our best judgment in the selections we make for presentation to the public. Fellow-students, it will depend largely upon the in-terest which you take in this work whether our hopes for the suc-cess of the MERCURY shall be realized or not. Let us not forget that this is a matter which pertains to the institution and not to any particular individual. By doing our duty towards this pub-lication we are making it a true index of the work that is being done in the literary departments ot our Alma Mater. RESOLUTIONS OP RESPECT CLASS VV7HEREAS, God in his divine wisdom has seen fit to sum- " mon from our midst to his eternal home one whom we most highly esteemed as a classmate and companion, Theodore Frank McAllister, Therefore, at a meeting of the class of '03, Pennsylvania Col-lege, September 7th, 1901, be it unanimously Resolved, That by this untimely visitation of Divine Providence we have lost one of the most worthy members of the class, one whose Christian character was such as to call forth universal ad-miration, whose amiable disposition gained the friendship of all whom he met, whose abilities as a student pointed to a most use-ful career; and also Resolved, That though we be saddened by this bereavement in the midst of our collegiate course, we humbly submit to the will of Him, who knoweth and doeth better than we, believing that our loss is his gain; and also Resolved, That by his death, by its great effect upon us, we have been led to a greater seriousness in the work of life; and also Resolved, That we extend to the family in its bereavement our sincere sympathy, and pray that God and Saviour, who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, to comfort them in their afflic-tion, and also Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the sorrow-ing family, and to the college journals and town papers. DAVID S. WEIMER, ROSE E. PLANK, EDWARD B. HAY. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Y. M. C. A. 159 WHEREAS, it has pleased Almighty God in his all-wise provi-dence to remove from our association our friend and faithful co-worker, T. Frank McAllister, be it Resolved, That in his death the association has lost a member whose manly virtue and consistent Christian life were a help and inspiration to all, and be it Resolved, That the college has lost a faithful student and an en-thusiastic man in all college affairs, one who lived for the better-ment of his fellows and was happiest when promoting their wel-fare, and be it Resolved, That these resolutions be published in the town and college papers. WILBUR H. FLECK, FRANK DAYMAN, F. GARMAN MASTERS, Committee. nMHMWMHIWiill^HflUllil IHl|i|IMBillililll|H|IH 1v t jj 1 111 J GQgj ORATION: THE CHARACTER OP OUR EARLY AMERICAN FOREFATHERS P. H. R. MULLEN, '01 "PAR from me and my friends be such frigid philosophy as may ■*• conduct us indifferent, and unmoved, over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery or virtue. That man is little to be admired whose patriotism would not gain force on the plain of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warmer among the ruins of Ionia." These noble words from the pen of Dr. Johnson express a sen-timent that ought to find a response in the heart of every Ameri-can citizen. We cannot visit the spots forever hallowed by the valorous deeds of enduring worth, wrought by the makers of our early history, without a sense of gratitude and profound reverence. To dwell upon such a theme without a thrill of emotion, would augur a spirit undeserving of the great legacy bequeathed to us by those venerable personages of the past. If the Greek could boast of an illustrious ancestry we can boast more; if the Roman could linger at the forum to hear the orators lavish their loftiest flights of eloquence upon the rising glory of the "eternal city," we may declare with great emphasis that its ■ 160 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY splendor grows dim before the rising sun of our national glory, as the moon pales with the advancing day. No other nation has had such a beginning. The early history of every other great nation has a vague outline that marks its transition from lawlessness and barbarism to civilization, but America, comparatively speaking, sprung into being full grown, as "Athena from the brow of Zeus." We are alone among the nations of the earth in having such colossal founders. We need only mention the Pilgrim Fathers, and there is suggested a host of associations. At what a critical period in the world's history did they appear! They shattered the power of a dominant ecclesiasticism and gave to the world re-ligious freedom. We see them committing themselves in a frail bark to a "cruel, crawling sea," uncertain whether they should not all begin their long sleep, and fill a "wandering grave" beneath its restless bil-lows, before they should set foot on American soil. But, guided by their adored Jehovah, through the trackless waters, they at length disembark upon a rock on a desolate shore, and we hear their com-mingled prayers of gratitude break the monotonous voice of the sea. From this rock they go forth to sow the seeds of a mighty nation. We hear the blows of their axes against the primeval forest, ringing out on the frosty air like the pealing of liberty bells. In the light of their burning villages we see a band of savages danc-ing in taunting glee. With unabated zeal they resurrect another village from the ashes. From a miserly soil is forced, by untiring energy, a comfortable livelihood, and the "wilderness blossoms as the rose." A noted statesman has fittingly said: "We shall not stand unmoved on the shore of Plymouth while the sea con-tinues to wash it, nor will our brethren in future time forget the place of the nation's establishment till their river shall cease to flow by it. No vigor of youth, no maturity of age will lead the nation to forget the spots where its infancy was cradled and de-fended." The years of our nation's infancy were truly the most "sad and sublime'' in history. We have dwelt at some length upon the achievements of the Pilgrim Fathers because their deeds are the best interpreters of their character. It is a noteworthy fact, much to the credit of the Pilgrims, that they were the first colonists with sufficient "staying power" THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 161 to establish a permanent colony in North America. Repeated efforts had been made in Mexico and in Florida, by the Spaniards, but those colonists had as often retreated in the face of unexpected difficulties, without accomplishing anything except the squander-ing of the resources of the borne government. France, likewise, had been unsuccessful for several reasons, chiefly because of the temper of her colonists. Several companies of English colonists also had attempted to take up land in the New World, but had repeatedly failed. It remained for the Pilgrims to be the honored founders of our great Republic, and their final success is fraught with great significance. They were constituted of ' 'sterner stuff'' than their predecessors and had an unchangeable purpose to prod their spirits in the presence of discouragement. To them physical pain was decidedly preferable to spiritual bondage, and they suffered on, unflinchingly, uncomplainingly, to the bitter end. "Religious Liberty" were the two words emblazoned upon the banner of the Pilgrims, and many times were those words des-tined to be written in blood before that banner was to be free from assault. They had, however, one harbor to which they repaired in every time of storm, one fortress in time of danger, one harbinger of hope in time of gloom, one source of truth amid the duplicity of oppressive and corrupt governors—the Bible, from which they received iron into their blood. This book was the Pilgrim's hope, his song, his prayer, his guide. The Old Testament, with its honor roll of immortal heroes, furnished the Pilgrims an ideal for their conduct in persecution and trial. The New Testament was the eternal pledge of final victory, an unfailing reward, an un-fading crown. The Puritans were characterized by a total lack of effeminacy. Their character was sturdy and masculine. No amusements were tolerated that had a tendency to destroy the severity and intensity of life. Severely religious, strict to a degree of intolerance, sternly resolute, stubbornly persistent, implicitly obedient to the dictates of conscience, the Puritans exhibit a massiveness and rugged grandeur of character that has never been surpassed. They were men of unblemished integrity, as distinguished for private pur-ity as for public virtue.'' We have never contemplated a group of men whose faults were so few, whose virtues so many, whose honor was so stainless, whose characters were so untarnished, as Stationery, Blank Books, Amateur Pho-tographic Supplies, Etc., Etc. BALTIMORE ST. R. fi. GULP PAPER HANGER, Second Square, York Street. 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. A. G Miller Job Printer Students' Trade Solicited Best of Work Guaranteed Meneely Bell Co. TROY, N. 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Electric Cars to and from Depot. Electric Light and Steam Heat. J. M. & M. S. BUTTERWORTH, Proprietors Special Rates for Commer-cial Men "EZ 1ST IMMER CUT ET WAS ZU WISSEIN." These are the words of Goethe, the great German poet, and are as true in our day as when uttered. In these times of defective vision it is good to know something- about eyes. A great deal has been learned about the value of glasses and their application since Goethe lived. Spectacle wearers have increased by thousands, while at the same time, persons losing their eyesight have been greatly diminished. If your eyes trouble you in any way let me tell you the cause. Examination free and prices reasonable. We grind all our own lenses and fit the best lenses (no matter what anyone else has charged you) for $2.50 per pair and as cheap as SO cents per pair, or duplicate a broken lens if we have one-half or more of the old one, at a reasonable charge, returning same day received. .E. L. EGOLf. 807 and 809 INorth Third Street, MARRISBURG, PA. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. II ^entpol }4otel, ELIAS FISSEL, Prop. (Formerly of Globe Hotel) Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, Pa. Two doors from Court House. MODERN IMPROVEMENTS. Steam Heat, Electric Light and Call Bells all through the House. Closets and Bath Rooms on Every Floor. Sefton & Flem-ming's Livery is connected with this Hotel. Good Teams and Competent Guides for the Battlefield. Charges Moderate, Satisfaction Guaranteed. Rates $1.50 Per Day. GET A SKATE ON And send all your Soiled Linen to the Gettysburg Steam Laundry R. R. LONG, Prop. Horace Partridge & Co., BOSTON, MASS. Fine Athletic Goods Headquarters for Foot Ball, Gym-nasium, Fencing and Track Supplies. Send for Illustrated Catalog-. 84 and 86 Franklin Street R.W. LENKER, Agent at Penna. College. JOHN M. MINNIGH, Confectionery, lee, .andlee Gream:o>^j Oysters Stewed and Fried. No. 17 BALTIMORE ST. The Leading Barber >Sf)op (Successor to C. C. 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JUNE, 1901 ooTheoo ettysbur VOL. X NO. 4 PENNSYLVANIA COLLEGE GETTYSBURG,PA. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. Amos Eckert Dealer in Hats, Shirts, Ties, Um-brellas, Gloves, Satchels, Hose, Pocket Books,J* Trunks, J>& Telescopes, Rubbers, Etc., Etc. AMOS ECKERT. PRICKS ALWAYS RIGHT. TUG Lutheran No. 1424 Arch Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA. Acknowledged Headquarters for Any-thing and Everything in the way of Books for Churches, Families, Colleges 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 institutions, with pecuniary ad-vantage to yourself. Address HENRY S. BONER, Supt., No. 1424 Arch St. Phila. 50 YEARS' EXPERIENCE TRADE MARKS DESIGNS COPYRIGHTS &C. Anyone sending a sketch and description may quickly ascertain our opinion free whether an Invention la probably patentable. Communica-tions strictly confidential. Handbook on Patent! sent free. Oldest agency for secuiingpatents. Patents taken through Munn & Co. receive special notice, without charge, In the Scientific American. A handsomely illustrated weekly. Largest clr. dilation of any scientific journal. Terms. $3 a year; four months, $£• Sold by all newsdealers. MUNN &Co.36""a* New York Branch Office, 626 F St., Washington, D. C. J. I. MUMPER, PHOTOGRAPHER, i 29 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, i'n. Special attention paid to COLLEGE WOKK A fine collection of Battlefield Views always on hand. Mail orders receive prompt at-tention. C. A. Blocher's Jewelry Store, For Souvenir Spoons, Sword Pins, Etc. All kinds of Jewelry. Repairing- a Specialty. POST OFFICE CORNER CENTRE SQUARE THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY The Literary Journal of Pennsylvania College Entertd at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter VOL. X GETTYSBURG, PA., JUNE, 1901 No. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS William Shakespeare, . 104 What College Does for a Man, . . . . . . 107 The Mountain Brook, . 109 The Great Stone Face, . . Ill Two John Smiths, . US On a Sunlit Harbor, . . 118 Tennyson's "In Memoriam," . 119 Sonnet, . . 121 Editorial, . 122 The Present Difficulty Between Russia and Japan, 124 The Badge of Courage, . . 125 Translation of Horace I. 35, . 127 The Use of the Novel, . . 128 A Visit to Vahalla, . . 129 An Indian Legend, . . 131 Exchanges, . . . . . . 133 A Picture of Fancy, . . . . . . 134 The College Girl, . 135 For a cap and bells our lives we pay, Bubbles we earn with a whole soul's tasking; 'Tis heaven alone that is given away, 'Tis only God may be had for the asking ; There is no price set on the lavish summer, And June may be had by the poorest comer. And what is so rare as a day in June ? Then, if ever, come perfect days ; Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune, And over it softly her warm ear lays. Whether we look, or whether we listen, We hear life murmur, or see it glisten ; Every clod feels a stir of might, An instinct within it that reaches and towers, And, grasping blindly above it for light, Climbs to a soul for grass and flowers. -Lowell. 104 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE J. B. BAKER, '01 'TPHERE is no name in modern literature, or perhaps we may * put it more broadly and state with equal certainty, none in all literature as illustrious as the name of William Shakespeare. Homer, in the gay dawn of Grecian civilization, stands out as the finished product of a more illustrious civilization than the one he occupies. He inhabits Olympus with imperial gods and god-desses and sings the grandest of heroic songs. A thousand years thereafter, in a lavish mood Calliope smiled upon the Latins. She gave to them a Virgil. In sweet and mel-low tones he sang of arms and men, and sent ringing through the corridors of time the undying cadence of his mellifluous tongue. Dante, when the gods of Homer and the heroes of Virgil were no more, towered up in Titanic grandeur, proud and solitary, with the sad and solemn dreams of his poetic imagination. Milton, of immortal fame, opened the gates of death, of heaven and hell, and saw such visions as no man saw before or since. Goethe, the acknowledged prince of German poets, stirred the whole literary mind of Europe like a breeze sweeping over a forest. But Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton and Goethe do not live in our hearts ; do not twine round our affections; do not satisfy our souls as Shakespeare does. Here and there we may find touches of more daring sublimity, passages more steeped in learning, lines more concealed in abstract thought, but with Henry Glassford Bell, we must acknowledge that the greatest and best interpreter of human nature, the poet of the widest sympathies, a greater sculptor than Phidias, a truer painter than Raphael, came into the world at the pleasant town of Stratford-upon-Avon in April of 1564. Much as might be said of the life of this myriad-minded man, his early environment, his education, his struggle for success, his domestic and public relations, we shall pass all these by and pause for a moment in profoundest reverence to meditate upon the mag-nitude of his intellect. Let us first view him as the dreamer. How barren and inhos-pitable would be the realms of fancy if the characters of Shakes-peare's creation were not its denizens ! What an arid plain ! How sparsely inhabited ! How cold its inhabitants ! Where in all history can we find a creation to equal, nay, to THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 105 , approach the production of " A Mid summer Night's Dream ?" What poet has ever seen so many fairies flitting along the green knoll, through the shady dingle, and near the crystal fountain ? Who saw them dancing on the sand with " printless foot," mak-ing midnight mushrooms, gathering dewdrops and hanging pearls " on every cowslip's ear ?" Who saw them creep into the acorn cups, stealing honey-bags from the humble bees, and plucking the wings from painted butterflies ? What intellectual vision was ever keen enough to catch them bringing jewels from the deep and putting a girdle " round the earth in forty minutes ?" Can you find anywhere in all literature a creation to approach the ex-ploits of Queen Mab driving her hazelnut chariot with little atomies, using traces of a spider's web, a whip of a cricket's bone, and a lash of film ? And not only are the sportive acts of these various fairy beings fascinating, their very names are suggestive to us ot their nature, and carry a charm to the ear that hears them. Puck, Cricket, Cobweb, Oberon, and Ariel who slept in the cow-slip's bell, are as sweet music emanating from the strings of a master harpist. Shakespeare's imagination, however, was not always leading his lambent feet to the ephemeral assemblies of sylvan life. His thoughts were not always wrapped in the dapper little inhabitants of the fields of fancy. He was more than a dreamer. He was an interpreter of nature. Never in all history has an uninspired mind so variously and so exhaustively interpreted the mind of the Creator as revealed in nature as Shakespeare has. No " cloud-capped towers" were too high for him to behold, and no grain of sand too mean for him to wonder at. The blue hills from which the Avon flows lay before him as the slope of age, which we must all ascend, and the dark ravines that lay between them as the valley of the shadow of death. The blinding flash from an o'erhanging cloud, and the quick, sharp clang that clattered through the heavens and echoed and re-echoed among the distant hills, awakened within him a sense of the majesty of his Creator. The frail anemone and the faint blush of the arbutus in the midst of bleak and wintry March, touched his heart like a hope from heaven in a field of graves. The spark-ling oriole swinging in his hammock, the quail piping from the meadow fence, and the lark soaring up from the lush grass, re-minded him of the happiness of liberty, and furnished him with 106 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY some of his sublimest thoughts. He plucked the lily of the val-ley, and showed to the world that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of them. In short, he was a perfect child of nature, finding " Tongues in trees, books in running- brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything." But Shakespeare was more thau an interpreter of unconscious nature. He peered into the arcana of human character. He sunk his plummet into the sea of human experience, deeper thau poet ever stirred its briny depths. The magic wand of his genius laid bare to him that paragon of all animals—intelligent man. It revealed to him the asininity of passion as well as the nobility of reason, the niggardliness of greed as well as the voluptuousness of hedonism, the depressions of the canaille as well as the festivi-ties of the affluent. Who has ever depicted in such striking colors the power of an evil woman as Shakespeare has ? Where can you find one steeped in greater heinousness than Lady Mac-beth ? Jezebel, the infamous wife of Ahab, planned the murder of Naboth for the acquisition of his vineyards. Catherine de Medici, almost insane with fear of the Huguenots, shocked the world with St. Bartholomew's massacre. But Lady Macbeth was the bloodthirsty assassin herself. " Give me the dagger," she says ; " the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures ; 'tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil." On the other hand, what pen has given us a more sublime picture of the bonds of reciprocal love than that which existed between Celia and Rosalind ? That of Holy Writ between David and Jonathan, and the one between Laelius and Scipio, are the only ones of which we are cognizant that will bear comparison with it. Who has ever shown the fickleness of the multitude more strikingly than the consummate Anthony showed it when he ap-pealed to the passions of the populace ? Who has shown the desolating effects of revenge more accurately than Shakespeare's Hamlet ? Who has glorified the spirit of forgiveness more admi-rably than his Prospero ? In fact, there is scarcely a phase of life that he did not touch, and on account of this his name enjoys its unparalleled univer-sality. An Englishman reads him andhe says, " How English !" A German reads him and he exclaims, " How Teutonic !" An THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 107 Italian reads hirn and be says, "How Roman !" As they said that Helen of Argos had such universal beauty that every one felt related to her, so Shakespeare seems to an American an Ameri-can genus. His broad humanity transcends all sectional lines, and he is the common heritage of the literary minds of the world. WHAT COLLEGE DOES POR A MAN . WILLIAM FKEAS, '01 A S the end of the college year draws near, it is fitting to ask the **■ question, What does college do for a man ? I^et us try to answer this query. It is difficult to hit upon the best thing which may have been accomplished, for there are so many good results, but we will mention a few. An undergraduate cannot appreciate so well the influence his college career has upon him as one who has been out in public life for some years after leaving his Alma Mater, but he has a fairly good idea. There is one thing which seems to hold pre-eminence in the majority of cases. It is, that a habit of thought has been formed. Nothing can be of more benefit to a man. How many men who have graduated have retained much of the subject matter of the text-books used ? They are not very numerous. Then, of what use are the text-books ? It is the training of application and learning to read and study intelligently which makes them so use-ful. Another thing of vast importance presents itself. At the time a man generally goes away from home to college he is at an impressionable age. It is during this period that his character is formed. Frequently we hear it said that a man is through all his life what he was when he graduated. How careful we should be that our associations and surroundings are such as to form good, noble characters. The love of knowledge, for its own sake, is gained when we come into touch with the great number of things to be learned in this world. When we see the extent of good, solid literature, and realize how little of it we will be able to master, there comes to us an unsatisfied longing—an aching void. There opens before us a vista, through which we can travel only for a short distance. Then it is that we see how small is our real knowledge. It knocks the over-weening conceit out of a man quicker than anything else, and puts him into a true posi- 108 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY tion to his fellows. A college course reveals to us in what line we may be most useful, for what our talents are best fitted. It is true, the majority of men come to college with a fixed purpose, and lay out for themselves a prescribed course which will best fit them for their life-work, but new capabilities are developed, and they turn their energies into new channels. Outside work, such as managing a team, being on the staff of a college publication, being active in literary societies, and many other things, aid greatly in the progress of a man. Laziness attacks all men at times, and especially a college student, but a man with any spirit cannot always sit idly by and watch the progress of his friends and not make an effort to follow them. We might even say that his association with wide-awake men is an education in itself. Many a man gets his first impulse for hard, persistent work while in college. He begins to appreciate the true worth of the mas-terpieces of literature and art, and places inferior productions in their true light. Even to-day we hear the assertion that college life ruins many, and so people refuse the advantages to those whom it would ben-efit greatly. A man must have very little backbone if the good he gets does not far outweigh the evil. An example of a wrecked life, traceable to college days, does sometimes come to our view, however much we regret it, but that should not make anyone condemn a college career, for a great number of men gain many advantages from it. Frequently a man is led to live an intellectual life, and then looks at things squarely in the face, " clearly, dis-passionately, and in their large relations." It has been said that " the American college is a mother of men." When a man gets away from home, and has to look out for himself, he gets expe-rience sometimes dearly bought, but of great value to him. It gives him the quality of independence which stands him in good stead. There are two elements in a college career—instruction and personality, and it is not easy to say which has the more and better influence. A man at college comes into contact with higher per-sonalities than he is likely to meet under other circumstances. Instruction gives him good principles upon which to build the structure of his life, while, on the other hand, the personality of the instructors can and does influence a student to higher ideals. The contact of man with man is beneficial to all concerned. Many THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 109 a life-long friendship has been formed during college days which, in later years, is of inestimable value. College is an excellent place to study men—their modes of work, their characters, and, in fact, all about them. This training is very useful in later life. The study of science and philosophy strengthens our trust in our Creator. The more we study the plan which is everywhere exhibited about us the more we feel "perfect fear" and rever-ence, as well as love and devotion, for the God who made us. We get a grander idea of His love for us in the provisions made for our welfare. Some few men may, perhaps, scientifically and philosophically, reason God out of existence, but generally the moral and mental horizon is widened infinitely. Let us sum up a few of the things mentioned which college does for a man. It forms the habit of thought ; it molds charac-ter ; it gives a love of knowledge for its own sake ; it has a de-terminative influence ; it brings man into contact with many other men, some of higher personalities ; it enriches his life ; it deepens and widens his view of truth ; it raises his ideals ; it increases his view of, and his love for, the beautiful; and it strengthens his faith in God by giving him a better understanding of the won-drous provisions made by an all-wise God for his welfare here be-low. THE MOUNTAIN BROOK C W. WF.ISER, '01 From a crevasse in the ledges, Covered by the flowery hedges, Shaded froni the noon-day's glow, In a pocket, mossy, low, Cool and limpid, bubbling ever From its home, without endeavor— Flows the crystal ice-cold fountain, High upon the lonely mountain. From deep parts, to us unknown, It has through the ages flown; From dark caverns in the ground, Gushing, bubbling all year 'round It pours forth into the light, Pure and limpid, crystal, bright, Filtered rain and melted snows. Rippling, wavering, on it flows 110 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY From its rock-bound, mossy bower, Hidden by the bush and flower, Rhododendrons, ferns and pines, Thorny shrubs and flowering vines, From whose branches, twigs and strands Hanging mosses stream in bands. All's a deep, luxuriant maze Whence songsters bright peal softest lays. Over all's the glowing sun; Underneath the shadows run, Where the fountain noiseless plays All the livelong summer days. Down the nook and thro' the dell, Rippling on the brook to swell, Flows the little, limpid stream, Murmuring as in pleasant dream, By the ancient little mill, Sometimes clattering, sometimes still; By the vine-clad cabin running, On whose porch the dog is sunning, And the old black puss is drowsing. In the mead a cow is browsing, By the brook are children playing, To the woods a colt is straying, From the trees an axe is ringing, In the house the mother's singing, From the chimney, curling, blue, Floats the smoke, and wafting thro' The Heavens bright, above the trees Dissolves in cooling morning breeze. A moment, and the scene is gone, The gurgling brook is flowing on, Now between the ponderous mass Of towering peaks, thro' mountain pass, Tumbling down with swish and roar, Dashed to spray on rocky floor. Rushing on its downward course, Over boulders, rumbling, hoarse, Loudly, swiftly on it sweeps Down the pass and o'er the steeps, Dashing into feathery spray, Prancing silvery on the way. Loudly rumbling, Noisy, grumbling, Gurgling, whirling, Eddying, twirling; Wildly churning, Skipping, turning, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 111 Downward rushing, Bubbling, gushing, In its hurry And its flurry L,oudly roaring, Madly pouring, On its way to vales below Does the mountain torrent flow. Thus the limpid mountain stream Floats at first as in a dream, a Sweetly murmuring softest tune, Harmonious with the month of June; Then as down the pass it flows, Swiftly up the scale it goes • With a rumble and a roar, Resounding far the mountains o'er; Floating, rushing, murmuring ever, Onward to the mighty river, Thence into the deep blue ocean, Tossed about in ceaseless motion, Till at last in vapor form It home returns in mist or storm. THE GREAT STONE FACE Oration by S. A. VAN ORMEB, '01 QITTING belore their cabin door, Ernest and his mother were ^ looking through the gathering gloom that follows the setting sun at the Great Stone Face, who, from his throne on the perpen-dicular side of the mountain, miles away, seemed to preside over the valley beneath. Here the mother related the story of the mountain image— told how that it had long been believed that the time would come when one should be born in the region who should become the greatest and noblest personage of his time ; and who should, in the splendor of his manhood, exactly resemble the wondrous features on the mountain side ; told how that the earliest inhab-itants had heard the story from the Indians, who had received it from their ancestors, to whom it had been told by the trickling waters of the mountain brook and whispered by the swaying trees. At the conclusion of the story Ernest expressed a desire to live to see the man; and his mother replied, " Perhaps you may." 112 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Time passed. Ernest lived on in his log cottage, helping his mother with his little hands and loving heart. He had no teacher save the Great Stone Face, whom he imagined to smile at him in response to his veneration. After the toil of the day he would gaze at the Titan image, and discern the love that was meant for all. Soon it was reported that one who had been born in the region was about to return, and spend his declining years amid the scenes of his childhood—the prophetic personage long-looked-for. Now this Mr. Gathergold had been fortunate in business pur-suits. He was the owner of a fleet that gathered the treasures of land and sea. A great retinue preceded him, and the people eagerly awaited his arrival. He came; but the "yellow claw" that dropped some coppers to a beggar woman, and the careworn face, bore no resemblance to the benign features of the mountain image. Dis-appointment filled Ernest's breast, and he turned away ; while the crowd, heedless of his lack, lauded the miser. But Ernest continued to study the granite face. Soon it was reported that the counterpart of the wondrous image was to ap-pear in the person of General Blood and Thunder. The inhab-itants prepared to banquet him and his retinue. The tables were set in the open. The banquet ended, the General arose to speak, and then Ernest saw him over the heads of the jubilant throng. His war-worn countenance, full of energy and expressive of an indomitable will, was indeed characteristic of the warrior; but it bore little resemblance to the broad, wise and sympathetic features of the man of stone. Next came the eminent statesman, whose clarion voice had made him prominent. Great preparations were made to receive Old Stony Phiz. Officers and prominent men accompanied him. A band added to the enthusiasm of the crowd, for he was a Presi-dential candidate. But, in the words of the author, " the sublimity and stateli-ness, the grand expression of divine sympathy, that illuminated the mountain image and etherealized its ponderous granite sub-stance into spirit, might here be sought in vain." The years sped on. White hairs appeared in Ernest's head. He had become a minister, and many eminent men visited him to share his wisdom. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 113 While he sat one evening reading songs that he thought worthy of one resembling the Great Stone Face, the author of those songs appeared, and Ernest was once again disappointed. Pleasantly they talked together; and when the hour arrived for Ernest to address an open-air meeting, they walked arm-in-arm to the scene. Ernest took his position before the audience; and as he poured forth the fullness of his heart the poet noticed the strong re-semblance between the grand beneficence of the minister's face and that of the face now enshrouded in the mountain mists ; and, in the author's words, " impulsively he threw his hands aloft and shouted: 'Behold! behold! Ernest is himself the likeness of the Great Stone Face !' " Such, in short, is the story of the Old Man of the Mountains; the legend of the Great Stone Face. Man cherishes ideals, and his worth in the world depends upon the ideals that he cherishes. Ideals, in the words of one, "are the meat and drink of life." Every thought that we think and every deed that we do is directed to some end; and life, which is but a series of acts, must answer to some end, noble or mean, pursued either consciously or unconsciously. The word progress is mean-ingless without reference to an ideal. They support and encour-age us. They exercise their influence upon us insensibly. They force us into the arena where we must wield the Gladiatorial sword in their vindication. The man of science discerns and interprets an order in things that we do not make. The effort to give distinctness and form to our ideals brings with it a purity that becomes evident. In this sense only should the word ideal be used; but if our thoughts and actions are directed toward a mean or low end, the result is just as evident. These truths are beautifully illustrated by the char-acters of the story. " We are what we are," says the Chinese aphorism, "'because we have been doing what we have been doing," and it might well be added that we have been doing what we have been doing because of the ideals we cherish. This is none the less true of nations than of men. Biography and History alike are replete with illustra-tions of men and nations that arose to eminence in a particular line because their thoughts, their efforts and their energies were directed toward that one end—an ideal. The merchant, the warrior, the statesman, the poet, and 114 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Ernest—the minister—all were born in the valley over which the man of the mountain presided. The merchant left in early life, spent his time and energy in accumulating a massive fortune. Anxiety filled his breast lest the ships that sought the northern furs be crushed by the icebergs, or the savage tribes, for whose Afric gold he bartered, might murder his agents. The storm at sea filled his breast with terror; still he sought his gold. His saf-fron hand and knitted brow were indeed characteristic. He achieved his end. He was diligent in business, so are all men who achieve success—"they shall stand before kings." The Phoenicians centered their efforts on commercial pursuits, and they secured almost exclusively the carrying trade of antiquity. The general's stern features and commanding figure were suggest-ive of one who had obeyed the bugle's call and led the charge to the mouths of belching cannon; one hardened by the carnage and death-agony of fields lost and won. Contrast, if you will, two great warriors to two great nations— Napoleon and Washington. Napoleon welded together into one vast domain many parts of Europe; Washington gained the inde-pendence of the American colonies. Napoleon worked for vain glory and aggrandizement; Washington fought for a cherished principle—a noble end. Napoleon "stamped his name upon the bricks of Paris;" Washington in the hearts of his countrymen. Sparta devoted her attention to military pursuits and she pro-duced a race of warriors of whose deeds and endurance we read with wonder. The statesman and orator, whose voice was heard on various occasions, could sway his auditors, which was one aim —perhaps he had a higher. The lives of Adams, Madison, Web-ster, Clay, Calhoun, Douglas, Lincoln, Blaiue present the various phases of achievement that result from the tendencies and attitudes of the men; but these are familiar. Athens sought orators and she produced them—"Orators that commanded silence in the very streets while the}'- spoke in the as-semblies. '' The poet sung his way to the hearts of the people and left cheer and inspiration there—which was his ambition. Milton's Paradise Eost is the result of great effort. Grey spent seven years on his Elegy. There was a time when England gave much attention to literature, and in the Elizabethan Age she produced Spencer, Shakespeare and Bacon together with many others scarcely less famous. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 115 But Ernest! He, like the others had heard the story of the mountain image in youth; but, unlike them, he had made it the study of his life. // was his ideal. He had seen it dimly through the morning fogs; he had seen it when the noonday sun made it effulgent or the storm-cloud cast over it an ominous shadow; he had looked upon it at evening until the ebon curtains of night shut itoff from mortal gaze. He it was Who had grown to resemble The Old Man of the Mountains; he was the counterpart of The Great Stone Face. TWO JOHN SMITHS L. W. GROSS, '01 TN a remote settlement in one of the upper counties of Pennsyl- •"■ vania there lived two men who both had the popular name of John Smith. Strange as it may seem, neither was related to the other nor to their illustrious namesake—the Virginia hero. These two men lived in a region once famous for its giant murmuring pines and its hemlocks, whose size is to this day re-vealed by the massive stumps which the. settlers removed from the ground and dragged to the roadside for the purpose of construct-ing iences on either side. Oftentimes the belated traveler would mistake their crooked gnarled roots, raised high above his head, for some giant ready to strike him down with a club. So fantastic and strange they appeared, making all sorts of weird forms and designs as they cast their crooked shadows athwart the road in the moonlight, that they startled and frightened anyone passing along this lonely road by night. In order to distinguish these two strange characters they were each given a special name to designate which John Smith was meant in talking about them. The one was called "Devil" John and the other "Lightning" John. Both names were descriptive of the personality of each man. Both persons were famous in the community. Of their early history I know nothing, but as my fancy pictures them to me now, I see them as aged men, perhaps 45 years of age. "Devil" John is tall, broad shouldered and slightly stooped. He goes about without a coat and has his trousers crowded into the tops of his boots. He wears a slouched hat and a lumberman's flannel shirt. He has long dark hair, mixed with gray, reaching nearly to his shoulders. His eyes are 116 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY small and of a grayish color, deeply set in his head, overhung by thick bristling eyebrows, and moved restlessly about when one looked at him. On the left side of his face is a scar which he says he received in an encounter with a bear. His face is nearly covered by his beard and moustache. His entire appearance arouses one's suspicion, yet his dealings with his neighbors are faultless. This man was the stage driver from the nearest railroad station to this particular place, which was a distance of sixteen miles. The way lay mostly through mountains and it required a full day to make the journey. To hear him relate his adventures with huge rattlesnakes, bears and highwaymen on the route made one think that he was a veritable "Tom Pinch." But this particular Smith's fame did not only consist in being a stage driver. That was a very small part of it. What he really was famous for was the fact that he was the biggest, the most skillful and accomplished liar in the community, besides other characteristics which contributed to his fame as a "character." Whenever the question in regard to the relative amount of pleasure derived from the pursuit or the realization of an object comes up, I think of a ride a young school teacher took on this particular stage. In contemplation of his journey he imagined himself seated on top of a huge coach, like a king upon his throne, with a coat-of-arms emblazoned upon the sides of the body of the vehicle. He imagined himself being drawn by at least four spirited horses at a full round gallop down the Narrows, around dangerous passes, over hill and dale. This was in contemplation. But what he realized when he stepped from the platform of the railway train was to find a disreputable old bay horse hitched to what was once a skeleton road wagon. It had been lengthened in order to make room for a trunk or two behind the driver's seat which was covered by a yellow umbrella. When the teacher inquired for the stage this odd combination was pointed out to him, and in a short time he was being driven over this route by the famous "Devil" John Smith. It took but a short time for the fact that he was the new school teacher to be known to the driver, and then into the credulous ears of this timid youth, who was already beginning to feel the pangs of disappointment and homesickness, were poured tales of all the bad boys in the school, making them appear as desperadoes, cowboys and veritable imps. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 117 He was told about the number of teachers who had been turned out of the school during the last term. All these stories were so well told that the unsuspecting pedagogue could not help but believe them, and before he was halfway over the route he wished himself in any other part of the world. The little children were deathly afraid of "Devil" John and would scamper away whenever they saw him coming. It was rumored that when his two children were sick with diphtheria he intentionally gave them carbolic acid instead of the proper medi-cine and thus killed them in a few minutes. This wicked act caused the children in the neighborhood to fear him. "Devil" John was also very irreligious, never being known to attend a religious service, and he frequently cursed his good wife who was a constant church goer. "Lightning" John Smith was famous for being the ugliest man as well as the loudest shouting Methodist in that part of the country. In appearance he resembled a Galilean bedouin. His hair and eyes were jet black. Beneath a scanty black mustache a row of well-preserved and very white teeth displayed themselves. Unlike the other John Smith he would drive for hours through cold winter nights in order to give his experience in the regular series of protracted meetings held in the Methodist church of that village during the winter months. He invariably began to speak slowly and in a moderate tone, but the longer he spoke the louder he became, until he fairly shrieked, bringing his hard fist down on the back of the pew for emphasis at the end of each sentence. The torrent of words and blows could be heard by passersby, who ofttimes took the commotion for the ravings of a mad man. After continuing his cries and shouting for some time he would sit down and wipe the perspiration from his brow. Thus we have a picture of two characters which have been interesting to me, and I doubt not that many others have seen these two persons in their own community under other names. c^p In every act reflect upon the end; and in the undertaking it consider why you do it.—JEREMY TAYLOR. 118 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY ON A SUNLIT HARBOR J. R. S., '01 On the pier of a beautiful harbor stand Three figures garbed in royal array, With anxiety stamped on their noble brows,— A youthful hero, and honored gray. 'Neath the watery horizon the sun reclines ! A sea of fire 's on the face of the deep! But the delicate hues from the sky shine not In a sea of glass; for wavelets leap. And the eyes of the three are fixed on a spot Far out on the troubled, uneasy sea; For the tide is receding and the breeze is brisk And a precious gem is borne to the lee. The gold and the violet and the pale green flame, Like the colors of a mighty banner flung On the harbor,—were caught by the playful waves, And from their crests in splendor hung. It was not this grandeur that held their gaze, Enrapt by the scene an only child Was carelessly drifting to the open sea, And tempests were rising o'er breakers wild. Said the father to the hero, "She ventured too far She can never return against those odds." And the stately mother with silvering locks Disturbed the silence by heart-breaking sobs. In an instant two skiffs, the pursued and pursuing, Were afloat in a splendor, rare and unreal, That makes life in this world an ecstasy, A glorious, painless star,—an ideal. And as twilight drew its shades o'er the deep The ideal became the real, indeed; For the rescue is complete and the treasure regained And hope made joy by a noble deed. When daisies pied, and violets blue, And lady-smocks all silver white, And cuckoo buds of yellow hue Do paint the meadows with delight. —SHAKBSPBARE. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 119 TENNYSON'S "IN MEMORIAM" CLYDE B. WEIKEBT, '02 HPO attempt to criticise such a piece of literature as the "In A Memoriam" of Tennyson would be rashness on the part of one whom insufficient study and poor interpretation of thought has acquainted with but few ideas of the real import of the poem. This work has been done more or less ably by men of culture in the art of criticism, and to these we willingly commit the task, being satisfied ourselves with an attempt at the comparison of this work to several others alike in character; and with an estimate of the poem, its merits and worth. In comparing this poem with the "Lycidas" of Milton we are at once made conscious of a vast diversity in degree of feeling in the hearts of the two authors. Milton mourns for the loss of his friend but his sorrow is obviously not so deep-seated as that which Tennyson pours forth in the endearing terms of the "In Memor-iam." The relation of the former poet to the subject of his song was tender and full of feeling, but the intimacy that existed be-tween Tennyson and Hallam was infinitely closer. In the one case it was the love of friend for friend; in the other of brother for brother, mortal man for his ideal,—almost perfect love. This love is expressed in a poem by Milton that compares with the feeling expressed in the verses by Tennyson only as a set of res-olutions framed by a secret society on the death of a brother does with the tender verses penned by a mother on the death of her child. The circumstances of King's death and the sorrow caused by . it are not treated philosophically by Milton in the "Lycidas" as are the like circumstances by Tennyson in the "In Memoriam." His departure from this life is deeply regretted, but the pangs caused by his death are not referred to as bringing blessings in disguise to us. Sorrow is not represented as elevating or as de-signed to better our condition; as making us more perfect morally or spiritually. Separation from loved ones is not mollified by any such vivid assurances of a happy meeting in the hereafter. The thought of the departed ones is not used as a guiding star by which we can regulate our aims and measure our achievements. Again, Milton does not indulge in any of the happy explana-tions or rather suggestive questions concerning the future state of the soul as does Tennyson. These almost inexplicable problems 120 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY are dealt with in a most interesting way by the author of the "In Memoriam," for instead of expressing his own beliefs he rather intimates happy and probable solutions and gives to the mind of the reader a subject for thought. The most notable of our innate curiosities concerning eternity are voiced and the poet does not seemingly shun any one of them. Milton happily refers to his friend in glory but does not suggest near so many of his possible conditions there. The thought in the "Lycidas" is not so subtle, nor is the trac-ing of the poet's meaning nearly so difficult a task as in the "In Memoriam," yet its many mythological references render it far less enjoyable and less capable of interpretation by the unschol-arly. The poem of Tennyson's seems to conform more closely to Milton's statement, "Poetry should be simple, sensuous, and pas-sionate," than does his own. Shelley treats the death of John Keats in his "Adonais" more extensively than Milton does that of his friend in the "Lycidas.'' However, it may be said as was concerning the latter that the sorrow for Keats was not so heart-felt; his death did not affect the author so directly as Hallam's did Tennyson. Furthermore, the philosophical treatment is less as are also the intimations concern-ing eternity. The thought is more subtle than in the "Lycidas," though still far inferior to the "In Memoriam," and the language is less scholastic. But the poem seems to be more of a reprimand or an accusation against the author of the harsh criticisms against Keats, rather than a loving memorial and eulogy on his life. Words again fail in attempting an estimate of this poem. Pardoning a personal reference, let it be said that never has any piece of literature appealed to my emotions more than this. Never has the light and purity of perfect love for a friend been shown so forcibly as was by Tennyson in this memorial of Arthur Hallam. Ideality of character and ambitions seem to be the chief attributes which are assigned to his friend and these are worshipped with a steadfast devotion. A perfect consciousness of the super-iorities of his ideal kept the worshipper forever in loving awe of the worshipped one and became his only delight. The philosophical treatment of the subject is excellent. The poet never allows himself to become so enveloped in the cloud of sorrow as not to be able to see the light beyond. Through each pang which Hallam's death has caused him he sees the refinement THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 121 of his own nature. His death he realizes to be only the opportu-nity for further development which will render him a more perfect model after which to mould his own life. Even the spring-tide, when the advent of Arthur's birthday approaches is used to rep-resent the glorious season of immortality when friend shall meet friend to part no more. As to the allusions to the future, nothing could be more probable and suggestive than his opinions. The intimation of the development of the mind in after life along all lines of knowl-edge and wisdom on a more rapid and perfect scale is beautiful. The hope for recognition in glory is full of pathos and contains a happy, consoling thought. His reference to his friend as being with God, where he is only in his true sphere, shows a faith that is boundless and displays the most confident trust. Surely noth-ing could be more full of belief in and admiration for the Divine than the verse with which the poem is concluded: That God, which ever lives and moves, One God, one law, one element, And one far-off divine event, To which the whole creation moves." SONNET I think of her and try, all through the day, To see her face, and as I persevere L,ove lets me see, but the sweet lips appear Cold, and the eyes not yielding' blue, but gray, Hard gray ; her whole form seems to say me nay. In all the din of day I cannot hear Her voice ; but in the night it seems so near, Laughing and chiding all my doubt away, So near, I almost feel her breath ; I crave Fancy of I^ove ; he sweeps me with his wing And all the air around is sweet with her : I feel her breast to mine like a swelling wave And lingering lips light love-words murmuring, Melt into mine in a soft slipping blur. Mortimer Stirling, from Red and Blue. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entertdat the Postojjice at Gettysburg as second-class matter Voi,. X GETTYSBURG, PA., JUNE, 1901 No. 4 E. C. RUBY, '02, Editor-in- Chief R. ST. CLAIR POFFENBARGER,' 02, Business Manager J. P. NEWMAN, '02, Exchange Editor Assistant Editors Miss ANNIE M. SWAHTZ, '02 A. B. RICHARD, '02 Advisory Board PROF. J. A. HIMES, A. M., LIT. D. PROF. G. D. STAHLBY, M. D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD, D. D. Assistant Business Manager CURTIS E. COOK, '03 Published each month, from October to June inclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg1) 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 ¥ ITERARY societies are voluntary associations for educational ■"-^ purposes. They are entirely separate from the regular course of school and college work. In many instances they are established by the students themselves, and the officers are usually chosen from their own numbers. This gives them the opportun-ity to learn how to preside at public meetings and to become fa-miliar with the recognized methods of conducting the affairs per-taining to such organizations. It is in these societies that the young parliamentarian learns to make a motion or to rise to a point of order; the aspiring debater displays his skill in convincing his hearers that his opponents are wrong; and the coming orator pours forth his eloquence to his heart's content. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 123 The debates, the essays and the orations develop the powers of observation and expression. They promote readiness and in-dependence. Are these not some of the most valuable things which a man, who goes out into the world to try its realities, ought to possess ? Do we as students fully realize the importance of such an equipment ? In all true education the amount of knowledge communicated, however important it may be, is an entirely subordinate matter compared with the mental desires that are aroused and the mental power that is stored up. I once heard a man say that he did not care so much whether the teacher taught his son the facts in his-tory, but he did want him to create in him a taste for history. This expresses exactly the idea of our college course. How few, indeed, are the facts which we as students are able to gather while under the instruction of the professor compared with those that are gathered by men who are working by themselves in some chosen profession! Some of us regret that not more time can be spent in the classroom on the subject of botany. If the professor has succeeded in arousing a taste for the subject he has accom-plished his work. The student will then become his own teacher and a better one he could not find anywhere. The same is true in the department of literature. How few are the authors to whom we get but an introduction ! But if we have been led to love lit-erature, or have been made hungry, we will not be satisfied with what we get in the classroom. Could not the same be said of all the college work ? We should not come to college with the ex-pectation of going away with a load of facts and a feeling that we have all we want. If we do not go away with a greater appetite than when we came, we might as well have remained at home. c^P Duty is a power which rises with us in the morning and goes to rest with us at night. It is the shadow which cleaves to us, go where we will, and which only leaves us when we leave the light of life.—GLADSTONE. 124 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE PRESENT DlfEICULTY BETWEEN RUSSIA AND JAPAN ARTHUR B. RICHARDS, '02 rT,HE current literature of the last mouth has had much to say *■ concerning the threatened war between Japan and Russia. The province of Manchuria, situated on the eastern coast of Siberia, seems to be the bone of contention. Each nation has her own distinct reasons for wishing to bring this province under her control. What Russia desires is a harbor in the east. She now owns the greater part of Siberia, but can not develop the resources of this vast territory nearly so well as she could were she able to reach the eastern markets. With a seaport in the east Russia could greatly increase her commerce; she could trade directly with the islands of the Pacific. But in order to reach a harbor she must go through the center of Manchuria and she is now striving to hold this country until she can secure the right of way. Japan, on the other hand, has not room at home to accommo-date her industrious and ever-increasing population. The people can not all be cared for on the small island, and Japan has long been looking to Manchuria as a possible outlet. Moreover, Japan had gained a landing in Manchuria during the war with China in 1895, but was forced by Russia to withdraw. This Japan has not yet forgotten, nor is she ready to forgive it. These, in brief, are the principal causes of the threatened war. In case war were toensue.it is generally conceded that Russia would prove too strong for her rival. Manchuria would be the objective point, and could probably be reached and a landing effected by Japan. But she would be unable to hold out long against the superior laud force of Russia. In round numbers, Russia's army has 1,250,000 men to Japan's 90,000. Russia's troops, by the thousands, could be hurried across Siberia by means of the newly constructed railway, while Japan would be compelled to bring her army by the slow process of transportation. These considerations show that Japan's hope of success is very small, and with such odds against her it is not likely that she will be willing to clash arms with the formidable Russians. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 125 THE BADGE OF COURAGE CARRIE E. INGLEBIRT, '04 'T'HIS expression is doubtless familiar to nearly every one by ■"■ reason ol its being almost identical with the title of a recent and very popular book. You can read the words, pass on, and pay little attention to them, yet if the reader pauses and takes a deeper insight into them they gradually unfold a meaning which is far from being insignificant. Courage is a spiritual or innate force, which enables one to face trouble, danger, and even death, with that fearlessness which characterized the sainted martyrs of mediaeval days when being led forth to the stake. Amid the jeers and hisses of the surging crowds, they sang hymns. The American of today, living at too fast a pace to sing slow meter psalms in the face of danger, cheer-fully whistles. It is a somewhat common or popular opinion that courage can only be displayed upon the field of battle or other public places, in which the chief actors appear before the eye of the public. But this contention is false and unreasonable, as can be proven by examples almost without number. In all the humbler walks of life men and women, unseen and almost unheard of, show themselves to be heroes and heroines of the most courageous type. Do not the city papers bring to our notice page aftef page of noble soul-stirring deeds performed at a most perilous risk of life ? And despite the idea that news items are often fictitious, these cannot all be the products of ingenious reporters. With no disparagement to the soldier, it may be said that he has ever before him, as a stimulus to courageous deeds, the hope of promotion from the ranks. But no such red badge of courage adorns the man who saves another in distress, passes on into the crowds, and is lost sight of. Such instances are witnessed fre-quently in our large cities. The laurel and myrtle wreaths are reserved exclusively for those who are valorous in time of public danger, while the one who, from an unselfish Christian motive, takes his life in his hand, remains unrecognized. Out of the multiplicity of instances may we not treat of just a few ? To whom shall the badge of courage go with more pro-priety or justness than to those who leave home, and all the 126 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY sacred interests which are clustered around the homestead, and sail far away, across the sea to the sunny isles of a southern clime, there to become ministering angels to the suffering human beings stricken with leprosy. It is almost certain to be their first and last journey ; for who, with the meagre knowledge of man, can tell when they, too, will be in the same sad plight ? Let us also spare a kindly thought for the mothers, wives and clear ones of the hero who buckles on his belt and sword and goes forth to war. Must not pain and anguish almost wrack those fond hearts at the separation, which can so easily be final ? Surely, do the dear ones at home anxiously scan the daily mortality list, as sent out by the army. And then the startling intelligence reaches them that their hero has gone down in battle, or, sadder still, has fallen a victim to the wages of disease. No more will his cheery whistle resound through the house, or his happy smile chase the shadows of care and trouble away as the rising sun dis-pels the morning mist. It is altogether befitting that upon these sorrow-laden ones we pin the badge of courage. What emblem of courage should we give to such as these for their self-sacrificing devotion to their trust ? Theirs is the self-consciousness of work well done, of obligation carried out, of duty faithfully fulfilled, and no more honorable badge of courage can be secured at our hands than this. They know, as Christians, that they have answered the demands of their Maker, and the ringing plaudits of the people are as the singing of birds in their ears. The highest aspiration in life should be to do the best at all times, and in all places. And now, this having been done, a distinct feeling of satisfaction must surely be felt. Having endeavored to prove the theory already advanced, may we not conclude that the true badge of courage is not neces-sarily the red one for valor in time of danger, but is really the white, that one symbolic of purity and innocence, which is not secured in this sphere, but when the possessor has left the earthly scenes, and stands forth in the clear radiance of another world, then is the true reward, the real badge of courage, seen in its highest and holiest sense. The hearts of men are their books; events are their tutors; great actions are their eloquence.—Macaulay. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 127 TRANSLATION OF HORACE I. 35 ABDEL E. WENTZ, JK., '04 O peaceful goddess, favored Antium's queen, Thou who canst raise a humble man to fame, And turn proud triumphs wondrous to be seen To funerals—all men adore thy name. The rustic farmer prays to thee in fear; To thee as mighty mistress of the sea, Whoever tries through boisterous waves to steer, Directs his prayer, that he secure may be. The warlike Dacian flees before thy face; Whole towns and nations look to thee for aid. The strength of kings depends upon thy grace; The power of despots all on thee is staid. They know that thou canst overthrow the state, And quickly rouse the idle ones to arms; They stand before thee trembling lest their fate Shall prove thee to be worthy of alarms. Stern Doom is ever foremost in thy train; She bears her emblems in her brazen hand: The huge beam—nail, the wedge, the clamps, the chain, And melted lead, to make thy edicts stand. Pure Faith and Hope are both thy steadfast friends, They follow thee whatever may betide; To thee each one an earnest friendship lends, Nor can misfortune drive them from thy side. As Caesar sails for distant Britain's shore, Do thou protect and keep him by thy might; Defend our youthful soldiers, we implore, And may they be successful in the fight. Alas! the awful crimes in which we've shared! Too long have civil wars abased our pride; What altars in our madness have we spared? What kind of evil have we left untried? O grant to forge the blunted sword anew! Remove from us the cause of all our woes; Bestow on us thy grace in all we do, And help us to subdue our cruel foes. 128 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE USE OF THE NOVEL BESS DRAIS, '04 TX EPRIVED of books the world would be robbed of one of its *-/ most essential joys. They are one of the few profitable things that afford unalloyed pleasure. In books, the mind has scope, something to develop its power and something that feeds it. There are thousands of standard works of fiction which are wholesome in tendency, purely educators of the mind. The bright accounts of travel, witty discussions, lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of a novel, is a singular characteristic of the present age. We should read them not merely to be occupied but to weigh and consider, although their purpose is, in a measure, to delight, relieve and amuse. A novel to be of great value, however, must be true to life. If it excites sympathy it will help us to see our own faults as well as the failings of others and will teach us to make an allowance for human nature. The novel superseded the drama when the latter had become unprofitable; not content with this, it makes high aims to rival history by discussing the great deeds of the past and the burning questions of the present; for its general use is culture, teaching history or science, thus reaching many people with its truths which would not be read elsewhere. In times of despondency, when even life seems monotonous, novels sustain and cheer, showing us the truest side of human na-ture which we are often inclined to imitate. Grounded on truth they arouse our moral imagination causing us to think—to think very seriously of our own weak selves. But truth is not the only requisite. The novel, to be profitable as well as entertaining, needs love. Of course I do not mean that sentimental art of love-making,' but rather a tender feeling for hu-manity and the conditions of man. Hawthorne, in his novels, pictures a higher ideal of life by making virtue more attractive and vice more repulsive. He goes deeper and higher than mere literalness; he. sees life as a whole but after all the true things are the spiritual things. At a certain age we are most amused by the unnatural and supernatural, but, as it has been said, when we grow older we realize that life itself has the best outlook for us and the most interesting fiction is that THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY . 129 which shows us life as it is. So every novel does have a purpose,' and whatever that purpose ma)' be it will be truly noble if built on the appreciation of human love, human courage and human character. A VISIT TO VALHALLA P. W. EYSTER, '03 /^\NE day in May after a shower of rain, a student while walk- ^^ ing over the scene of Pickett's charge in quest of relics found a ring, which had been washed out of the ground. On close examination he found it to be a broad, silver ring, which bore the device of two triangles, crossing each other in such a way as to form the representation of a star. King Solomon, the Wise, is said to have invented this device, which is of great use to enchanters and conjurers, but as the student was not well versed in the signs of magic he could not appreciate its value and carelessly placing the ring on the little finger of his left hand, returned to college. He was a member of society and attended the parties and enter-tainments given by the hospitable people of Gettysburg. In the latter part of May, on a beautiful moonlight night, there was a party given by his friends near L,ittle Round Top. He went to this party where he enjoyed himself until a late hour, when he saw that a certain young lady got home safely. He challenged her to walk on Little Round Top past the statue of Gen. Warren. She being active, accepted the challenge. They left their friends and when they reached the summit, being out of breath, they seated themselves on a rock near the statue for a brief rest. While they were resting, the statue commenced to speak, moving its jaws as if rusted from disuse. It said, "You, young man, have a ring on your finger bearing the representation of a star; that ring is the key to Valhalla. The fates have decreed that the gates of Valhalla shall not be opened by the hand of a man, even though he possess the ring with the star, but if the young lady will touch the rock upon which I stand after you have placed the silver ring on her finger, the gates of Valhalla shall for the first time be opened to mortal man." The ring having been placed on the young lady's finger, she touched the rock upon which the statue stands. Immediately there was a loud report like that of thunder, and the rock moved 130 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY aside leaving an opening where the two entered. After entering they found themselves on a grassy plain. They saw at a distance a body of English soldiers dressed in bright red uniforms, lined up for battle. Soon another body of soldiers appeared but not so gayly dressed as the other. At the head of this was the venerable George Washington preparing to fight for the thousandth and first time the battle of Yorktown. Washington rode before his men and said: "See those Red-coats, shoot for their belts, we must win the day or perish on a bed of honor." The English advanced, but the soldiers of the "land of the free and the home of the brave" being determined to win drove the Redcoats over their entrenchments. The visitors advanced farther and saw at a distance embank-ments of cotton-bales and earth thrown up, behind which were a few thousand men. Seeing Andrew Jackson riding near them they asked him what his men were waiting for. He said, "They are waiting to thrash the army which defeated Napoleon on the world-famed battlefield of Waterloo." The English army ad-vancing under Gen. Packenham soon attacked the embankments of Jackson's soldiers but was driven back in confusion under a writhing fire from the American guns. The next scene which met the visitors' eyes was a battle be-tween soldiers wearing the blue and those wearing the gray. As a regiment of soldiers were filing past the visitors, the young man asked a soldier, who was in the rear, what they were about to do. He replied, "We are going to fight the battle of Gettysburg, where we will show to the world that 'Republics shall stand and king-doms fall.' And we will teach the kings of Europe that 'a gov-ernment of the people, for the people, and by the people' is a possibility." By this time the battle was going on in dead earn-est. Valhalla was resounding from the artillery duel between the contending armies. Soon a division of the Confederate army, advancing from the smoke, charged the Union breast-works. A hand to hand conflict ensued, and above the rattle of the musketry could be heard the groans of the wounded and dying men. During the excitement of the battle the young lady carelessly lost the ring, when there was a clap of thunder and the visitors again stood on Little Round Top. Oh! had this woman not been so careless as to lose the key to Valhalla, we might visit at our leisure the warriors contending on the bloody battle-field of Val- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 131 halla. But just as Eve was the cause of the downfall of man, so this Gettysburg maid, one of the daughters of Eve, was the cause of the loss of the key to that mysterious realm of the soldiers' heaven. But what is the use of mourning over the misfortunes of mankind, since we cannot add a cubit to our stature. After they had stood for a while on Eittle Round Top, breathing the atmosphere of mortal men, they started for the young lady's home. When the two separated, they promised each other to keep their visit to Valhalla a secret. But putting a secret in a woman's braiu is like pouring water on a sieve. So, dear reader, I have the pleasure of recording the incidents of a visit to Valhalla. c*$J AN INDIAN LEGEND A. 0. WOLFE, '04 To the westward, afar o'er the prairies is the land where the Sierra Nevadas Rear aloft their bald heads to the heavens; and reach out with their mystical shadows, Just as though the grim soul of the mountains stretched its hundred hands forth o'er the valley, To rebeckon its armies of whirlwinds, or to summon its thunders to rally. There the smiling- Yosemite valley, 'neath the sheltering crags of the mountains, Robed in tropical green and in freshness as is grass near the spray of a fountain, Stretches out with its slow winding river; and with a waving ocean of petals, Attempts, in its alluvial bosom, to conceal all its glittering metals. In the valley a town of the Shoshones, nestled snugly 'tween mountain and river, Seemed asleep in the afternoon sunlight; for the red men with bow and with quiver, Far away o'er the snowy capped mountains, sought the flesh of the deer on the prairie Or the lumbering buffalo hunted. The village, by the wand of a fairy, Seemed a quaint painting conjured on canvas; e'en the butterfly breezes were leaving The fierce watch dogs alone to their dreaming; and the squaws stopped anon at their weaving 132 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY With the maidens to witness the sunset. At some distance removed from the village Walked the wife of the red warrior's chieftain. She had gone the green meadow to pillage Of its succulent roots and its fruitage. To her right her child toddling and straying Neared the place where a crystal spring bubbling with itself like an infant was playing. From aloft in the transparent ether on bold pinions descended an eagle, Which at first seemed a speck in the zenith; then as bent on a purpose illegal, Nearer and larger it grew till at length, like a bolt from a bow it de-scended, Grasped ithe Indian child in its talons, and aloft to the wild crags ascended. Such a scream from the lips of the mother as might waken to life the departed, Roused the idling maids in the village. They beheld as she frantically started Up the steep ragged side of the mountain, that she further and further retreated In pursuit of her child and the eagle. But her journey was not half completed Ere a wild hissing sound through the branches, the dark gathering clouds and the thunder, The swift pattering fall of the rain drops, and the tossing of tree tops in wonder, All proclaimed the approach of the tempest. The elements crash! The wild winds bellow! And the day reels and rocks into darkness. Then the lightning shot forth in the yellow And sulphurous turmoil of ether in a network of serpentine flashing, Till the hills on their very foundations seemed to rock at its terrible crashing. And the storm is abroad in the mountains! The oracular hills and the hollows Are appalled at the noise of his stamping; and the brook in the gulch where he wallows L,eaps its bounds, in its anger, a torrent. Then from bastion to bastion each moment In the chaldron of vapor below with a roaring and rumbling the sound went Of the battering peal of the thunder. Millions or more of roused echoes arose When the wind rushing forth in his fury, left the blue ocean in placid repose And encamped 'mong the paralyzed hemlocks. And he howls as he hounds down his quarry. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 133 And his lash tears the hair of the oak tree, which, with womanish fear in its flurry, As it clings to the rock with torn garments, is bewailing- its fate and the morning'. Then this fierce guide of storm and of terror rushes off with a hoarse note of warning Through the intricate maze of the branches. There is war in the skies! And the midnight, Doubly mocked by its own apparitions, quickly cringes and shrinks from the flashlight Of the murderous bolt of the lightning. Then the storm passes on to the ocean, And has left the dark mountains in quiet and the night-fairies filled with emotion. But the Indian child and the mother passed from life into death in its maelstroms; And the eagle bore skyward their spirits to the glad Hunting Ground of the Shoshones. As they sail through the night wind, richly lit by the glow of the moon-light, The bright orbs of the sky in amazement reel and swim in their oceans of starlight. All the spirits of beasts of the forest quickly flee the approach of the stranger, As a herd of wild deer on the prairie run away at the first sign of danger- Then a buffalo, older and wiser to oppose their advancing, had started, But the bold, fearless soul of the mother raised her hand and the wild beast departed; And at once in its place was the sunrise, was the glad Hunting Ground of the Shoshones. EXCHAINGES IT is a relief to turn from the somewhat tedious prose articles of * the college magazine to its lighter contents. We are not among those who say that the literary monthly should be com-posed entirely of short stories, but we do believe there should be enough light material to relieve the tedium which necessarily arises from the perusal of a number of theoretical articles, which are often difficult of comprehension. Because of its pleasing va-riety, The College Student holds first place among our last month's exchanges. Nearly all the magazines contain some fiction—The Touchstone and The Lesbian Herald too much, according to our opinion. 134 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY "The Poet's Corner" of the Dickinson Literary Monthly is always entertaining. " The "Wreck " is a vivid descriptive poem in the last number. The Shakespeare edition of The Coitey College Chronicle is full of excellent articles on the great dramatist and his work. Half-tones of the poet, his own and Ann Hathaway's home, make the magazine very attractive. " Nescius Aurae Fallacis " in The Western University Courant is the title of a story on a phase of college life which is probably familiar to most students. A PICTURE OF FANCY I. There's a vale in the far away mountains Where the pinnacle barriers stand Like guards in the outskirts of nature To shut in the peace of the land. Here, wild and alone, great boulders are strewn And there sweeps a beautiful lawn; And the Angel of Light brings a rose every night To hang on the curtains of dawn. II. She forgets not to pause in the evening And spread o'er the heavens a glow, With a picture whose secret of painting No mortal man ever shall know; When the stars are asheen and the skies are serene, And the soft clouds gently are driven, She changes the scene and the moon glides between Like a ray through the window of heaven. III. I gaze on the depths of the morning And all like a glory doth seem, I find in the twilight resplendent, A divine and immaculate dream. And touched by the wand of some magical hand, All the raptures of fancy unroll; And a music unknown, like a deep undertone, Is awaked in the harp of the soul. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 135 IV. Would I Bell the sweet picture of fancy- Though its being were nought but a name? No not for the wormwood of glory, And not for the bubble of fame. It is sweet to be near to the eye and the ear, Of a Father who watches above, To study how grand are the works of His hand, And to catch little secrets of love. Ex. How much energy, vitality, effort, is being expended every day fruitlessly because of the want of intelligent application ! Even among students of college there are some who, though they are sincerely studious in their daily work, pass through their course without having attained the best which their opportunity affords and their efforts seem to deserve.—Ex. "To me, I swear, you're a volume rare;" But she said, with a judicious look, "Your oath's not good by common law, Until you've kissed the book." —Ex. THE COLLEGE GIRL There's a gladness in her gladness When she's glad; There's a sadness in her sadness When she's sad; But the gladness of her gladness, And the sadness of her sadness, Aren't a marker to the madness Of her madness When she's mad. —Ex, PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. Botcher Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, Sausages. Special rates to Clubs. In buying don't forget the Advertisers; They support us. ESTABLISHED 1867 BY ALLEN WALTON. ALLEN K. WALTON, President aud Treasurer. ROBT. J. WALTON, Superintendent. flammeistomn Bromti Stone Gompany Quarrymen and Manufacturers of Building Stone, Sawed Flagging and Tile Waltonville, Dauphin Co., Pa. Contractors for all kinds of Telegraph and Express Address. Cut Stone Work. BROWNSTONE, PA. Parties visiting the Quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station on the P. & R. R. R. For a nice sweet loaf of Bread call on J. RAiUER Baker of Bread and Fancy Cakes, GETTYSBURG. PA. ~ EIMER & AMEND, Manufacturers and Importers of Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus 205, 307, 209 and 211 Third Avenue, Corner 18th Street NEW YORK. Finest Bohemian and German Glassware, Royal Berlin and Meissen Porcelain, Pure Hammered Platinum, Balances and Weights. Zeiss Mi-croscopes and Bacteriological Apparatus; Chemical Pure Acids and Assay- Goods. SCOTT PAPER COMPANY MAKERS OF FINE TOILET PAPER 7th and Greenwood Ave. PHILADELPHIA PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. The Century Double-Feed Fountain Pen. Fully Warranted J6 Kt. Gold Pen, Iridium Pointed. GEO. EVELER, Agent 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 71 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. SPRINGS1;^A. H. S. BENNER, .DEALER IN. Groceries, Notions, Queensware, Glassware, Etc., Tobacco and Ggars. J7 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 points of interest,including the th ree days* fig-lit, $1.25. No. 127 Main Street. You will find a full line of Pure Drugs and Fine Sta-tionery at the People's Drug Store Prescriptions a Specialty. J. A. TAWNEY_^_ Is ready to furnish Clubs and Boarding Houses with Bread, Rolls, Etc. At short notice and reasonable rates. Washington & Middle Sts., Gettysburg. R. A. WONDERS, Corner Cigar Parlors. A full line of Cigars, Tobacco, Pipes, Etc* Scott's Corner, Opp. Eagle Hotel. GETTYSBURG, PA. M. B. BENDER Furniture IRON BEDS, MATTRESSES, SPRINGS Picture Framing and Repair Work done Promptly 27 BALTIMORE ST. GETTYSBURG, PA. .00 TO. fjotel (Gettysburg Barber Sfyop. Centre Square. B. M. SEFTON W.F.CODORI, m^Tc^do^i Dealer in Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal, Sausage. Special rates to Clubs. York St., GETTYSBURG. .GO TO. CHAS. E. BARBEHENN, Barber In the Eagle Hotel, Cor. Main and Washington Sts. 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 FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. Spalding's Official League Ball and Athletic Goods Officially adopted by the lead-ing Colleges, Schools and Athletic Clubs of the Country Every Requisite for— BASE BALL FOOT BALL OOLF TENNIS ATHLETICS GYMNASIUM Spalding's Official League Bail Is the Official Ball of the National Iveague, the princi-pal minor leagrues and all the leading college associations Handsome Catalogue of Base Ball and all Athletic Sports Free to any address Spalding's Offi-cial Base Ball Guide for 1901, edited by Henry Chadwick, ready March 30,1901. Price 10 cents. A. Q. SPALDINQ & BROS., Incorporated NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER ROWE, Your Grocer Carries Pull Line ol Groceries, Canned Goods, Etc. Best Coal Oil and Brooms at most Reasonable Prices. OPPOSITE COLLEQE CAMPUS. S. J. CODORI, *#Druggists Dealer in Drugs, Medicines, Toilet Articles, J> Stationery, Blank Books, Amateur Pho-tographic Supplies, Etc., Etc. BALTIMORE ST. R. H. GULP PAPER HANGER, Second Square, York Street. 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. A. C Miller Job Printer Students' Trade Solicited Best of Work Guaranteed Meneely Bell Co. TROY, N. Y. MANUFACTURERS OF SUPERIOR BELLS The 2000 pound bell now ringing in the tower of Pennsylvania Col-lege was manufactured at this foundry. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. 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. L Try My Choice Line of .} £ High-Grade Chocolates 3 ¥¥ at 4flc per lb. Always fresh at CHAS. H. McCLEARY Carlisle St., Opposite W Also Foreign and Domestic Fruits A 3 ARY J Mil. R. R. p Y' Always on Hand. L. D. Miller, GROCER Confectioner and Fruiterer. Ice Cream and Oysters in Season. 19 Main St. GETTYSBURG City Hotel Main St. Gettysburg. Free 'Bus to and 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, Frop. Capitol Cits Cafe Cor. Fourth and Market Sts. HARRISBURG, PA. First-Class Rooms Furnished. Special Rates to Private Parties. Open Day and Night. European Plan. Lunch of All Kinds to Order at the Restaurant. ALDINGER'S CAPITOL CITY CAFE. POPULAR PRICES F. Mark Bream, Dealer in Fancy and Staple Groceries Telephone 29 Carlisle St., GETTYSBURG, PA. JxMijjJ^^hy .Photographer. No. 3 Main St., GETTYSBURG, PENNA. Our new effects in Portraiture are equal to photos made anywhere, and at any price. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS ftlrigbi 140-142 Woodward Avenue DETROIT, MICH. Manufacturers of High Grade Fraternity Emblems Fraternity Jewelry Fraternity Novelties Fraternity Stationery Fraternity Invitations Fraternity Announcements Fraternity Programs Send for Catalogue and Price List. Special Designs on Application. HOTEL GETTYSBURG LIVERY GETTYSBURG, PA. LONG & NOLTZWORTH, Proprietors Apply at Office in the Motel for First-Class Guides and Teams TME BATTLEFIELD A SPECIALTY Zhe Bolton Market Square Ibarrfaburg, ff»a. Large and Convenient Sample Rooms. Passeng-er and J5a.gga.ge Elevator. Electric Cars to and from Depot. Electric Light and Steam Heat. J. M. & M. S. BUTTERWORTH, Proprietors Special Rates for Commer-cial Men "EZ 1ST IMMER CUT ET WAS ZU WISSEIN." These are the words of Goethe, the great German poet, and are as true in our day as when uttered. In these times of defective vision it is good to know something about eyes. A great deal has been learned about the value of glasses and their application since Goethe lived. Spectacle wearers have increased by thousands, while at the same time, persons losing their eyesight have been greatly diminished. If your eyes trouble you in any way let me tell you the cause. Examination free and prices reasonable. We grind all our own lenses and fit the best lenses (no matter what anyone else has charged you) for $2.50 per pair and as cheap as SO cents per pair, or duplicate a broken lens if we have one-half or more of the old one, at a reasonable charge, returning same day received. .E. L. EGOLF. 807 and 809 North Third Street, FIARRISBURG, PA. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. Pentpol J-fotel, ELIAS F1SSEL, Prop. (Formerly of Globe Hotel) Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, Pa. Two doors from Court House. MODERN IMPROVEMENTS. Steam Heat, Electric Lig-ht and Call Bells all through the House. Closets and Bath Rooms on Every Floor. Sefton & Flem-ming's Livery is connected with this Hotel. Good Teams and Competent Guides for the Battlefield. Charges Moderate, Satisfaction Guaranteed. Rates $1.50 Per Day. GET A SKATE ON And send all your Soiled Linen to the Gettysburg Steam Laundry R. R. LONG, Prop. Horace Partridge & Co., BOSTON, MASS. Fine Athletic Goods Headquarters for Foot Ball, Gym-nasium, Fencing and Track Supplies. Send for Illustrated Catalog. 84 and 86 Franklin Street R. W. LENKER, Agent at Penna. College. JOHN M. MINNIQH, Confeetionery, lee, • »««Iee Creams-*-* Oysters Stewed and Fried. No. 17 BALTIMORE ST. HARim §. 3EFTON The Leading Barber v>f)op (Successor to C. C. Sefton) Having1 thoroughly remodeled the place is now ready to accommodate the public Barber Supplies a Specialty. .Baltimore Street. GETTi^URCj., PA. ESTABLISHED 1876 PENROSE MYERS, Watchmaker and Jeweler Gettysburg Souvenir Spoons, Col-lege Souvenir Spoons. NO. lO BALTIMORE ST., GETTYSBURG, PENNA. L. t\. kiitm Manufacturers' Agent and Jobber of Hardware, Oils, Paints and Queensware. OETTYSBURa, PA. The Only Jobbing House in Adam* County. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. For Fine. Printing go to Tfe Jo Co Wile foitiipg Honje CARLISLE ST. GETTYSBURG, PA. C. B. Kitzmiller Dealer in Hats, Caps, Boots and Douglas Shoes GETTYSBURG, PA. R. M. Elliott Dealer in Hats, Caps, Shoes and. Gents' Furnishing Goods Corner Center Square and Carlisle Street GETTYSBURG, PA. EDGARS. MARTIN, ^CIGARS AND SMOKERS' ARTICLES. %2** w^v^ Charnbersburg St., Gettysburg Leadership . IN THE CLOTHING and MEN'S PURNISHING Business It is strictly here—everybody knows it. Testimony? The stock itself. The pen suffi-ciently nimble to tell all the good points of our ::::::: FALL AND WINTER. SUITS AND OVERCOATS has not been found. We will keep you dressed right up-to-date if you buy your Clothing and Furnishings here. : : : : STIINE McPherson Block. No. II BALTIMORE STREET ,--.-;. Ibotcl (Bett^sbutQ. ©ett^burg, pa. ZlDerville IE. Ztnn, proprietor r^^^^gsS^S^S^-* The Leading Hotel Rates $2.00 per Day Long & Holtzworth Livery Attached Cuisine and Service First-Class Look for Wm. M. Seligman's Advertisement on this page in our next issue

APRIL, 1899 ocTheo. Gettysburg Mercury CONTENTS. An Unhonored Hero, 41 I Wonder Why, 43 Elements of Franklin's Great-ness, 44 The Passage of the Free School Bill 48 Pages from My Diary, 49 Our Superstitions, 50 The Elfking 54 The Turk and Armenia, 55 Immortality, 58 To Melpomene, 60 A Sun of the North 60 Environment, 63 A Sketch of the Development of Music, 66 Editor's Desk 69 Francis Scott Key's Monument, 70 Kee Mar, 71 The Value of Good Literature, 72 Athletics, 73 Among- the Exchanges, 75 Editor's Scissors 76 Advertisements, 77 FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. mm For Fine Printing GO TO The J. E. WIBLE .♦Printing Rouee Carlisle Street, GETTYSBURG, PA. C. B. Kitzmiller, Dealer in Hats, Caps, Boots and . Douglas Shoes GETTYSBURG, PA. J. H. Myers, Fashionable Tailor, Clothier and Gents' Furnisher. The best place in town tohaveyourCloth-iug made to order. All workmanship and Trimmings guaranteed. No charge for re-pairs and pressing for one year. Dyeing and Repairing a specialty. Ready-made Clothing the largest stock in town. Up-to-date styles. Bicycle Suits and Breeches Headquarters. 11 Baltimore 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. EDGAR 5. MARTIN, F^CIGARS AND SMOKERS' ARTICLES. Chambersburg St., Gettysburg. JOHN H. MINNIGH, Confectionery lee Creankj^ and. Oysters Stewed and Fried. No. 17 BALTIMORE ST. .COLLEOE OF. Physieians and Surgeons BALTIMORE, flD. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Baltimore, Maryland, is a well equipped school. Four sessions are required for graduation. For full information send for the annual catalogue, or write to THOMAS OPIE, M. D., Dean. Cor. Calvert & Saratoga Sts. .THE. GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second- class matter. Vox,. VIII. GETTYSBURG, PA., APRIL, 1899. No. 2 Editor-in-Chief. J. FRANK HEILMAN, '00. Assistant Editors. Alumni Editor. LUTHER A. WEIGLE, '00. REV. F_ D. GARLAND, SAMUEL A. VAN ORMER, '01. Business Manager. Assistant Business Manager. JOHN K. HAMACHER, '00. CLARENCE MOORE, '02. Advisory Board. PROF. J. A. HIMES, LIT. D. PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M. D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD. D. D. Published monthly by the students of Pennsylvania (Gettj-sburg-) College. Subscription price One Dollar a year in advance, single copies Fifteen Cents. 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. AN UNHONORED HERO. MANY of the deeds of heroism which were performed on America's greatest battlefield are not recorded by the his-torian, have received no public recognition and have passed into oblivion. The generals and the officers were not the only heroes in our great civil war, although they have received the highest praise and honors. In the graves of the unknown dead in the National Cemetery there may be many sleeping whose deeds are worthy to be written in poems and to be sung in classic songs. In the year 1863 an incident of the battle of Gettysburg oc-curred which has never received any public notice, but was related to me by my father who was fully acquainted with the facts and who was a student at that time in Pennsylvania College. My father's roommate was a youth of fifteen or sixteen years, named Fred. A. Lehman. He was a student in the preparatory department, and was from Pittsburg. On account of youthfulness 42 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. and not having the permission of his parents or professors he was not allowed to join the College Company. Consequently when the company left for Harrisburg, Lehman was left behind and was at Gettysburg when the Rebels arrived. During the first day's fight Lehman, whose patriotism was unbounded and who was filled with devotion to his country, went out over the field. As he saw the Union lines slowly driven backward by a superior force, he was unable to restrain himself longer, and seizing the musket of a dead soldier and stripping the lifeless form of its cartridge box he fell into line and entered the contest with the zeal of a veteran, doing excellent service. When the union forces retreated through town he sought refuge at the home of the German professor, the Rev. C. F. Schaeffer, D. D., who resided on Chambersburg Street during the battle. On the morning of July 3rd, tired of staying in, Lehman wished to go out and see how things were progressing, but was restrained by the Schaeffer family. When the family took refuge in the cel-lar Lehman slipped out and thought he would see for himself how things were going, but no sooner did he set foot on the street than he was spied by Rebel sharpshooters on Seminary Ridge. He had only gone a short distance when he was struck just below the knee by a bullet. The ball passed through the leg shattering the bone. Lehman managed to crawl back into the house where he was tenderly cared for by the family. After the battle he was removed to the Union hospital in the Seminary building. The surgeons wished to amputate the leg but were restrained from so doing by the protests of the Scheaffer family and of the professors. The surgeons could not help but yield to the desires of his friends, as he was not a soldier and as his extreme youth was favorable to not amputating the leg. His wound was carefully dressed and in a short time he was able to walk with the aid of crutches, but was rendered a cripple for life. He resumed his studies at the Fall session of College but did not complete his course, leaving in 1864. In the Pennsylvania College Book—page 370—it is stated that he studied law and was located, at the time the book was published, at Washington, D. C. Among the heroes of the great battle of Gettysburg the name of Fred. A. Lehman deserves a place. Although not wounded in actual battle, his impulse was to render service to the cause of liberty and the preservation of the Union. He entered the THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 43 fight not for honor nor for glory and with no eye upon him to cheer and urge him on, but his only desire was to fight that his country might live. He perhaps did as efficient service as John Burns, although his youth and activity caused him to be passed by unnoticed. There are monuments which mark the spots where our known heroes fell, their names are engraven on the hearts of the American people and their deeds can never be forgotten; the government pen-sions those whose health was broken and who endured the loss of limbs and disfigurement. This youth fought unnoticed in the great struggle for freedom, received a most painful wound, bore uncom-plainingly his sufferings all these years, and, if living to-day, bears in his body the effects of his patriotism. But he has this concious-ness to give him satisfaction, that in his own way he did what he was able to do for his country's honor in that hour of her sorest trial and greatest danger. e9p —J. ROY RICHARDS, '01. I WONDER WHY. Where'er you go my college friend Along life's devious way. You'll always find a host of things To vex you every day ; The universe is full of them In earth and sea and sky, And all that you can do at times, Is pause, and wonder why. When first you enter learning's halls In cleverness you cloy ; Yet ere a fortnight has elapsed You're caught in some decoy. And, while you wait to hear the sound Of albatritche''s cry, You drop your bag, and curse your fate Then grope, and wonder why. You go to class from day to day Bewitched by classic lore, Your brain becomes a buzzing mart Of phantom forms galore : You poke your nos inter the Greek, You mix your tres with tri, Then when the fellows laugh and shout You blandly wonder why. 44 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. You run to lab. three times a week, You open nature's book; And though it's in a symbol tongue It has a foreign look. You meet with acids weak and strong, With brazen fortn-u-lae; Yet, when the Prof, declines your notes, You grin, and wonder why. Some day you make a new resolve To pay neglected debts, Your friends no sooner find it out Than in they draw their nets,— You drop a letter home to pa, And beg a quick reply ; He chills you with the draft returned In words, "I wonder why ? " Perhaps, you're calling on a girl You'd like to make your wife, You whisper in her ear and say,— You love her more than life; Then asking for her hand in troth She answers with a sigh,— Not, " Oh so sudden I yes, or no " But plain, "I wonder why? " Yet never mind, old captious boy, Don't turn your feet aside, Just plod your way up Duty's path Whatever may betide; Some future day in looking down From heights no wealth can buy ; You'll see the paupered minds below, And know the reason why. -J. B. B., 1900. ELEMENTS OF FRANKLIN'S GREATNESS. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, one of the greatest of Americans, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1706. His parents were poor and had seventeen children, of whom Benjamin was the youngest. His father procured a livelihood for the family by manufacturing soap and candles, which, to be sure, could not have been a very profitable vocation as far as pecuniary matters were concerned, for we find that the family was often in financial distress. On account of the poverty of his parents and THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 45 the size of the family, the individual members of which were en-titled to equal consideration, he was unable to obtain more than the ordinary amount of schooling then given to young people. Early in life he attended a grammar school, and while there dili-gently applied himself to his studies. Later he took lessons in writing and arithmetic under the famous master, George Brownells. This was all the instruction that he received, his parents be-ing unable to send him to any college or university. Having thus briefly noted the disadvantages under which he began his career, we may regard self-denial, inspired by his in-tense love of knowledge, as the first element of his greatness. While yet young he became a vegetarian, so as to purchase books for a higher education. Though by no means a miser, he lived most economically and in the greatest simplicity, that he might procure books and magazines. Almost every cent that he saved was used in purchasing books. It may here also be mentioned that he was a prodigious reader, often reading books and maga-zines, (some of which were his own, and some of which he had borrowed,) the greater part of the night, and consequently he was well informed on almost all of the subjects of the day. Though many instances of this element of his greatness might be cited, we let what has been said suffice, and turn our attention to the second element of his greatness. Self-reliance may be said to have been the second element. The following instances furnish proof that he possessed this at-tribute. His trip to Philadelphia may be taken as the first instance. While yet a young man he decided to try his for-tunes in another city. He accordingly set out for Philadelphia, travelling all the way on foot, as he did not possess the means necessary for travelling in a better manner. After a long and wearisome journey he arrived in Philadelphia, with but a Dutch dollar and a shilling in his pocket. All that he possessed was what was attached to his person. He found himself in a strange city, in a city in which he had neither friends nor relatives. His future looked gloomy. He had little hope of success. But all these misfortunes do not seem to have baffled him. He was not idle. He at once sought for employment, and he soon found it. He worked hard, made friends and money, and finally rose to fame, and was admired and loved by all who knew him. Coming into the city as a poor stranger, by relying upon his own ability iHH^ni^^Bm 1 46 77/^ GETTYSBURG MERCURY. and diligently applying himself to his business, he rose high in the esteem and veneration of the people. His trip to England may be taken as the second instance of self-denial. He made this trip some time after the one from Boston to Philadelphia. Having been induced by false representations to go to England, he crossed the Atlantic, and arrived in London, where he soon found himself almost penniless. Heknewnoone. He was in a strange country. But here also by his self-reliance and firmness he managed to earn enough to procure a living, and, indeed, finally lived quite com-fortably. He made friends everywhere, and, as in America, was honored and loved by all. So much for this element of his great-ness. We now turn to a third, his perseverance. Perseverance he possessed in a high degree and gave proof of the fact in almost everything that he did. Some of his greatest achievements were accomplished by the aid of this element in his character. We may cite his discovery of the indentity of lightning with electricity. He had studied and pored over this subject a long, long time. He sometimes even despaired of ever finding a solution to the problem. He had studied it in all of its phases and relations, before his efforts were finally crowned with success, when he charged a Leyden jar with lightning drawn from the clouds by means of an insulated wire, one end of which was at-tached to a kite. His perseverance while learning the trade of printing, may also be noted here. While an apprentice his lot was hard and discouraging. There was no great hope of success. He worked hard and constantly, and was almost always somewhat financially embarrassed. He struggled on, however, and finally, after he had served his apprenticeship and had begun business as a printer, made a success. He even became famous through the circulation of the "Poor Richards Almanac," which was widely read and even translated into foreign languages. The instances illustrating this element of his greatness are so numerous, indeed, that it would be tedious to mention them all. We will let the two mentioned suffice. They give proof enough that he possessed this great quality, a quality that so often has raised men from humble stations to positions of honor and glory. A fourth element of Franklin's greatness was his logical method of treating subjects. This was one of the greatest elements which distinguished him. He was a great lover of the "Science of Sciences.'' He tested the truth or falsity of statements by logical THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 47 examination. He formed all his conclusions logically. He would assent to nothing that was not logically true. In all of his great discoveries his conclusions were based upon logical treatment. He was, in short pre-eminently logical in everything that he did. Reason was his guide, and it is only fair to conclude that this great element in his character, which he possessed in such high degree, was one of the greatest causes, if not the greatest, of his success and, of course, of his greatness. In this connection we may mention his keen observation of persons and things as a minor element of his greatness. It is said that scarcely anything escaped his notice. He studied and pondered over things that ordinary men were scarcely aware of. His observations set him to think-ing, and often great results followed. Another minor element, unimportant as it may seem, had not a little to do with his success; affability and readiness in every kind of conversation, which made him a universal favorite. Indeed, when in England, this inherent quality, by winning for bim popular favor and admiration, did much for his recovery from the great financial losses that he had suffered. His tales of adventure and witticisms are very interest-ing, and are popular even at the present day. Everybody loved to converse with him. He was so entertaining, charming, brilliant and witty. We will now pass to a fifth great element, his breadth of mind. He was broad in his sympathies. He was not in the least con-trolled by any narrowness of mind. He never took part in petty quarrels relating to certain opinions, creeds or theories. He believ-ed in freedom of thought, and wished every person to think fearlessly and according to the dictates of reason and his own conscience. This noble quality is seen most clearly in his religion. His was an universal religion, inasmuch as he was not controlled in his religious views by any creed or doctrine, but by his conscience. It is said that he never went to church, but prayed at home. This may be true; it may not be. It makes no difference whether it be true or not, so far as we are concerned, for we know he lived morally, nobly benefited mankind by his labor, and was loved and honored by all nations on account of the noble services by which he blessed mankind. —C. H. G., '00. 48 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. THE PASSAGE OF THE FREE SCHOOL BILL. BRIGHTLY the sun arose on the morning of April n, 1835. It was a momentous occasion, for before the Legislature of Pennsylvania was an issue than which none more important ever had been discussed in those halls. It was the Free School Bill, and by common consent the vote was to be taken on that day. Governor Wolf had favored it in his annual message, and little else had occupied the attention of those early lawmakers during the session. The discussion had been long and spirited. The opponents, influenced to some extent by false ideas of duty to their constituents, had been bitter in their denunciation of the measure; while the friends seemed to think it their duty to spare no effort to secure its adoption. They believed the education of the masses to be essential to the perpetuity of a Republican form of government. Perhaps they, in looking down the dim vista of future years, saw the present glorious system and the joy and hope it gives the state, and delighted in being its progenitors. Surely they realized with the poet— "The riches of a commonwealth Are free, strong- minds and hearts of health; And more to her than gold or grain, The cunning' hand and cultured brain." As the legislators assembled on that balmy day, the opponents were jubilant; while the friends, though doubting, were hopeful: such was the state of affairs as they took their accustomed places. To the consternation of all present, when the Chaplain arose for prayer, he besought Almighty God to lay bare His strong right arm and save the state from that poverty and bankruptcy which were sure to follow, if the people were to have their property wrested from them for the education of all the children. The battle opened with all the leaders ready ; and as the crisis approached, a young lawyer, Thaddeus Stevens, stepped to the front and "met the assailants with such strength of logic, brilliancy of rhetoric, nobility of purpose, and magnanimity of spirit that the bill was saved." By that speech he gave the state a legacy richer than Golconda's jewel mine or Ophir's golden ore. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 49 PAGES FROM MY DIARY. AFTER a few days in the quaint cities of Holland, our party hastened to Cologne. The view of the great Cathedral, whose twin towers, unfinished for centuries, were com-pleted since 1871 as a monument and symbol of United Germany, more than fulfilled our expectations. Then came the journey up the Rhine, more like a dream than reality; and then in rapid suc-cession "fair Bingen on the Rhine," Mainz, Frankfort, Heidel-berg and Strassburg, until farther on in Switzerland appeared, high above the other mountains, mass piled upon mass, in dazzling splendor, the incomparable Bernese Alps. We did not, as so many do, attempt to do the Rhine in one day, but lingered here and there, at some quaint village, where at night a hunter's horn would awaken the echoes of the hills, and seem to be summoning the knights of old to come forth and, even if for only a night, to inhabit their ancient strongholds and castles. Time was, to be sure, when other thoughts than picturesqueuess struck the merchant, who had to pass them. They are the relics of the age when might was right, and when every noble governed as he pleased, and levied heavy toll upon all who passed through his land, often at the point of the sword. These lordly castles, whether along the Rhine or Danube, are now fallen in ruins, like the feudal system, which gave them birth. Their ruins now add to the picturesqueness of the scene. Nature has dealt kindly with them, massive trees grow through their walls, and ivy clings to every crevice. If these walls could speak, what deeds of cruelty they could disclose, what feuds, what fratricidal strife! But if these times were in some respects barbarous, they were also heroic and full of romance. Many a castle could witness to the heroic lives of men, and especially to the holy lives of noble women. The reader of this practical age loves to linger over the pages of those authors who have made these times their theme, and involuntarily the wish arises for more dash of romance in this everyday life of ours. Perhaps it is distance that lends en-chantment, and there is more romance in the present than we think, if we only have the eyes to see it. * * * * Day after day as a child I had seen from my home, near the foot of the Black Forest, the outline of the great cathedral of 5Q THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Strassburg, and behind it, in the distance, the long outline of the Vosges mountains. Occasionally at some brilliant sunset the mountains seemed lined with gold, but never did those regions seem less prosy, than when after many years of absence I gazed from the tower of Strassburg Cathedral on what has been justly called "the garden of Europe." About fifteen miles to the west the jagged outlines of the Vosges run for nearly one hundred miles north and south, the Rhine sweeps along, until far to the north it appears like a thread of silver, to the east about ten miles away extends parallel to the Vosges, the Black Forest. The plain between, as far as the eye can reach, is dotted with cities, towns, and villages, while here and there are the sombre hues of extensive forests. At our feet is Strassburg, the old city with its red tile gables just beneath us, beyond stretches the modern part, and still be-yond this the formidable fortifications which make Strassburg well nigh impregnable. By August 24, 1870, a Germany army division had surrounded Strassburg and from this time to September 27th, the bombard-ment lasted without intermission. The roar of cannon was con-tinuous, shattering the windows in many of the surrounding towns and the nights were made bright with the glare of the burning city. From church steeples we watched the movements of the army, when the French attempted sallies. But at last the white flag appeared. Much valuable property was destroyed, but with some slight damages, which have been repaired, the great cathedral, standing on the site of a church of the fifth century, itself begun in 1015 and completed in 1449, was saved. Every traveler may still draw inspiration from it, and raise his eyes, as pious Tauler did of old, "dizzily up to where in the moon-bright-ness the great Minster's tower, jeweled with sunbeams on its moral crown, rises like a visible prayer." -C. F. B. OUR SUPERSTITIONS. FROM the earliest times of antiquity to the present day the power of superstition has wielded a dominant influence over the minds and hearts of men. With the evolution of Christian civilization this mighty influence has been gradually diminished in its power and narrowed in its extent. Religion HHHilHM^HnBiH M«HH - ' ' '" HHHM THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 5i and philosophy, Christian ethics and morals, science and art, have been the titantic dykes which have even pushed back the swift mountainous waves of Pagan superstition, opening up for the mind of man a magnificent expanse of development. The great waters have been pushed back, but they have left behind them countless little pools and rivulets, which all too plainly show the recentness of the mighty flood. Much of the punctiliousness of our modern society amounts to nothing less than a dainty and re-fined superstition. Bacon has truly said—"there is a superstition in avoiding superstition." The glaring superstitions of the uneducated classes are too ob-vious for our present consideration. The criminal beliefs of the unenlightened classes and tribes of heathendom are hackneyed. The Hindoo mother, tearing her wailing babe from her bosom and flinging it into the flowing waters of the Ganges, the indescribable crimes of ignorance in the Dark Continent, the frightful outrages of the South Seas, shock the moral sense of the enlightened nations. All these things the civilized world witnesses with uplifted hands, unmindful of the aesthetic trace in its own veins. Popular political and religious superstitions are rife in the world to-day, even while it stands watching the downing rays of the twentieth century quivering in the auroral horizon. The atmosphere of our modern and so-called enlightened society is so filled with the curse of so-cial lies, direct offsprings of superstition, that much of the living truth and natural goodness of the human heart is converted into the most sickly forms that have ever gilded and bolstered.up the morbid vapidity of the human mind. "Evil haunts The birth, the bridal; friend from friend Is oftener parted, fathers bend Above more graves, a thousand wants Gnaw at the heels of men, and prey By each cold hearth, and sadness flings Her shadow on the blaze of Kings." The folly and the crime of superstition so pervades our society that many otherwise useful and rational minds have been warped and stunted in their development. As a natural product of this condition civil government has been hindered, education has been harassed, and art has suffered irreparable loss. The clearest and most succinct definition of the word super-stition is from the pen of Canon Kingsley,—"an unreasonable 52 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. fear of the unknown.'' From this it can be said without fear of con-tradiction, that all superstitions are formed within the various gra-dations of ignorance. The power of ignorance seems to move with the same step as does the power of knowledge. Knowledge has be-come refined and discriminate; so has ignorance. Superstition has grown into such a state as to become almost unrecognizable. Much of the religion, philosophy, and ethics of to-day, and in truth, our whole conduct of life, shows strong traces of supersti-tion. The iron will of heredity, with its inexorable, brass-riveted decrees, has long been a faithful devotee at the shrine of modern superstition. Awed, bowing multitudes listen to its irrevocable mandate. Its voice has the deep solemnity of a passing bell. "A ma?i is the direct product of his progenitors.'' The edict is spoken. Thousands, branded as moral lepers, must forever leave the pre-cincts of "good society." At the approach of the traveler they must draw a filthy covering over their chalky faces and cry out in an agony of woe, " Unclean! Unclean! " The doctrine of heredity is only half a truth. Our present matter does not permit us to enter into any extended argument in support of this statement. Moreover, examples substantiating it are by far too numerous. Sufficient to say, that many noble souls have been cruelly ostracized, and in many instances, ruined, by the superstitious credulity concerning the infallability of the laws of heredity. "L,ike father, like son" has unjustly closed many doors, and has sent more than one soul into a career, which would have been otherwise if more broadness had been practiced. Imitation is recognized by modern psychologists as one of the strongest propensities of the human mind. In the withering light of this great truth it matters not whether a man's ancestry be good or evil, so long as he follows and imitates proper ideals. Among our modern superstitions may be classed two, which mould with an iron hand the opinions of the average man, news-paper superstitiou and the superstition of "majority." With re-gard to the former it can be said without fear of serious contra-diction, that its power is inestimable. What mind can compute the product of the fear of modern newspaper criticism ? Public opinion seems to swell and wane at the motion of the editor's baton. The public press of to-day has made statesmen waver with indecision, tremble with a superstitious dread of newspaper THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 53 odium, and even fail in their sworn duty. Strong and mighty and resolute is the mind which is able to stand unmoved by the mighty waves of newspaper superstition which sweep at times in a per-fect deluge over our nation. Mightier yet than newspaper superstition is the superstition of majority. The average newspaper bows low before it in servile obeisance. The rule of majority is right when it is the expres-sion of the true and deeply underlying feelings of the great heart of mankind. But the history of the race is sadly traced with periods when the cry of majority has caused a pervading sense of superstitious terror, and has filled the bones of nations with the rottenness of decay. The noblest and best in man seems to have taken up its abode not in "majority" but in "minority." The worst havoc of the demoralizing power of superstition has been played in religion. In the full glory of this closing cen-tury a stain of deep regret must be felt on account of the niedi-aevalism displayed in the religious thought of the civilized world. This is almost wholly confined to the middle and lower classes of intelligence. No words are more to the point than those of Bacon—"it were better to have no opinion of God at all, than such an opinion as is unworthy of Him; for the one is unbelief, the other is contumely; and certainly superstition is the reproach of the Deity." To enter into a detailed discussion of religious superstitions is beyond the scope of this article. It is more to our purpose to hail with joy the dawn of that day when pure science and religion shall be recognized as an indissoluble union, pro-claiming the "Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man" as an actual and eternal truth. The present age is one of change. Many mental and physical ghosts, will-o'-the-wisps of the night, are losing their mystic glow in the full glare of reason. We are beginning to learn more fully, "That life is not an idle one, But iron dug- from central gloom, And heated hot with burning fears, And dipt in baths of hissing tears, And batter'd with the shocks of doom To shape and use." If we do not misinterpret the signs of the times, religion is demanding that the world be enlightened from pole to pole. The idea of education has taken a mighty hold on the Christian con- 54 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. sciousness of the world, and what religion in the hearts of the people demands, will be done. The spirit of the age decries superstition, the deep disgrace of our intelligence, and sings with the poet— "Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring- out the darkness of the land, Ring- in the Christ that is to be." —O. E. B., '00. THE ELFKING. GOETHE. Who rides at night through the storm so wild ? It is a father and only child ; He has the boy safe on his arm, He clasps him fast, he holds him warm. "My son, why hide you your face in fear?"— "Why father, the king of the elves is here ; The crowned elf-king with a flowing train,"— "My son, 'tis only the misty rain."— "My dear child, come and go with me ! Such pretty plays I'll play with thee; Gay-colored flowers grow by the shore, My mother has golden garments galore."— "My father, my father, and dost thou not hear The king of the elves speaks right in my ear ?"— "Be quiet, my child, 'tis only the breeze Which softly rustles the frost-bitten leaves."— "Good youth, wilt thou not go with me ? My daughters fair will wait on thee; My daughters nightly a-dancing will keep, Will rock thee and dance thee and sing thee to sleep."- My father, my father, and seest thou not The elf-king's daughters on that dismal spot ?"— "My son, my son, I see as alway, 'Tis the gloomy willows so sombre and gray."— "I love you, your beauty has so charmed my mind, Unwilling, I'll force you; don't think me unkind."— "My father, my father, I feel his strong arm ! The king of the elves is doing me harm ! " THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. The shuddering- father rides swift and wild, He holds in his arms his groaning- child, He reaches his home in fear and dread,— In his trembling arms his child lay dead. 55 -C. '99. THE TURK AND ARMENIA. TURK is the synonym for cruelty rather than for pity, a syno-nym for barbarism rather than for civilization and refor-mation . Ever since her existence Turkey has stood forth as one of the greatest foes of civilization. Turkey is not a small principality, not an insignificant nation, but a people numbering two hundred millions. Their earliest appearance in history was about the eighth century; coming from Turkestan, they obtained possession of a part of Armenia, extending their conquests over adjacent portions of Asia, Africa, and Europe. To-day their kingdom comprises the most celebrated, best situated and naturally finest provinces of the continents. As a great nation their history presents great victories, a history which is written with a bloody sword dipped in the blood of many Christians, by whose exist-ence, Turkey formed an immense army. The glorious name and honor of our Christianity often was trampled under their feet. Wherever they went a broad line of devastation marked their track, the lands which they took possession of reeked with human blood, and the atmosphere darkened with the dense clouds of crime and shame, for they presented themselves as the one great anti-human specimen of humanity. Christianity hid herself on account of persecution under the ugly mantle of affliction, and as far as their dominion reached, civilization disappeared from view, and barbarism found an occasion to offer hatred and the bitter cup of cruelty. Mohammedanism proved by the sword that it is well qualified, as a moth, to destroy the garment of civilization, and to cause the best character and abilities of the subject nations to de-cline. The blessed door of civilization and reformation closed against them. The Turks enter not themselves, neither suffer them that are anxious to enter to do so. Mohammedanism has been a burning shame in the history of Christendom and an incurable sore in the hearts of many philanthropists. It represents everywhere a government by ■■^^^HB^^HIHH 56 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. force as opposed to a government by law. Righteousness does not enter it, for it is only a den of robbery and bribery. Bribery is a disgraceful condition which causes the government to decline and truth and righteousness to disappear. Such a government is not a safe establishment for the welfare of country and people. Office under the government is often bought by money rather than secured on account of ability ; and the law is only a chameleon which changes its form readily according to the wishes of the officers. The government has authority to overrule all affairs of the people. Schools, books, newspapers, national history, all are absolutely under the censorship of the government. In a word, the important agencies which form civilization and reformation are checked in different ways in the subject nations, so as to blind and to degrade them. It is not infrequently that one hears that a newspaper office is closed on account of not using conservative language, neither is it a rare occurrence that a school boy is held responsible for his literary production, nor that a teacher suffers on account of teaching national history or songs, which inspires his students with glorious feeling for country and nation. These are tbe testimonies to the civilization of the Turk. Their power depends upon sword and religion ; many small na-tions have suffered and suffer yet under his sword and misrule, although some of them were able to declare their independence after a bloody night of tribulation. The small nation of Armenia has undergone insufferable afflictions ever since the thirteenth century. Turkey has shown its best qualities in the detestable and wicked outrages upon Armenia, and fruits have been testimonies enough as to what kind of people the Turks are. They give a new impetus to barbarism rather than to advanced civilization and reformation. Christianity is the mother of true civilization and reformation. If this is a fact, how can the Turks or a non-Christian nation be civilized? It is an impossibility to become reformed and civilized without having any Christian influence. The Turk is standing as the master of a few subdued Christian nations, but these nations have proved that they are far superior in every respect to their ruler. The Armenians though under the flag of Turkish barbarism, stand as a race, small in number, unfortunate, weak, and conquered, yet we may say to-day, greater than the conqueror, for Armenia has shown the elements of I THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 57 true wisdom, honor and greatness, by her intense loyalty to the Cross, and shall have the honor to bear the cruel star of persecu-tion upon her forehead, as a testimony of faithfulness to her Master. The merits of a nation do not depend altogether upon power and greatness of numbers, but upon the character and the elements which form true power and greatness. The Turk is as unchange-able as one of the Egyptian mummies; he does not progress nor does he care much, but it seems that he takes pleasure in keeping on in his previous condition, and also in hindering his subjects from progressing. How can there be allegiance and loyalty under such circumstances ? This life seems a very heavy burden and shame to Armenians, and though the best of the Armenian youth preferred to sacrifice themselves upon the altar of freedom, still it seems these sacrifices have not been accepted, and the glorious morning of independence has not yet dawned upon Armenia. The flowers of her hope have faded under the relentless and scorching sun of misfortune. Many looked upon her with ridicule and despisingly, for she was wearing the ugly garment of misfortune, and bearing the thorny crown of persecution upon her head. The cup of affliction overflowed, and the contrite children of the na-tion began to mourn, bitterly lamenting in their native song— "No more for the Armenian A twinkling star appears ; His spirit's flowers have faded Beneath a rain of tears. Ceased are the sounds of harmless mirth. The dances hand in hand ; Only the weapou of the Turk Shines freely through the land." The Armenian nation has the honor of having been the first na-tion converted to Christianity. Ever since Armenia's tribulation, the Turk has exercised upon her every brutality, and although she dwells among a barbarous and non-Christian nation, she still keeps her Christianity and purity, and often her children prefer to lose their lives rather than desecrate the sanctity of the Ar-menian family. It is a fact that to-day Armenia is not one of the best civi-lized and reformed nations, but she has shown the best possible character and desire for it, besides we must consider those circum-stances which she has undergone. Very few recognize what 58 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. beauty and wisdom is hidden under the gloomy veil of misfortune. Some day He who understands and hears all supplications and petitions of these hearts of ours, shall lift the veil and destroy the cruel power of the Turk upon Armenia. Then this small and insignificant nation shall stand forth in her bridal garment among the Christian nations of the world, bearing the banner of "faithful servant" crimson with the blood of many martyrs. —ARDASHES H. MERDINYAN, '01. IMMORTALITY. ONE of the most wonderful and inexplicable things in the universe is the intimate and mutually dependent relation between the soul and the physical organism. The soul as we know it, owes its continued existence, and the power to ex-ercise its functions, to the body with its intricate and admirably adapted mechanism. All we know of the world comes to us through the five senses and is conditioned by the manner in which we use them. Even the faculties of reasoning and re-membering seem to be closely associated with the structure of the brain, and the discovery of this relation will ever remain as the unattainable aim and end of Biological Psychology. Moreover, we naturally and unconsciously judge character, disposition and mental capacity simply by the face and general external appear-ance and our judgments are often surprisingly correct. Thus there seems to be some truth in the strange statement of Plato that a beautiful soul seeks a body equally beautiful to inhabit. Notwithstanding this close interdependence between soul and body, they are united to each other by a very fragile bond. How easily may the silver cord be loosed or the golden bowl bebroken ! A bit of flying lead or an electric spark will stop the delicate ma-chinery, just as a grain of sand will arrest the balance wheel of a Swiss watch, and naught be left but a bit of lifeless clay. The strong arm is cold and motionless ; the sparkling eye is dim and glassy ; the lips are silent; the soul is gone,—whither ? From time immemorial this has been a matter of thoughtful conjecture and philosophers of all ages have offered solutions to it. It is of vital import to every one and probably no other question has received such universal attention. Is the soul anni- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 59 hilated when the body dies? Can it be that "life is a bubble cast upon the ocean of eternity to float for a moment upon its surface and then sink into nothingness and darkness forever?" Men have shrunk from such a conclusion; it would preclude all religious belief. The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians believed in the immor-tality of the soul. The Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, con-ceived a strange and irrational theory concerning its future exist-ence. Even the Indians of North America look forward to their Happy Hunting Ground. At the time of the French Revolution, when men lost their reason and became savage beasts, they went so far as to belie their own consciousness and, as the ostrich seeks safety by thrusting its head into the sand, they vainly sought to shield themselves from future punishment for their hor-rible crimes by the false aphorism, "Death is an eternal Sleep." But, "Truth crushed to earth shall rise again," and they soon saw and acknowledged their folly by a pompous, public declaration of the immortality of the soul. Since the principle of immortality has such a deep foundation in human nature, we must conclude that it was placed there by the Creator and consequently is a reality. The mode of existence of the disembodied spirit defies all ex-planation in accordance with our material ideas; it cannot bear and feel and see as it formerly did through its sense organs but, in order to retain its integrity, it must at least be able to exercise its functions ; it must know, reason and remember. All our thoughts and deeds will forever be before us,—the wicked and the good in striking contrast. Then what a sweet satisfaction there will be in the consciousness that we have done the right, and what pitiful and endless misery our evil deeds will be to us. The untiring, sleepless Erinnyswill follow on our track. The grinning spectre of remorse will haunt us with the memory of our neglected opportunities. Accordingly, there rests upon us in view of our future happiness the obligation to follow the dictates of righteousness and always be true and noble, so that when our summons comes we may receive the greeting, "Well done." —B. '99. 6o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. TO MELPOMENE. HORACE. A monument I've built, more lastingthan bronze- More loftj' than the piles of Egypt's tow'ring mounds; Such as no wasting- rains, nor northwind's violent blast, Nor endless age, nor flight of time, is able to lay waste. My work shall ever live, ascending lofty heights; While priest and virgin mute, perform the sacred rites. Posterity shall see my glory to increase, And men remember me till Rome herself shall cease. It shall be said of me, a prince of humble birth, Born where Aufidus roars and Daunus rul'd the earth, That from ^Eolian fields, I first brought lyric strains; And, on Italian lands, produced the sweet refrains. Then crown my glorious brow, sweet muse Melpomene, With Delphic laurel wreath, and thereby honor me. —M. '02. A SON OF THE NORTH. SNAP, crash! "At last I am through that cursed thicket." It was the first of July, 1863, and the terrific struggle at Get-tysburg had just begun. After the remark with which our story opens, the speaker, a young man clad in the gray and gold of a Confederate staff-officer, slippped from his saddle, and leaving his horse to graze about on the scanty grass, climbed a little farther up the hill, and stepping upon a pile of stones, swept the surrounding country with his field-glasses. "Surrender or die!'' suddenly exclaimed a low voice, in which there was a perceptible note of laughter. The officer lowered his glasses with a start, and turned in the direction from which the sound had come, whilst he fumbled for his revolver. The next moment, with a cry of surprise and joy he passionately em-braced a tall, blue-clad figure. For awhile the grim business on which they were each engaged was forgotten, and they fairly over-whelmed each other with questions. They had been chums at col-lege, but at the outbreak of the rebellion they had enlisted, the one in the Northern, the other in the Southern army ; and now while out scouting, chance had thrown them together near their old college home. Suddenly, as they talked, the glad light of THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 6l welcome faded in the Northerner's face. "And what do you know about Bess Marl ?" he said. "Why, you know I used to go out there frequently. Don't you remember?" "No, I don't." "Well, perhaps I didn't tell you where I went; we used to keep such things quiet at college, but that is where I made the calls you and the other fellows used to jolly me so much about. How is she ?'' '' Her father and brothers are all enlisted in the Northern army and she and her mother, as they remained on the place, are right in your line of attack. But, Bob, how comes you are so interested?" The Southerner's face reddened even through its bronze, and as the Northerner noticed it, it angered him. "So you love the pretty Bessie, do you?" Something in his tone caused Bob Lancy to look at him. "And what does that signify?" he questioned sharply. The Northerner's face softened and his grey eyes lit up. "Because I would give my life to keep her from all harm," he said softly, fancy's face grew dark, and for a few moments neither spoke. Then the Northerner stretched out his hand to Lancy as he said solemnly: "God knows, my only wish is her happiness. She shall decide between you and me; and you, Bob Lancy, shield her and her's, because till evening your lines will have enclosed her home." The Southerner grasped and wrung the outstretched hand while he repeated, "She shall decide between us." Then the two men pledged each other to shield and protect the girl for whom they would both have given their lives. "We may never meet again, who knows,'' said Lancy. "Good-bye, Harry Sinclair, dear old chum." Once more they wrung each other's hands, and then hurried away in opposite directions. It was late afternoon, and in the living room of a comfortable old farmhouse all was confusion. Heaps of household goods were lying packed, preparatory to being taken out of the reach of harm, by the large hay-wagon at the door. Two women were hard at work gathering together the most valuable articles, which an old servant was loading on the wagon. At last everything that could be taken with them was loaded, and with a last tearful 62 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. look at the old home which the shot and shell of the morrow would tear to pieces, they hurriedly mounted the wagon and drove away. Suddenly a horseman appeared beside the wagon from the al-ready dusky woods along the road, and with terror they noticed that he was clothed in Confederate gray. The next instant their terror gave way to joy as they recognized in the officer Robert Lancy. "Why, Miss Bess, I am in luck," he exclaimed in joyous tones as he recognized the occupants of the wagon. Greetings were exchanged; then, Lancy having assured them that the road was open as far as he knew, he was compelled to hurry away to report to his commander. Not before he had look-ed deep into Bess Marl's eyes, which met his for a moment, and then drooped as he inquired where he might see them again if he lived. At the last proviso Miss Marl had looked up quickly and then had bent to arrange something in the wagon and he saw her lips trembling ; then, with a lingering hand clasp he was gone. There had been a silent spectator in the woods beside the wagon. Harry Sinclair had been about to ride up to the wagon, when Lancy had appeared from the other side of the road. Now, as Sinclair rode away through the woods, his teeth were shut tight, and his face was perfectly bloodless in its pallor. He had seen the soft flush on Miss Marl's cheek and the drooping head. Alas, he knew too well what they meant. At first, fierce jealousy and anger took possession of his heart, then the wish that the woman whom he loved so tenderly might be happy at whatever cost to himself overcame all other considerations. The next day he was posted with his command on Culp's hill. About noon a Confederate cavalry brigade galloped out from the shelter of the woods, in splendid order. They swung into line as if on dress parade. Then, with sabres gleaming in the sunlight, they charged. Many saddles were empty by the time they reached the low stone wall. The next instant they were engaged with the infantry behind it. The struggle was fierce, but the Confederates were slowly gaining, when on their flank came the wild charge of a body of northern cavalry. Deep into the body of the Southern regi-ment, overturning horses, trampling their riders under foot, drove the wedge of blue. At the head of one of the companies rode Capt. Harry Sinclair. The light of battle gleamed in his eyes as he shouted to his men. The Southerners began to yield. Suddenly THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 63 Sinclair and Bob I_ancy were sword to sword. Both are good swordsmen and the combatants seem equally matched. But what is the matter with Sinclair? Twice there has been an opening, and twice he has turned aside his blade. Suddenly, his guard goes down and with a groan he pitches forward and falls. Quickly his old chum leaps down beside him. A stray bullet has pierced his lungs. With a tender hand, Lancy lifts the dark, curly head and presses his flask to the pale lips. The eyelids quiver and the gray eyes open. He recognizes Lancy with a smile and tries to speak, but a rush of blood checks him. At last he whispers, "Good-bye, Bob,—dear—old—chum. Tell—Bess—I—knew she—loved you and so I didn't"—but his voice fails. With a last whisper of '' Give—mother'' he points to his coat pocket, then his noble young spirit quits the earth. The wave of battle has swept into the distance and still Bob Lancy sits like a statue, gazing piteously at the form of his chiv-alrous- hearted friend, who had redeemed his love with his life. —C. M. S., '01. ENVIRONMENT. THE stripes of the Bengal tiger, as if the shadows of the reeds amongst which he walks; the snowy whiteness of the Polar bear; the delicate, leaf-tinted hue of the green linnet; the rabbit's coat amongst the dead leaves of autumn, or that of the squirrel upon the oak; all are marked instances of the adaptation of environment induced by Natural Selection or otherwise. Fur-thermore, it has been shown by scientists, as Hunter, Alfred Russell Wallace, Hohugren, and Darwin, that even the organism of ani-mals may be changed by a change of habitat and food. The giz-zard of the pigeon is transformed to the carnivorous stomach of the sea-gull, if it is provided with meat for a considerable time; and, vice versa. Man, too, acknowledges these changes in him-self. Tennyson in the mouth of Ulysses, for whom he has named his charming little poem, says:— "I am a part of all that I have met." The need of environment, or the fact that man is not self-ex-istent, is almost universally acknowledged, at least, as well as the fact of environment. In and of himself, man is not. If shut 64 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. off from food and light he dies. Why, likewise, if he is deprived of mental food, books, and conversation and communion with others, will his intellectual and spiritual manhood not die? No internal force can supply this environment. In the physical world we have the same. A piece of coal is known to have the possibility of producing a certain amount of heat, yet it is not the coal alone. Without its environment of oxygen, it were nothing ; for it is the affinity of the carbon of the coal for the oxygen, and their precipitous rush to be united which causes the heat. The same need exists, and the same effects are produced in the lives and characters of men by environment and heredity, which together entirely determine the man. From Lamartine's "Cromwell" (p. 5) we quote, "Robert Cromwell, father of the future sovereign of England, brought up his family in poverty. * * The poor, rough, unyielding nature of this moist country, the unbroken horizon, the muddy river [the Ouse], cloudy sky, and miserable trees * * were calculated to sadden the dis-position of a child. The character of the scenes in which we are brought up impresses our souls." He then cites Mohamet from the scorching valleys of Arabia, Luther, Calvin, as well as Cromwell, adding, "As is the place so is the man." "That is very comforting and pleasing," says one. "Icannot live under the strain of college life and be a Christian," nor "on a stony farm," nor "in a factory," nor "with the kind of neighbors I have," nor "under the confining cares of the household, and maintain that sort of Christian life which I should like to pos-sess," come in the voices from all sides. They are trying to ex-cuse their lame and halting Christian life on the plea of one or more inherited traits, or their surroundings, which, they claim, make the highest Christian life impossible. Environment and heredity entirely determine a man's life, we repeat, granting that the proper interpretation be put upon those terms. Yet, this forms no plea for not living the highest Christian life, for there is spiritual as well as physical Environ-ment and Heredity. Our occupations, tastes, ways of thinking, even looks, may become changed, but nowhere can there be found, save perhaps negative, proof (Compare Lu. 12:47, 48), that the Divine Judge will mitigate his sentence because of en-vironment. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 65 Henry Drummond in "The Changed Life—The Alchemy of Influence" quotes the words of one of the highest intellects this age has known: '"By the love of God in Christ Jesus I am what I am.' If you ask me precisely what I mean by that, I say, frankly, that more than any recognized influence of my father or my mother upon me; more than the social influence of all the members of my father's household, more, so far as I can trace it, or so far as I am made aware of it, than all the social influences of every kind, Christ has had the formation of my mind and my disposition." God himself put an end to all excuses almost twenty-five hundred years ago, by his words to Ezekiel (Ch. 18: 2-4, cf. v. 20): "What mean ye that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have oc-casion any more to use this proverb of Israel. * * The soul that sinneth, it shall die." The spiritual environment leaves no room for pleas. The writings of the Apostle Paul as well as the sayings of Christ Jesus show us this fact. With scientific accuracy, Paul says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God (II Cor. 3:5). We ueed the environment, we have all we need in Him. Without it, man feels a need, a craving, a longing, for something, he hardly knows what. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for with-out me," severed from me, "ye can do nothing." (John 15 : 15.) "Our sufficiency," not a partially satisfying environment, but all we need in Him we find. "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28.) Ponder the thought until it enters into your very being, until it is revealed to you with transforming power. Then will there be "love, joy, peace," and not until then. When we can say with Paul: "I live, nevertheless not I, but Christ liveth in me," then shall we truly know the power of environment, and shall not desire to claim any excuses for a halting life. —C. C. G., '00. 66 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. A SKETCH OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC. THE history of every art—literature, sculpture, painting, music or whatever it may be,—can usually be divided into several distinct epochs, each of which has its own peculiar char-acteristics. In music, authorities generally have four such divi-sions. It is my purpose in this short sketch to glance briefly at each of these periods and name the distinctive characteristics of each. Far back in the beginning of every nation or people there was a time when music, or to speak more correctly, the raw material of music, consisted of only the sounds of nature such as • we hear to-day among animal life and among certain savage tribes. As definite notes, few, of course, at first, began to take the place of these indefinite and irregular shouts and cries, music came into ex-istence. Examples of this change may be found at the present day amongsavage peoples. Their songs usually consist of vague howls or wails which are but a slight advance upon the original nature-sounds. They are in a transition state between meaningless sounds and music. The next step in the development of the art was the formation of melodies; songs began to arise. These songs are called "folk-songs ;'' they exist among all peoples and nations and differ in beauty and form just as the peoples who invent them differ in character and in habits of life. For instance, the folk-songs of Southern Europe,—Italy and Spain, are of a light, very melo-dious character, usually sung in quick time, and accompanied by dancing; those of Germany and the Anglo-Saxon races are entirely different,—not so melodious perhaps, but by certain repetitions, . and peculiar methods of being sung, impressing one with a sense of stability, firmness and great reserve power; those of Russia and Poland differ again, and so these folk-songs are peculiarly char-acteristic of the nation producing them. The reason for this is obvious. These songs are produced spontaneously, almost invol-untarily, not according to any fixed type or design,—they come from the very heart of the people and hence are truly an index to their life. Simultaneously with the production of these folk-songs, there come into existence, series of notes which bear a certain re-lation of pitch, one to the other. These series we now call "Scales." Of course, the original scales were very different from those in use THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 67 at the present day; they were very rude, and consisted of probably three or four notes separated at what is technically termed an in-terval of a fourth or fifth. Another noteworthy mark of this period is the great difference existing between the prominent types of music, such as symphony, sonata, oratorio and song. These types are subdivided and each subdivision receives distinctive treatment and differs from the others. For example, piano music has come to comprise calibres, nocturnes, lyrics of all kinds, dances of various sorts, and almost endless varieties. In the opera we find, the grand, the comic, the buffa and other national and distinctive types. The differentiation of forms (if I may use the term) goes on continually. The resources of this age are immense ; materials are at hand for mankind to ex-press anything he wants to. Owing to the fact that there are so many different types of music in this present age, it is impossible in a sketch like this to adequately describe even the principal of them ; so I have selected one particular form, and one with which we are all familiar,—the modern song. Nowhere else is the tendency to use characteristic expression more displayed than in the typical modern song or ballad. Songs there have been all through the history of music; it is like a thread that runs through all the periods of the develop-ment of the art, but it has only been in comparatively recent years that a musical system has been devised which is elastic enough to admit of every mood and emotion of the composer or performer. Composers in earlier times did not pay much regard to the words which they set to music; they regarded them as a certain number of syllables which would admit of being set to a singable tune. They thought their tunes ofmuch more importance than the words ; hence they paid little or no attention to either the accent of the syllables or to the sentiment expressed. The songs were tune and tune only. But as new resources in harmony were used and tonal-ity became better understood, under various influences, the final expansion and perfection of the form as we have it to-day, was reached. The names of three great modern song composers stand out pre-eminent; they are Schubert, Schuman and Brahms. The works of these three great masters of song are properly called ' 'classical.'' They are the best. And iu their works many illustrations of charac-teristic expression may be found. "Grelchen a?)i Spi?mrade," by 68 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Schubert, affords a good example. The words which are set to music are by Goethe. The story of the song is this: Margaret sits at her spinning-wheel and sings of her absent lover. And notice that the accompaniment throughout the song is very suggestive of the hum of the spinning-wheel. As she sings she begins to describe him. She tells of the beauty of his form, the soft glance of his eye, the melody of his voice, and finally the culmination of the climax is reached when she says, " [/?id Ach! sein Kuss!" Here the hum-ming accompaniment ceases: the music moves in a progression through a series of chords until the highest emotional point of the acutely sensitive harmony is reached on the word "Kuss;" there is ahold on the note to this word, succeeded by a short pause, then the music drops gently to the deep bass of silence and reflec-tion ; the accompaniment is taken up again but brokenly, as though suggestive of sobs or sighs, then the original accompaniment and melody is begun again and the song moves on. There are many more examples which could be cited. But there is another kind of modern song with which we are even yet more familiar—the so-called "popular" song. Who can give the cause, the philosophy of the popular song ? It grows up almost in a single night it seems, and b}r the next morning everybody is whistling it. Probably some music-hall singer with her own picturesque personality first sings it; the people are pleased both with the singer and the song—and in a few days it has spread over the entire country. Many of these popular songs are worth-less— of no merit neither in the music nor sentiment expressed. But once in a while a real gem is found among the pile of rubbish. These few songs are the ones that endure. These are the good old songs "which are sung as much now as at anytime of their exist-ence. They will always be found to be those which have not sim-ply pleased the ear but also touched the heart. There is a chord in the heart of every one which responds at once to "Home, Sweet Home." "Annie I^aurie" will endure as long as the English language remains in existence. The dying turn, not to the music of symphony societies, but to "Rock of Ages." And so there are other examples of these songs which survive. Some one has well said, "Strauss may set the feet to dancing, Wagner please the brain, Mozart delight the ear, but nothing can touch the heart like the "good old songs." —F. '00. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 69 EDITOR'S DESK. FOR quite a while Gettysburg has not been making marked progress in athletics. Our alumni have heard time and again of colleges, which a few years ago were glad to be called the rivals of Gettysburg, sending our teams home, beaten and discouraged. There are few things which so cast gloom over a college as the news that the team, in whom the college's reputation is centered, has lost game after game. It is not difficult to find the cause of this. Our teams themselves are not to blame, for they have done all that teams, unsupported, could do. The great need of Gettysburg is a permanent coach, one who can stir up among the students sharp competition in athletic sports. Every one true to Gettysburg will thank the Pen and Sivord for its generous offer of $75.00 to help pay the salary of a permanent coach. Athletics begin to brighten up again; the students realize that a loyal hand is helping them and we feel that under the impulse of enthusiasm and college spirit, our teams will hereafter make the reputation of Gettysburg what it once was and what it must be. A new feature or rather a revived feature of college life now presents itself to the colleges of Pennsylvania. A great revival of inter-collegiate debates has taken firm hold upon our higher institutions of learning. A strong point in favor of these debates is the preparation for them, which will put life into college liter-ary societies. (Comparatively few colleges have live societies). Probably no study in the curriculum of any college can prepare a student to think so quickly and so powerfully, as debate. But as the excellent mental training of debate is too well known to speak of, suffice it to say that Gettysburg feels the impulse stirring her sister colleges and is preparing to act her part in contests not far distant. A word on April is not out of place. April is the great war month of Americans. Lexington, the beginning of the Revolu-tion, was fought in April; Ft. Sumpter was first fired on in April; the late war with Spain began in April. Many other im-portant events, e. g., the inauguration of Washington, the sur- 7o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. render of Lee, the assassination of Lincoln occurred in April, but the fact which makes April mean so much to us, is that in it our greatest wars began. Although Philo and Phrena are not what they should be and our athletics at present are somewhat below high water mark, we are greatly pleased to witness the loyalty of Gettysburg students. Nearly every man is intensely interested in Gettysburg's reputa-tion. This spirit of earnestness about the honor of our college is sure to result in good and our alumni may well be proud of their Alma Mater, since in the midst of the present circumstances,— when the work of literary societies and athletics is hardly worthy of Gettysburg—the students remain so loyal to the Orange and Blue. In the early part of March, Gettysburg was entertained at a lecture on physiognomy, delivered by Prof. A. E. Willis. Natur-ally, Prof. Willis maintained extreme views upon the subject. The lecture was regarded as interesting rather than instructive, nevertheless we believe that the audience was profited. *^2> FRANCIS SCOTT KEY'S MONUMENT. OUR National Anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, owes very little to chance. It was an emanation of a patriotic fer-vor as sincere and natural as it was simple and noble. It sprung from one of those glorious inspirations which coming to an author unbidden, seizes at once upon the hearts and minds of men. The occasion seemed to have been created for the very purpose. Key's song was the very child of battle; it was rocked by the can-non in the cradle of the deep, its swaddling clothes were the stars and stripes; its coming was heralded by shot and shell. We know too well the story and circumstances which ushered it into the world. Key had obtained permission of the President to go to the English Commander, under a flag of truce, to obtain the release of a friend who had been charged of some offence and car-ried off prisoner. He was received by the English Commander THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 71 and obtained the release of his friend, but as the advance upon Baltimore was to be made that night, they were detained until morning. Key did not leave the deck that night and during the time the poem began to form in his mind. He finished the poem in the boat that took him to shore. The next day it was published by the Baltimore American. The poem tells its own story and never a truer one came from an heroic soul, powder-stained and dipped, as it were, in sacred blood. To the "Francis Scott Key Association" is due the tardy justice of erecting a monument to the famous author. Within four years they collected the money and erected the monument over the remains of Key and his wife. Hitherto unmarked except in the humblest way, their final resting place has been at last separated from among surrounding multi-tudes of less distinguished graves to be at once an altar and shrine known among men wherever liberty makes her home. The mon-ument is simple in design, nevertheless the whole effect of the design is an elaboration. Key is represented on shipboard by the "dawn's early light" and when he sees that the flag is there, his attitude is one of delight and exultation, as with his right arm he indicates the fact to his companions, while with the other he holds his hat aloft in salute to the starry flag. The right arm holds a staff with the Stars and Stripes pending in deep folds. It was a very impressive sight when Key's great-great-granddaughter un-veiled the monument. "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played and the words were taken up and sung by thousands of patriotic souls. —R. W. DOTY, '99. KEE MAR. Kee Mar College, Home of Beauty, I've no fault to find with thee; I have been to see thy ladies, and they've quite enamored me; True it is, I must confess it, yet I know you will agree When I say that since my visit, I must correspond with thee. Fairest flower of God's creation, I have yet to speak to thee; Matters not if thou dislike it, 'tis the truth—then let it be. If one thought above another makes my heart leap from its place, "Tis the thought of my fond darling, my sweet darling, lovely Grace. Heaven's choice of fairest beauty, angel's voice of sweet refrain; Thou hast dropped thy part in Nature, thou hast reached a higher plane, Few there are of earth transcendent, fewer still that are sublime; But thou, Sicely, art supernal, Sicely dear, thou art divine. 72 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Queen of earth and light of heaven, sweetest girls that Kee Mar knows, Loveliest flower in God's garden, from whose lips sweet nector flows; Driving care cannot o'erpower it, brutish impulse not suppress Love and honor, faith and virtue, that reposes in my Bess. Charming gem of pearly slendor, I've no fault to find with form, All my thoughts soar earth transcendent, imprisoned in thy snowy arms. Should you only give me welcome, over thee I'd then unfurl Stars and Stripes, and battle ever, fighting for my priceless Pearl. Sweetest bud of fragile beauty, I've no fault to find with thee. Matters not tho' thou canst never let thy love light shine on me. Matters not tho' Heaven should hide thee, yet thy spirit I'll caress, Caring not for any other, other than my darling Jess. Full grown flower of glorious beauty, how I long to press thy hand; Thou hast set my heart to fluttering, fluttering by thy magic wand. Should I, traveling o'er life's desert find a flower not born of earth, I would call it for my Sara, Sara mine of matchless worth. —BUTTERWORTH, '99. THE VALUE OF GOOD LITERATURE. IT is very essential to the success of every student that he should realize the great importance of the study of literature, assign to it a very prominent place among his studies, and try to familiarize himself, as much as possible, with the best literature he can procure. If one wishes to become an accomplished scholar, he must have a thorough knowledge of the English classics, and become familiar with the lives and works of all the great writers in the world's history, both ancient and modern. It is impossible to understand and comprehend clearly the En-glish classics, unless we have a thorough knowledge of the classics of the ancient Greeks and Romans, for their writings are but the models which all the great writers since their time have imitated, since that time when the blind Homer, traveling as a wandering minstrel, sang his immortal verses to admiring listeners in the dif-ferent cities of ancient Hellas, or when Virgil cast an unfading lustre over the age in which he lived, by his elegant compositions. Again, while the student is familiarizing himself with the world's best literature, at the same time he is pursuing a course of study which will strengthen and develop the mind, and he is also becoming acquainted with the customs and manners of the times which the author describes. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 73 The study also serves to form in the student's rnind a larger vocabulary, so that he may have a ready, versatile use of words, and in the practical lines of the writer he will learn many max-ims of morality and beautiful descriptive passages which will be serviceable to him in after life. Of the many authors and writers noted for the sublimity and simplicity of their works and writings, and especially those which touch the heart, Horace, Virgil, Burns, Tennyson, Longfellow and Whittier may be mentioned. Also in the study of the best literature, the student comes in contact with the mighty minds of old, the representatives of the greatest intelligence that ever existed in the history of the world, and these should inspire the student to do grand and noble deeds during his life so that he may make for himself a name for great-ness, that will be immortal. Many great men have been inspired and incited by the study of the great classics, such as Homer's Iliad, Virgil's ^Eneid, Milton's Paradise Lost, 01 Tennyson's In Memoriam. The study of the best literature also cultivates a literary taste so that one may see literature in all things, especially in nature with all her suggestiveness, as it was in the case of Burns, and cause one to exclaim with Byron : "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep dark sea and music in its roar; I love not man the less but nature more." Thus we find that one of the most important elements enter-ing into the true success of any student, is familiarizing himself with the literature of his own language, which can be accom-plished only after we have a proper knowledge of the literature of the ancients. —P. S. H., '01. ATHLETICS. ONE of the most pleasant athletic events of the year was the exhibition of the Sons of Hercules given on Friday even-ing, March 17th. The work done was of a high stan-dard, and the program was varied by music by the glee and man-dolin clubs, a boxing match between Richards, '01, and Floto, 74 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. '03, and a basket-ball game between the Sophomores and Fresh-men. The team gave exhibitions of work on the mats, horizon-tal bar, and horse, with a number of pyramids. Numerous specialties were introduced by different members of the team, one of the prettiest of which was the club-swinging by Traub and Scott, which would be hard to excel. The basket-ball game was rendered interesting by the fact that the teams had played to a tie some weeks ago. It was marked, however, by loose playing on both sides, and won by the Sophomores by a score of 12 to 5. Throughout, it was an evening of genuine entertainment, and was witnessed by a very large crowd, none of whom went away dis-appointed. The members of the team are: Koller, '00, leader, Krafft, '98, Bumbaugh, '99, Straw, '99, Traub, '00, Bottiger, '00, Claney, '00, Stock, '00, Bickel, '02, Smith, '02, Smyser, Sr., '02, and Smyser, Jr., '02. At a recent meeting of the Athletic Association the matter of a coach for baseball and track was considered, and it was decided that we procure one. The offer, by Pen and Sword, of $75.00 was accepted, and a committee was appointed to visit the boys for the purpose of procuring as much more as may be necessary. The committee consists of Herman, Penrod and Leisenring, and they have already gotten a number of subscriptions. This is a matter of vital importance to our athletic interests, and it is hoped that every man will go down into his pocket when these men visit him. The committee to secure the coach is, Albers, Weigle, Imler, and Ney. They are in communication with several men, and there will no doubt be a coach at work by the time this appears in print. Manager Weigle has added another game to the baseball schedule—with the Pennsylvania R. R. Y. M. C. A. at Philadel-phia, on Saturday, June 3d. This is the only non-college game of the season, and the first meet with this association in any form of athletics. It is always represented by strong teams, and iu baseball is regarded as one of the crack clubs of the city. This will be one of the best games of the season. Our team has been practicing on Prep grounds since the middle of March. There is a good list of applicants, and we may hope to have a team which will add to the glory of Gettysburg. We are fortunate in having begun out-door work so early, and this fact should give an added impetus to the work. Manager Ney has scheduled the dual meet with Dickinson for ' THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 75 Wednesday, May 17th. The meet at Philadelphia, to which we send a team, will take place Saturday, April 29th. No baseball games have been arranged for either of these dates, in order that the best men may be on both teams. This is the department in which we are in the greatest need of training, and it is hoped that every man will take a proper interest and work hard, with or without a coach. —W. AMONG THE EXCHANGES. THE March number of the Bucknell Mirror is devoted to the literary societies of that university. It contains histories of the societies, a history of inter-collegiate debate at Buck-nell, and a symposium on the value of the training received in their halls, all the articles being by prominent alumni. The en-tire number is well gotten up, and is of special value and interest in these days when the worth of such societies seems to be for-gotten. It will be well for Gettysburg men to read it carefully. Another interesting number which March has brought to our table is that of The College Student, which is devoted to the alumni of F. and M. It contains articles by many alumni, and bio-graphical sketches of some former professors. The issue will surely attain its purpose as expressed by the editors: "We would have the alumni feel that they are still a part of us—of old F. and M.; and that The College Student is as much theirs as ours." Among periodicals issued monthly, and containing literary and news functions, the Haverfordian ranks with the best. It is neat and attractive in appearance, and the due proportion between literary productions and news is always preserved. The Kalends is always good, but the February number deserves special notice. The stories "Before the Fourteenth" and ''A Knight of the Slums" are above the usual standard of college fiction. The season is kept in mind by a number of dainty "Val-entines," as well as by an article on "The Trip,"—which de-lightfully reminds one of Jerome K. Jerome Americanized. The Lesbian Herald is another publication of "our sisters" which is always a welcome visitor. "The Entertainment of the Great Uncle Jasper," and "He, She, and Brooks" are worthy of favorable notice. 76 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. "Donatello in the Marble Fawn" is a well-written bit of liter-ary study in the February Pharetra. It also contains some pretty valentine verse under the title "From Cupid's Bow-string." We are glad to see that college magazines are becoming more and more the product of the students. In but few and those of small institutions do we find the long discussions of obtruse sub-jects by professors and learned alumni which were once thought indispensable. In the realm of fiction, too, there seems to be a general progress, and the stories are getting away from the mor-bid style which used to infallibly mark a college man's produc-tion. EDITOR'S SCISSORS. FOUR EPITAPHS. Deep wisdom—Swelled head— Brain fever—He's dead—[a Senior]. Fair one leaves him—Hope's fled— Heart broken—He's dead—[a Junior]. Went skating—tis said Floor hit him—He's dead—[a Sophomore]. Milk famine—half fed- Starvation—He's dead—[a Freshman]. —Ex. THE PHYSIOGNOMIST'S DREAM. He walks erect, his laugh is sweet— 'Isn't he perfect from head to feet! And oh! those eyes!" His nose, just right— His brains are simply "out of sight!" Its name is "Sport." Her eyes are blue, her teeth are pearls, Her hair flows free in flaxen curls! Her person, neither large nor thin— Her voice is like the violin! The dreamer calls her "Queen of Girls." He has no hair, his look is meek, You count his bones in either cheek— His mouth's a cave, his ears are fans, His feet are not—his hands, "banans." Our friend, the dreamer, calls it "Freak." PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. The Century Double-Feed Fountain Pen. Fully Warranted. J6 Kt. Gold Pen, Indium Pointed. GEO. EVELER, Agent 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 50 Twist, " " 2 SO Hexagon, Black or Mottled 2 SO Pearl Holder, Gold Mounted 5 00 THE CENTURY PEN CO., WHITEWATER, WIS. Askyour Stationer or our Agent to show them toyou. Agood local agent wanted in every school. RINTING "-"Bo- tb Croxel. Dealer in ^ine (groceries cmb Hottons «_«-4Jork Street. Teachers. Union Teachers' Agencies of America REV. L. D. BASS, D. D., Manager. Pittsburg, Pa., Toronto, Can., New Orleans, La., New York, N. Y., Washington, D. 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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. Anvono sending a sketch and description may quickly ascertain our opinion free whether an invention is probably patentable. Communica-tions strictly confidential. Handbook on Patents sent free. Oldest agency for securing patents. Patents taken through Munn & Co. receive special notice, without charge, in the Scientific Jftnerican. A handsomely illustrated weekly. Largest cir-culation of any scientific journal. Terms, $3 a year; four months, $1. Sold, by all newsdealers. MUNN & Co.36,Broadwa^ New York Branch Office. C26 F St., Washington, D. C. GO TO. HARRY B. SEFTON'S (Barber (Shop For a good shave or hair cut. Barbers' supplies a specialty. Razor Strops, Soaps, Brushes, Creams, Combs, etc. Jfo. 38 Baltimore St. GETTYSBURG. You will find a full line of Pure Drugs and Fine Stationery at the People's Drug Store Prescriptions a specialty. / PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTIZERS. FURNITURE Mattresses, Bed Springs, Iron Beds, Picture Frames, Repair Work done promptly. 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

YOL. XII FEBRUARY, - 1904 NO. 8 The Gettysburg GETTYSBURG COLLEGE GETTYSBURG, PA. N. C. BAR8EHENN, BETTY6BUR0 3 Q. 'TE I1I I: PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. £«*«-*m-m+««4 fl|. \ te\ttt Latest Styles in HATS, SHOES AND GENT'S FURNISHING .Our specialty. WALK-OVER SHOE M. K. ECKERT Prices always right The Lutheran puMigging pouge. 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. 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, iXIsi'crlna.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. TflF PHOTOGRAPHER. Now in new Studio 20 and 22 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, Pa. One of the finest modern lights in the country. C. E. Bcrbehenn THE EAGLE HOTEL Corner Main and Washington Sts. Dracj Stove, 36 Baltimore St. HOT AND COLD SODA AND CAMERA SUPPLIES £ PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTIZERS. It "We al-wrays nave the 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. Olill Ol. Seligman, T«IIO*, 7 Chambefsbupg St., Gettysburg, Pa. R. A. WONDERS Corner Cigar Parlors. A fun line of Cigars, Tobacco, Pipes, etc. Scott's Corner, opp. Eagle Hotel GETTYSBURG, PA. Pool Parlors in Connection. D. J. Swartz ■ Country Produce Deal% Groceries Cigars and Tobacco GETTYSBURG. Established 1887 by Allen Walton. Allen K. Walton, Pros, and Treas. Robt. J. Walton, Superintendent. HDimqelstown BFOWU Ston jaiDjaiij, and Manufacturers of BUILDING STONE, SAWED FLAGGING, and TILE, fALTONVILLE, ESS 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. FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. E. C. TAWNEY Is ready to furnish Clubs and Boarding Houses with . . . . Bread,Rolls,Cakes,Pretzels,etc At short notice and reason-able rates. 103 West Middle St., Gettysburg Shoes Repaired J. H- BAKES, 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 -C^ -C^ -^ JC^ _C* _C^ -f^ _C> ^. rs fv !-•-? U-PI-DEE. A new Co-ed has alighted in town, U-pl-dee, U-pi-da I In an up-to-datest tailor-made g-own.U-pi-de-i-da The boys are wild, and prex is, too, N You never saw such a hulla-ba-loo. CHORUS. — U-pi-dee-i-dee-i-da I 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, too. 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 ! The above, and three other NEW verses to U-PI-DEH mm m mm m m JJPO and NEW WORDS, catchy, up-to-date, to ill It 0.tl,18rs "' *e popular OLD FAMILIAR TUNES; l)e'- 5i?Tj s s OLD FAVORITES ; and also many NEW SONGS. jTJt SONGS OF ALL THE COLLEGES. E7ji Copyright, Price, $r.SO, postpaid. 13*1. MM HINDS k NOBLE, Publishers, New York City. n Pi m Schoolbooks of allpublishers at one store. ff".f ^^^^V^^^:**= =**= =**= =**=£? :«- :**: :**= zx* **: *\= *\: =**= =«= ^r *\ !LJ 50 YEARS' EXPERIENCE TRADE MARKS DESIGNS COPYRIGHTS &C. Anvone sending a sketch and description mny f]ulcl;ly ascertain our opinion free whether an invention is probnbly paLemable. Communicn-t ions strictly conlltlenl ial. Handbook on Patents sent tree. Oldest iieency for securing patents. Patents taken through jVlunn & Co. receive special notice, without cbnrgo, in the Scientific American. A handsomely illustrated weekly. T.nrgest cir-culation of any scientific journal. Terms, $3 a year; four months, $L Sold by all newsdealers. MUNN&Co.3e,Broad^New York Branch Office. 625 F St., Wnshirjuton, D. C. GO TO. HARRY B. SEFTON'S (Barber (Shop For a good shave or liair cut. Barbers' supplies a specialty. Razor Strops, Soaps, Brushes, Creams, Combs, etc. JVb. 38 Baltimore St. GETTYSBURG. You will find a full line of Pure Drugs and Fine Stationery at the People's Drug Stoie Prescriptions a specialty. * f THE GETTYSBURG JIERGDRY The Literary Journal of Gettysburg College Vol. XII. GETTYSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY, 1904 No. 8 CONTENTS THE BEACON, 232 CHAS. W. WEISER, '01. THE PRESENT MOVEMENT TOWARD PROTECTION IN ENGLAND, 233 FRANK LAYMAN, '04 TALES OF A BACHELORS' CLUB—NO. 1, 238 JAMES GARFIELD DILLER, '04. THE NEED OF RENEWED INTEREST IN THELITER-ARY SOCIETIES OF OUR COLLEGE^ . . . 249 CONVERSATION AS AN ART 254 HARRIET A. MCGILL, '06. EDITORIALS, 256 EXCHANGES, ' . . 260 232 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE BEACON. CHARI,ES \V. WEISER, 'OI. *AR across trie wooded valley, Miles and miles across the plain, On a distant hill top gleaming Thro' the mist and drizzling rain, A beacon light is glaring, Dancing, leaping, spluttering, flaring As it catches at new fagots, Licks and laps the heap of pine Built far out upon the coast line, Where the land meets foamy brine, Warning signal to the vessels, Rocked upon the stormy sea, Of the rocks and shoals that threaten As they're drifting to'_the lea. And the night comes down upon it, Folding close her sable wings ; Darkness reigns, save for the flaring Of the beacon as it flings Its ruddy light in warning Thro' the stormy night till morning. Heaped up by silent figures Silhouetted on the flame, As they wander round the beacon Heaping up the burning flame. And the night rolls on terrific, Loudly still the tempests roar, Wierd and mystic sounds and sights Flit along the storm-beat shore. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 233 THE PRESENT MOVEMENT TOWARD PROTEC-TION IN ENGLAND. FRANK LAYMAN, '04. THE one live question in English politics today is that of tariff. For many years, while the United States and the nations of continental Europe have been hedging them-selves about with high protective tariffs, free trade has been the guiding principle in England's tariff legislation. This unique position of England is easily explained. For some reasons, and among them her great natural advantages in the immense deposits of coal and iron, England has become a great manu-facturing nation, and so it has been to her advantage* to get foodstuffs and raw materials free of duty, while no prohibitory tariff was needed on articles which she herself manufactures be-cause of her own advantages in their manufacture. In the world's division of labor, manufacturing has become her work and she has thought it unwise to increase, by import duties, the price of the food required while doing that work. There have not been lacking, however, efforts to establish a protective tariff, especially on grain. Of this nature were the so-called Corn Laws, passed in 1815 and repealed after long and bitter discussion in 1846. Then free trade held the field with-out interruption until the time of the Registration Act, passed in 1902 and repealed in 1903. The present movement for pro-tection, started by Mr. Chamberlain, is like the others in that a tax on grain is proposed, but it differs from them very ma-terially in the means proposed and the ends aimed at. What is Mr. Chamberlain's plan ? For the most part he has discussed it in rather vague and general terms, but on one oc-casion at least, speaking more specifically, he said that he does not advocate a tax on raw materials such as wool and cotton, but that his scheme included a tax of six cents a bushel on wheat and a five per cent duty on meat coming from the United States and other foreign countries, while the same arti-cles from the British colonies would be admitted free; also a 234 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. tax of ten per cent on manufactured articles and a reduction of the present duty on tea, coffee, sugar and cocoa. For this favored treatment of colonial goods a similar differential for the products of the English factories is expected in the colonial markets. According to Mr. Chamberlain, three good results will follow the adoption of this scheme. They are: (i) the encourage-ment of the agricultural and meat-producing industries of the colonies ; (2) the advancement of the manufacturing interests of England due particularly to favorable markets in the colon-ies; (3) the consolidation of the Empire by binding the colon-ies to the mother country by ties of self-interest. Let us ex-amine each of these separately and try to determine whether these results may reasonably be expected. The agricultural and meat-producing interests of the colonies will be encouraged without a doubt. The case of American and Canadian wheat will illustrate. The English people will pay just the same for their bread, whether it is made of wheat coming from the United States or from Canada, but the importer of wheat can and will offer just six cents more for Canadian than American wheat because of the six-cent tax that he must pay on the latter. This difference in price will encourage Ca-nadian farmers to the same extent to which it will discourage American farmers, and, as ordinarily happens in such cases, the higher price will greatly stimulate the production of Canadian wheat. The cost of transportation from the two countries is about equal, but the result will be the same wherever the cost of transportation from a colony does not exceed that of trans-portation from the United States or from other foreign countries by as much as six cents. This would include all or nearly all the colonies. On the second point, the advancement of England's manu-facturing interests, the scheme will fail for several reasons. In the first place, the cost of food for the English laborer will be increased almost in the same proportion in which colonial agri-culture is benefited. If,- as seems likely, the importer of wheat will offer six cents less for wheat from the United States and THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 335 other foreign countries, then, until agriculture in the colonies is further developed, the supply of wheat in the English market will be considerably reduced. The supply being lower, the price will necessarily be higher. It may be argued, however, that within a few years the stimulated production of the colonies will fur-nish such a supply that the price will be greatly lowered. This seems plausible upon the face of it, but certainly it is not reason-able to suppose that the price will thus become as low as it would if this colonial wheat had to compete in a free market with the wheat of the rest of the world. The same will be true of other food products affected by the tariff. That the price of bread and meat would thus be raised by the tariff is one of the disputed points in the debate now going on in England, but it was virtually admitted by Mr. Chamberlain himself, when, in answer to the cry that he would raise the cost of food for the people, he proposed a reduction of the duties on tea, coffee, sugar and cocoa as a compromise measure. It is hard to see, however, how a reduction of duties on these few luxuries can lower the total cost of living as much as a high tariffon the chief necessaries of life would tend to raise it. If the cost of food for the English laborer is thus increased, then, as Prof. Maxey, of the University of W. Va., points out, one of two results will follow—an increase of wages or a lower standard of living. As wages are determined by the demand for labor/and as no greater demand would necessarily be created, there is no reason to suppose that wages would be raised. A lower standard of living would injure the manufacturer in two ways— it would decrease the efficiency of his workmen and lessen the demand for manufactured goods. Now, the English manufac-turer is not prepared to sustain either of these injuries, especi-ally not the first. An impairment of the efficiency of the laborer would mean increased cost of production, and England is already meeting with such keen competition that this might suffice to shut her out of the market altogether. But further than this, the colonial markets would not offer the advantages to English goods that are hoped for. The pro-tectionist sentiment is growing in the great colonies, like Can- 236 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. ada and Australia. They are anxious for the" development of their agricultural interests, but they are not willing to have their manufactures ruined. They would be perfectly willing to-grant a differential in favor of England provided that the mini-mum tariff still be high enough to protect their own industries. But of what advantage would such a differential tariff be to England ? How would it benefit her, if, while the products of other countries are shut out of the colonial market, her own are shut out, though by a somewhat lower tariff? That this would be the case has already been proven by the working of a differ-ential in Canada for a number of years. This gave an advan-tage of thirty-three and one-third per cent to English products,, and yet during the time it was in operation, British exports, be-ing mostly manufactured articles, increased less than thirty per cent, while American and French exports in the same markets increased one hundred per cent. It must be granted, however, that if the smaller colonies,, which now have free trade, would change their policy and tax all imports except those coming from England, and if the smaller protectionist colonies would allow the articles now on the free list to come in free only when coming from England, English goods would acquire considerable advantages in these markets. But these are rather unimportant when compared with the great markets where no advantages would be gained. This slight advantage, however, would be more than off-set by a loss in another direction. Only a small fraction of England's exports now go, and for many years will go, to the colonies. The great bulk goes to foreign countries, where, as a free trade nation, she enjoys minimum tariff rates. When once she adopts a protective tariff this favored treatment can no longer be given her and a large part of her manufactures will be threatened with ruin. All in all, then, this tariff scheme would not only not benefit, but more likely would greatly injure, English manufactures. As to the third result aimed at, the consolidation of the Em-pire, many think that the scheme would work the contrary effect. To carry it out would be a tremendous problem. To THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 237 arrange a system of tariff duties that would be satisfactory to the United Kingdom and all the colonies would be too much for the intellect of any statesman of this generation. Exports to the various colonies differ both in quantity and kind; like-wise the imports from the colonies. Then, too, both imports and exports vary in these respects from year to year. For these reasons it would be impossible to hit upon a scheme satisfactory to all. There would be a constant fear and distrust lest one colony should be accorded more favorable treatment than another. Instead of harmony, discord would result; instead of consolidation, a tendency to disintegration. THE PI.AN OF SALVATION. O how unlike the complex works of man, Heaven's eazy, artless, unencumbered plan ! No meretricious graces to beguile, No clustering ornaments to clog the pile ; From ostentation, as from weakness, free, It stands like the cerulean arch we see, Majestic in its own simplicity. Inscribed above the portal, from afar Conspicuous as the brightness of a star, Legible only by the light they give Stand the soul-quickening words—Believe, and live. Too many, shock'd at what should charm them most, Despise the plain direction and are lost. WlLUAM COWPER. 2j8 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. TALES OF A BACHELORS' CLUB—NO. i. JAMES GARFIBI.D DIIAER, '04. THE great metropolis was struggling in the grasp of a mid-winter storm. Up and down the broad avenues and narrower thoroughfares the icy winds howled and blustered, the intermittent gusts catching up the harsh, granular snow and depositing it again in miniature drifts in the area-ways ot the larger buildings ; or, by its great velocity, creating a vacuum between the tall structures which sucked up the snow in swirl-ing cloud-masses and enveloped the chimneys in mantles of glistening white. The storm king was abroad in state, attended by a numberless array of his spotlessly livened retinue. A clock, in the tower of a building on one of the most fashionable thoroughfares of the city, was just announcing the hour of midnight, the strokes of the bell sounding alternately clear and distinct, and again muffled and far away, varying with the fluctuations of the storm. The street was almost deserted —only an occasional, belated pedestrian hurrying homeward, or some habitual night prowler stealing to an appointment at an uncertain rendezvous. As the night wore on, the storm abated and the subsiding wind left the air clear of snow. The electric lamps along the avenue shone forth again with an enhanced brilliancy, illumina-ting the dark corners with their ghostly glare, and revealing fan-tastic shapes of snow where the wind, cavorting with a too pretentious drift, had left evidence of his passage in the most erratic grotesquerie. Athwart the silence which succeeded the tumult of the ele-ments, the neighboring clock-tower chimed the hour of two and the last reverberation had scarcely died away when a little gust of wind, which seemed to have lost its way in the wake of the storm, hurried round the corner of an intersecting street and seemed to carry with it, in the midst of a flurry of snow, the muffled figure of a man. It was evidently no uncommon thing for this lone pedestrian THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 239 to be abroad at this hour, for he seemed to pursue his way-somewhat leisurely, as if well acquainted with the locality. He floundered along through the snow which now covered the side-walks to the depth of some inches, and seemed to main-tain his equilibrium fairly well, albeit he collided with a post or tree now and then, and once, when his silk hat blew off and wheeled its way to the middle of the street, he recovered it with an unsteady grasp which betrayed an evening spent in convivial enjoyment. When about halfway down the square he began to look up-ward as he passed along, scanning the handsome buildings for some distinctive architectural feature by which to recognize the one which was evidently his destination. Suddenly he paused, walked to the curb, and hesitated a moment, standing in the patch of rose-colored light which a large electric chandelier of stained glass and Venetian iron-work, hanging in the vestibule of the building, threw upon the side-walk. As he stands there undecided in his inebriated condition, whether or not he has found the right place, let us survey with him the exterior of the structure. It was the most impos-ing edifice on the whole avenue and was constructed almost entirely ot elaborately carved brownstone. The windows were of the triple style—a broad, square pane of heavy plate, with a narrower one on either side, surrounded by irregular, yet artistic, patches of vari-colored and heavily leaded glass, with miniature pilasters of carved brownstone intervening, the whole surmounted by a capping of heads of satyrs among twining vines in the form of those long, flat curves which in modern architecture give such a graceful and substantial effect. In the spaces between the windows, niches were let into the walls to accommodate statues—graceful figures, whose well defined out-lines and elegant curves caused one to forget that they were produced by the magic chisel, from the same hard, cold material as the rest of the building. At either end of the cornice a Cerberus head scowled, as if just emerging from its lofty lair, while just below a frieze of dancing nymphs completed the ex-terior of the modern palace, at which both the artist and the 240 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. craftsman might well gaze with self-satisfied pleasure, and each shake the other's hand in mutual congratulation. However, lest a too lengthy description of the building should become tedious to the reader, we will leave the interior of the structure to the imagination of those who can appreciate what prodigal extremes may be attained in the desire for modern convenience and luxurious ease. Such was the home of the Bachelors' Club, and the center of action for the stirring adventures which shall be recounted in this series of storiettes—of'which the following is the first, in their chronological order. Mr. Robert Carson, Esq., prominent in the legal profession and member of the Bachelors' Club, was—his bibulous tenden-cies notwithstanding—a most methodical man. In matters of dress and general decorum he was usually beyond reproach, while he never forgot an engagement, and was always courteous and friendly. With this estimate of his character in mind, one can well appreciate the astonishment of Rudolph, the colored attendant, who admitted him to the club in the small hours of the night. Rudolph was a sort of despot among the large corps of servants, asserting his position by right of long service in the employ of the club, and acquaintance with a majority of its membership. He had just dispatched a few of his subordinates and was making his nightly round of the building when a sharp summons of the bell brought him hurrying down the main hall-way to the front door. Having admitted Mr. Carson, the obsequious attendant pro-ceeded to relieve him of his hat and coat. Then, his practised eye noting that this late comer was inclined to stagger, Rudolph took the lawyer gently by the arm and escorted him into the spacious lounging-room, saw that he was comfortably ensconced in an easy chair, placed the latest newspaper on the table at his elbow and noiselessly withdrew. Not a word had passed be-tween them—the usually amiable and gentlemanly Carson and the faithful menial who was always eager to please and quick to detect any sign of gruff indifference. "He's surely got THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 241 somethin' on his mind," soliloquised Rudolph, as he re-ascended the broad staircase. Left to himself, the half-stupefied Carson fumbled in his breast pocket and produced a crumbled piece of note paper. Smoothing it on his knee he read aloud : "Meet me at the club tonight, after the Bench and Bar Banquet. Have some friends from the South visiting me. Will bring them around and we will make a night of it to-gether. "Sincerely, "NELSON BRENT." He refolded the paper without comment, replaced it in his pocket, and sat for some minutes lost in a reminiscent train of thought. Presently he began a mumbling, half coherent soliloquy: "Make a night of it, eh ?•—well; not the first time. Queer fellow, that Brent. Used to be one of my best friends at col-lege, until—oh ! Deuce take it. If the girl preferred me it wasn't my fault. And then, after all, her father forced her to break off the engage—, pshaw! Can I never forget it ? Strange, though, the way he seemed to forgive all when he voted me into the club,—looked a little suspicious for him to—there, there! I am getting nonsensical. Feel so dull and drowsy. That digestive tablet the young lawyer from Savannah passed me across the table musn't have worked right. Banquet was quite an enjoyable affair, though, made several new acquaint— friends—no; not yet—acquaintances." His talk became a mere jumble of words, spoken in a sort of petulant monotone. Slowly his head nodded back and forth. Then his chin rested upon his breast, his hands relaxed their grip on the arms of the chair, his eyelids dropped and he sank into a deep unnatural slumber. Half an hour passed, and again the musical whirr of the electric bell brought Rudolph to the door, this time to admit two men who entered quickly and with a certain wariness of manner, as if something of importance was about to be done surreptitiously. 242 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. "I say, Brent," blustered he who had entered first, "you cer-tainly get some beastly weather up here in the north states." And he rubbed his hands briskly. The other lifted a cautious finger and turned to Rudolph. "Has Carson come yet ?" "Yessir. He's in there now fast asleep," and Rudolph ges-tured toward the door of the smoking-room. Brent gave his companion a glance of mingled surprise and gratification, and the Southerner replied with a shy wink and a sinister smile. "You may go, Rudolph," said Brent, lifting his hand with a wave of dismissal, and the two passed into the apartment where Carson's regular breathing could be heard from the depths of a big easy chair. "There he is," whispered Brent, as he paused suddenly and laid a hand upon the Southerner's arm. That gentleman there-upon leaned over to get a better view of Carson's face, and nodded to the other. "The same fellow," he said. "One would not think, to look at him, that it would have been so easy to 'dope' him with a morphine tablet under the pretense that it was for his stomach's sake." "You did work it cleverly, though," observed Brent, with a ■complimentary accent. "How long do you think it will last?" "Oh !" was the careless rejoinder, he's good for a couple of hours anyway. And now, Brent, since I just got into the city this evening and went right to the hotel, so that we had no chance to talk, would you mind telling me what your idea was in getting me to assist you in what looks to me like the begin-ning of a dirty piece of work ?" "Steady, now, old man," said Brent, reassuringly. "I'll explain the whole affair if you give me time, and you'll agree that I am only exacting a just vengeance for a wrong which this man Carson did me years ago, and but for which I should now be a wealthy man, instead of being compelled to follow a meagre law practice, and scarcely able to keep up my membership in this club." THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 245 "Yes, I understand," interrupted his auditor, impatiently, "But what are you going to do with him now ?" "I'm coming to it," Brent replied hastily. "In order to understand the why and wherefore of what is going to happen tonight you must first know something of this man Carson's past, and, incidentally, a little of my own." He glanced at the sleeping figure in the easy chair, assured himself once more that the victim of his contemplated treachery was yet in the land of dreams, nonchalantly lighted a cigar, and settled himself to begin the narration of his tale. The little Southerner seated himself also, but with a reluc-tance which indicated that he was beginning to regret having taken a hand in this business, and was anxious to have it over with. "We were good friends at college," Brent began, "until—well,, it was the same old story. Two men and one woman. Her father was one of the wealthiest cotton planters of the South. By judicious manceuvering I succeeded in creating such a favor-able impression on the old man that he once told me himself that he thought I would make a good son-in-law. "But here steps in this fellow, Carson, and wins the affections of the heiress so completely that, from the time of his advent upon the field, I was gradually compelled to recede into the back-ground. In order to circumvent him I was obliged to concoct several false reports, which, by cleverly concealed methods, I managed to convey to the old gentleman's knowledge. The result was that her father forbade Carson the house. But the daughter, after several passionate scenes, declared her inten-tion to marry him, if she had to elope to do it. Finally, her father put her under the rigid surveillance of a strict spinster governess, and so the matter seemed to rest. Carson accepted his dismissal with an apparent good grace, and I gave the case up as hopeless. Thus the affair ended, neither of us gaining anything by it, and our former close friendship was replaced by a bitter enmity, which years seemed only to accentuate." "But how," ventured the other, "do you come to be members of the same club ?" 244 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. "I was coming to that," hurriedly asserted Brent, "and when I have told it you must give me credit, or rather discredit, for a piece of the most diabolical cunning. After we had gradu-ated from college I did not hear of Carson for some years. Meanwhile, I came here, built up a small law practice, and joined the Bachelors' Club. What was my surprise, one even-ing at our meeting, on learning that a certain Robert Carson was a candidate for membership. When I discovered that this prospective member and my old enemy were one and the same person, I hesitated. But it occurred to me that here was a splendid opportunity for revenge. I would vote him into the club, pretend to forgive and forget all that had formerly passed between us, and await my chance to strike the blow." "Yes, yes," said the Southerner impatiently, "that brings us up to the present time. I understand the circumstances now completely. But what do you intend to do with him ?" For answer a long, low whistle sounded from the street and Brent started in his chair and sat bolt upright. After some seconds the signal was repeated and he rose and went to one of the large windows. The Southerner heard the clicks of a latch, felt a draught of cold, outside air, and then the window was lowered and he turned to see a figure, muffled in a large storm coat and wearing fur driving gloves. The newcomer was talk-ing to Brent in an undertone and the listener could just catch the words: "Come near fergittin', Guv'nor, was just goin' ter ring th' bell when I minded as how you was t' let me in by th' winder, so as not t' rouse th' nigger." "Yes, yes," Brent whispered hurriedly. "But we must be quick, now. It's getting on toward morning and the thing must be done in time for me to catch the early train." He motioned his confederate toward the sleeping figure in the easy chair and, to the Southerner's astonishment, the burly fellow picked up the unconscious Carson as if he had been a child and carried him to the window. The perfidious Brent again raised the sash, revealing a cab in waiting at the curb-stone. The cabby lowered his burden to the sidewalk, slid THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 245 through the window and dropped below then again lifted the helpless form, carried it over and deposited it in a dark corner of the conveyance. Brent and his companion resumed their hats and coats and made their exit by the window, closing it after them. Crossing the sidewalk, with stealthy glances up and down the street, they entered the cab, the driver mounted his box and gave a sharp "cluck" to the horses. Only the faint crunching of the wheels in the snow was heard, as the vehicle rolled away into the darkness. Five minutes later the front door of the Bachelors' Club opened, a figure in dark blue livery stepped forth and a dusky face peered out into the gloom with an anxious and excited look. Rudolph had come into the smoking room, found Mr. Carson missing, his hat and coat left behind, the window-catch unfastened and many foot prints in the snow on the sidewalk just beneath. Hastening down to the curb, he observed, with a gleam of satisfaction, the tracks of wheels in the snow. In another moment he was hurrying back into the house, and up stairs to the servants' quarters, a grim determination written on his swarthy features. In a small, upper room of a low tenement house, on an obscure street of the slum district, an old man was sitting at a rough table, reading a week-old German newspaper by the light of a tallow dip. He was the common type of naturalized im-migrant of the lower classes. Teutonic features, snub-nose, double chin and ample girth were all present as the recognized signs of his nationality. He was clad in coarse, threadbare garments of antiquated pattern, the waistcoat unbuttoned for greater ease, and his feet slipped into loose goloshes with which he shuffled across the floor when, at frequent intervals, he arose and went to the window to peer with expectant gaze up the dark, narrow street. The room was scantily and poorly furnished, and gave evi-dence of those straitened circumstances which oftentimes force 246 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. honest and well-meaning folk to participate in deeds of rascality for the sake of the bare means of subsistence. And such was the case here. The old German had hesitat-ed, upon being approached by a refined-looking stranger with the offer of a handsome remuneration, if he should do just as the person dictated, for the space of a few days; but, when the al-luring proposition was reinforced by the guarantee of absolute safety from detection or punishment on the part of the German, the old man had consulted with his wife and, after sundry ar-guments pro and con, had accepted the offer. And now he was awaiting the arrival of the man to whom he had pledged himself to act as a tool. For the twentieth time, it seemed, he had gone to the window to watch for any sign of life up the de-serted thoroughfare. The fussy little clock in the corner pointed to five minutes of four, and the old man, weary of his vigil, re-sumed his chair and began to go over in his mind the plans which he and his unknown employer were about to carry into execution. It was three days, he mused, since he had been accosted on the street by a well-dressed gentleman, who, after some preliminary talk, conducted him to an obscure restaurant and, in the seclusion of a curtained booth, had made him the proposal which he had so reluctantly accepted. A wealthy young lawyer was to be kidnapped, smuggled into his humble quarters in the tenement, kept there against his will and forced to sign certain papers which the German's employer would turn into money and make good his escape before the victim of the plot could be located and rescued. It was all very neatly arranged, the old man thought, but was he not a fool to let the other fellow get away while he would have to remain and per-haps feel the strong arm of the law? He was just beginning to-regret his bargain and to wonder whether the pay justified the risk, when his attention was attracted by a noise in the street outside. Starting up, he snatched the candle from the table and rushed to the door. In the strong, upward draught from the steep stairway the feeble taper winked and spluttered and finally went out, leaving him in utter darkness. He groped his way down the dingy flight, in a tension of nervous" dread, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 247 I . tore open the door and stepped out upon the front stoop. A cab was standing in the middle of the street, a short distance away. The horses were stamping the snow impatiently, the driver's box was vacant, the fur robe dangling from the seat and trailing upon the ground, and the door of the vehicle stood wide open. In the gloom about him the old gentleman heard the sounds of a scuffle, and could just make out the figures of half a dozen men who seemed to be engaged in a free-for-all fight. A familiar voice shouted dreadful oaths above the bab-ble of the melee, and a lithe, active little figure mingled in the struggle with furious vigor, hissing fierce invectives with a Southern accent. The battle royal lasted for some moments. Now and then one of the combatants would lose his footing and flounder about in the drifted snow, then regain his feet and plunge again into the conflict with redoubled fury. Finally, just as the terrorized witness was about to turn back and flee terror-stricken up the stairs, one of the factions in the contest seemed to gain the mastery. Three of the struggling forms broke away. Two of them sprang into the carriage and banged the door after them. The other clambered to his perch on the box, snatched up the reins, belabored the horses with vicious lashes of his whip, and, smarting with baffled rage, turned his head and hurled back a parting shot that was a veritable bomb-shell of besmirching epithets, as the cab rolled away. Some of those who remained on the sidewalk attempted to overtake the retreating vehicle, but, giving up the pursuit as fruitless, return-ed to join the little group which was now holding a hurried consultation. After a moment or two they picked up a limp figure and started away down the street, bearing the uncon-scious form as the trophy of their victory. ****** At a special meeting of the Bachelors' Club the next even-ing, a full account of the affair was given by one of the mem-bers, who gathered his information from those who had been most directly concerned in the disgraceful episode. From his disclosures it appeared that Rudolph, after noting the suspic-ious circumstances of Mr. Carson's disappearance and fearing 248 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. foul play, had aroused a half dozen of the servants and begun a search. The rescuing party tracked the cab to the street in the slum district by following the wheel marks in the snow. After overcoming the resistence of Mr. Carson's would-be ab-ductors, they had brought that gentleman back to the club-house, sent for a physician to resuscitate him from the effects of the drug and the rough handling he had received, and reported the affair to the police. When Brent's shameless duplicity became generally known, the assembly room of the Bachelors' Club was in a turmoil of indignation. A bitter, crushing letter of dismissal was drawn up and despatched to his law office, in case he should have the audacity to return and attempt to explain by some elaborate falsehood, as many of the members believed he would do. But the letter remained unopened upon the desk of Brent's deserted office and the shrewdest detectives of the city failed to obtain a single clew as to his whereabouts. Nelson Brent and his ac-complice, the little Southerner, had completely disappeared. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 249 THE NEED OF RENEWED INTEREST IN THE LITERARY SOCIETIES OF OUR COLLEGE. THE subject of the advantages of membership in a literary society andof general literary discipline is an aggravatingly old one, and one which has been preached from the college ros-trum ever since the literary society found place as an appendage to an institution of learning. Notwithstanding, it is, with all its ponderous burden of repetition, a most vital and important phase of collegiate training, and its importance needs all the more to be emphasized in lieu of the widespread lack of ap-prehension among students in general of the highly beneficent results which it confers. At'Gettysburg the existing state of affairs needs considera-tion. The reason as to why our literary societies are so lethar-' gic demands investigation. As to the why and wherefore of this depression in the field of literary effort let us briefly in-quire, and try to recognize the necessity for improvement. It is quite in harmony with a reasonable supposition to in-fer that the chief cause of this apathy is to be discovered in a failure to realize just what the literary society means to the student. To start with, it offers a chance for development in composition. Writing, in an intelligent way and with the use of good diction, is an accomplishment every college man should own. To be able to write what one thinks and offer it to be read by others is as much a demand on the college man as to be able to carry on an intelligent conversation. If a man has a reasoning intellect, descriptive ability, poetic sentiment, or thought-power and observant faculties along any particular line—which we all have in greater or less degree—he should surely appreciate his endowment to an extent great enough to insure its permanency and highest efficiency by a proper amount of use. This state of affairs would be conclusively guaranteed by an occasional essay, poem, or story, which a keen interest in his society and college monthly should unhesitatingly lead him to construct with a gratifying result to both writer and reader or listener. 250 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. The aptitude to compose one's thoughts, which ability is also a thought-training process, is an accomplishment which no stu-dent of Gettysburg College will ever disdain.' Secondly, and somewhat interwoven with what we have just said, is to be recognized the happy knack of being able to stand before an audience and do clear thinking. This is a something that is of incalculable importance. Not one man in one hun-dred can do it. Every college graduate, to be worthy of the name, ought to be that one man. To face with self-poise a congregated mass of people and address them with a calm dig-nity and a smooth-working brain is a modern requirement of the college man, and justly so. The world insists upon and demands this qualification. He who possesses this proficiency will always cherish it, and he who lacks it will ever be sensible of a lost opportunity. With this showing, as manifested in two main ways, of what the student of our college, in many cases, is foregoing in his educational career, let us give heed to one or two phases of our literary society work which are sore in need of a rectifying remedy forthwith, and the existence of which implies another cause for general unprogressiveness. The literary contests between the Phrenakosmian and Philo-mathean societies should be the means by which a great and lasting enthusiasm would be aroused in and a powerful impetus given to general literary work in the college. The approach of these competitive performances should instigate a rival zest between the members of the respective societies which would be satisfied only after having placed him, whom it has ani-mated, on the program, or upon the accession thereto of some more competent person, whose position was gained only by dili-gent and effective work. Such conditions would conduce to a mighty good. They would establish a propensity for literary practice certain to be wholesome for both societies. But how different? This year there is scarcely a little bit of interest manifest. Neither society seems to consider the issue worth more than a meagre amount of preparation. As the time for the contests draws nigh a sort of stringent necessity does impel a preparation which has the appearance of a greater or less THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 251 amount of haphazardness. The training for these programs, instead of having been systematic, steady and critical, has par-taken too much of an abrupt, spasmodic and thoroughless course, which is bound to assert itself, we are afraid, in their rendition. Before this paper has appeared the literary contests shall have taken place. By them let our society members judge their tactics henceforth. To be sure, these programs are going to support some kind of success, but how much better might they not have been had they been subject to a more ap-propriate preparation by harder individual work, more enthusi-astic collective energizing? Who dares set the limit? Within the precincts of each society the indifference of in-. dividuul members to the success of a program of the usual routine order is most exasperating. Every society member is entitled to a performance at certain intervals. Each society member anticipates that privilege when he joins his society. Deny it him and he resists. Henceforth it becomes his duty as well. But at present the inclination to slight this duty and privilege is quite ad extremiun. If a member be posted for an appearance on any particular program, the liability of the actual reality of his presence for the purpose of doing his duty and enjoying his privilege is, in so many cases, quite remote. Nowadays the president of Philo, the president of Phrena never knows, with any degree of certainty, what his program is going to be until rt is over. Indeed sometimes doesn't know if it is going to be at all or not. A member if unable to be present, whether on account of unavoidable circumstances, or on account of an acute indisposition to move aggravated by an attack of voluntary brain inactivity, instead of procuring a substitute, which is certainly the only proper course, simply lets the affair drift until it produces its ruinous effect on some program, whose purpose to please gives way to a decided reactionary effect. When will you realize your duty to yourself and your society, my inactive friend? How will you retrieve your loss? And now, fellow-student, having been made conversant with the facts, will you avail yourself of this offer; this lasting and essential advantage extended to you ? You who are going to 252 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. become ministers and lawyers—will it pay you to wait until you are in the pulpit or before the bar to learn how to handle your faculties, to control your thoughts and temper your actions ? And you, doctor and man of science, can you afford to descry the work because it is beyond your immediate province ? The truth is that whatsoever we be—professional men, business men, or scientific men—we are going to be called upon to per-form certain functions in life because of the significant fact that we are college men. The college man stands in such vast pro-portion to his fellow-men that, with his superior ability, he will be compelled to assume certain obligations within the field of .his active life. Suppose, for instance, you should be asked to make an address, you who are so negligent in society work, at a certain place, after your college days have passed and you are in the great fight of the world whose finish is victory or defeat, or that you are prevailed upon to preside at some meeting, in both of which cases you could positively not escape, unless on the plea of inability, would it not be your sincere desire that your success, in either instance, should be somewhat commen-surate with what would be expected of you, and would it not be of vast humiliation, and even perhaps a check on your ma-terial advancement, to confess inability, or to fail in the under-taking? Such cases as this are not improbable ; on the other hand they are both very probable and almost certain. Prepare now, fellow-student, and escape the penalty of the future. With such conditions at Gettysburg we should try and im-prove. At the same time we may find relief, over against this depicted "depression, in the fact that ours is not the only insti-tution wherein there is a lack of concern for literary discipline. In looking over the magazines of many of our contemporary schools we find, apparently, just as deplorable a situation. In brief, the American college might conveniently stand a "renais-sance." But the fact that an analagous disinterest is prevalent in other colleges should lead us to recognize more fully the greater necessity for a revival. The necessity is becoming a stern one and our duty it is to set in operation causes that will be productive of more satisfying results. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 253 Lastly, the welfare of Gettysburg demands that we get to work. Gettysburg College, we have reason to believe, is on the eve of a new departure. Nothing can long remain inactive. It must either advance or retrograde. For some time our col-lege has been in a state of comparative inactivity, but the spell is bound to be broken, and, judging from recent movements, we may judiciously conclude that the election of a president will soon be assured, and that such a step will be attended with success for Alma Mater. Anticipating such progressiveness, in no place can the student body initiate its expanding interest more appropriately than in literary society work. If we can make our two societies flourish, the influence will be far-reach-ing and the end worth the beginning. A few days ago the writer casually chanced upon the follow-ing : "Without good literary societies a college is certainly not worthy of patronage." This passage clearly defines the merit of the literary society. It is a necessary adjunct to the equip-ment of any institution of learning. Some of our neighboring colleges have valued this importance so highly as to make a certain amount of literary society membership compulsory. Our own school even has provision in its regulations for such membership with an alternative of certain extra work to be provided by the faculty. This rule, however, has not of recent years been subject to a rigorous enforcement, nor do we advo-cate its active operation after years of dormancy. Literary work should be voluntary. The student should find pleasure in it. The reward it offers should be its stimulus. No stu-dent is going to gain much from that into which he is forced. Now, if this work is so superlatively requisite, it certainly is worthy of support. It deserves a proportionate share of our labor. Recognizing the significence of our literary societies, let us upbuild them again, improve them by active work and by performing when called upon to do so. L. A. G. 254 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. CONVERSATION AS AN ART. HARRIET A. MCGILI;, '06. AGROUP of girls were talking about the expected visit of some college students to their town. The first and chief topic of their conversation was that pertinent to dress, and on all sides might be heard the statement, "I must have a new gown made for the occasion." The second, and by no means unim-portant consideration, was, "How shall we feed them; what shall we give them to eat?" This phase of the anticipated event was discussed in many ways, and with a due considera-tion of the fact that the appetite of the average college student is not easily satiated, but craves an abundant variety. After more or less of time had been indulged in this manner, it was suddenly discovered that by far the most attractive and intelli-gent girl in the company had been strangely quiet. She also happened to be of wealthy parentage and it was well known that she could easily afford many new gowns and tender many elaborate parties. " What are you thinking about?" asked her friends, almost in concert. "Why girls," was the reply, "to tell you the truth, I was just pondering as to how to formulate some scheme to put an intellectual edge on my ideas, in order to be able to entertain the boys when they are here with something interesting to talk about." Now, all girls like fine and beautiful dresses, and the elim-ination of hunger from the nature of the guest friend is, by no kind of argument, a meagre consideration, yet, despite these two pending necessities, the quiet girl, who had been thinking of interesting topics for conversation, had, without doubt, the proper conception about entertaining guests. We do not care about addressing statues, no matter how beautiful they may be; we gaze upon them for a while with admiring interest, and then pass on into contact with our liv-ing, breathing fellow-beings, less beautiful, it may be, but cer-tainty more attractive to us. The analogy finds its comple-ment in those persons who exist apparently for the sake of ap- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 255 pcarance; to see and be seen; to attract attention by every device and to pass on their face value. They have no in-dividuality. They may be admired, but never loved, or even scarcely liked by those with whom they come to be associated. Such is the person, for the most part, who is unable to employ the conversational art. The cultivation of conversational abil-ity has suffered by an undivided attention to the superficial. But let such individual recognize the relative importance of conversational power and seek to attain it, and his or her per-sonality will assert itself; vanity will subside. Education is a great factor in advancing conversation as an art. However, it is only a factor; it cannot do all. One must, first of all, be unselfish and amiable, must have a real desire to please, and not have feelings tending to provoke the state-ment: "Well, I have been put here to.talk with this person, and I presume I must make the best of it." Conversation to be worth the time and effort must be a pleasure. To be in-structive it must be conducted with mutual interest. The re-moval of the selfish element is always advantageous. Some people are naturally somewhat bashful or reserved. Such an one the considerate talker will address with careful thought- He will use tact in endeavoring to draw him out, and in having him speak of himself, to a certain extent, his work and aims, friends, and those things which seem to savor of interest for him. Under such circumstances time will pass rapidly for all ■coucerned, and the intellectual intercourse will be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated. Among the educated conversation certainly flows with great-er ease than among those who have had fewer advantages. It is a fact that, no matter where one lives, who has been well ed-ucated, the world's interests are his interests and, as a result, he is acquainted with those interests. He is more at ease, broad-er- minded than his less fortunate brother, since he has studied about the great deeds of men and has seen " Footprints on the sands of time." All these superiorities assert his greater abil-ity in conversational art. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter Vol. XII GETTYSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY, 1904 No. 8 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. DlELENBECK, '05 Associate Editors JOHN B. BOYER, '04 BRUCE P. COBAUGH, '05 C. EDWIN BUTLER, '05 Advisory Board PROF. J. 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 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. SOME PARTING Upon the appearance of this issue of the WORDS. MERCURY the duties of the present editorial staff and management cease. We have performed the tasks incident to the publication of one volume of this paper and herewith surrender all obligation, together with the good will of the journal, to our successors. During our supervision we have tried to labor with a due sense of the responsibility rest-ing upon us, not only for the continuance of the heretofore es-tablished literary plane of the MERCURY, but for the constant exaltation of its general tone. We have felt strongly the neces-sity of unremitting, vigorous effort in the interest of the charge entrusted to us, and we have made it our particular concern to employ appropriate methods in our work. In short, our aim THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 257 INDIFFERENCE. has been not mediocrity but perfection. To be sure, we have fallen short of this aim, and our ideal has been but imperfectly-realized, yet we feel we have done all possible in our desire to evolve improvement in our college monthly. That our exer-tions have been productive of good results at times we modestly admit, but that they have likewise borne barren fruit is beyond doubt. This lack of what might have been gain under different cir-cumstances is happily explainable, and a brief indulgence in the facts pertaining thereto may avail to remove the exigency henceforth. The first great drawback during the past year has been a manifestation of indifference, or lack of co-operation. This is one reason why the MERCURY has not been as creditable to the college as we conceive it should have been. There has been a general disinterestedness in its pages. Some one may say that there hasn't been such a great deal contained within its covers tending to inspire inter-est. This, we grant, is, in part, true. But, criticising friend, if you would remedy the situation you must set to work on the cause, not the effect. As every subscriber knows, this paper is published by the literary societies of the institution, and in them as publishers it expects to find hearty supporters and loyal contributors. In-stead it has found apparently hearty non-supporters and dis-loyal contributors. True it is that the articles appearing on the MERCURY'S pages from time to time have been mostly written by society men, yet there has been no united effort or obvious interest displayed by either society on behalf of this paper's general improvement. If it succeeds, good; if not, good again. Concern in and for it is dormant, dead. The very fact that it is the organ of the societies should cause every man interested in his society to subscribe for it; should make it the duty of each and every member so to do, but, to the contrary notwithstanding, a great many members of both Philo and Phrena do not take it. They are unaware, one would think, that financial support is absolutely a requisite to the ex- 258 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. istence of a college journal, even if they are deaf to the fact that a large subscription list gives editorial encouragement, and will later stand for merit. But if society men themselves, by general disregard, show no disposition to aid the paper, how can we expect a new initiate to voluntarily sink a dollar in something, which from a fellow" member's action is, according to indications, a losing game; so much of money wasted ? We are not given entirely to pessimism, but inflated optimism cannot long be floated on a stream of adverse conditions. These may seem to be strong statements. So we intend them, and we believe the means justifies the end, and if we hope to continue a monthly strictly creditable to Gettysburg something will have to happen. Therefore, let us take things as they are, and try to adminis-ter an antidote. Show more interest in this paper, member of Philo, member 'of Phrena, then we will seek other means of heightening its influence. It will pay an effort so expended, both in good to the college and individual development. DEARTH OF A second salient cause for non-progressiveness MATERIAL. lies in a deficiency of material, both in quan-tity and in variety. At the present time we are generously thankful to get almost any kind of a contribution. "Anything prints just now" is a sorry statement for the editor of a college magazine. By no means do we propose to disparage the pro-ductions of those who have aided us during the past year with their compositions. To them is due our grateful thanks. The point we wish to make is simply that the staff of such a paper as this purports to be, instead of being compelled to go a-beg-ging, should have some right to choice; instead of being forced to take what it can get, it should have the privilege, to a cer-tain extent at least, of selecting what it wants. When will you give us a chance, fellow student ? And further, we should not only have more than just enough to print in each issue, but some variety. Point out the student and general reader who doesn't tire of the forced essay—that which is produced as so much task work. "Dry as punk," he THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 259' says and flings away the paper containing it, and thereby all that is good therein goes unnoticed and unread. Indeed, some such essays are good and commendable, but they so often lack in spirit and enthusiasm, both of which are necessary traits of a good essay. No student can write anything worth reading on a subject in which he feels no concern. He may draw out a few facts and truths for argument's sake, but that is not the substance of a good literary production. What we need is good, solid, substantial essays to start with, full of life and con-viction, enthused with the personality of the writer. Again, give us something of fiction. This is, indeed, a form of variation of which we feel the sorest need. The short story is a powerful factor in adding to the charm ot a college maga-zine's pages. The creation of a healthy bit of romance is in-vigorating to the reader and beneficial to the author. It relieves the stern ruggedness of a journal otherwise filled, perchance,, with bleak prosaic composition. Fact and fancy will mix to advantage on the pages of the college paper if intermingled in the proper proportion. And, yet more, let us have an occasional poem. Poetry lightens the soul and stirs the reader to better things. We do not reckon upon an outpouring of full-toned poetry akin to that of the masters, but we do find justification in asking for poetic sentiment in verse such as many students are, without doubt, capable of contributing. Our exchanges contain it. Are we so much farther down the scale as to preclude all possibility of anything similar? Surely not. We can have poetry, fiction, and good essays, if you will, fellow-student. FOOD FOR Our monthly can be made better and must be THOUGHT. made better. Remember that to our Alumni and to other colleges this paper is the chief measure by which they judge our literary standard. That standard must always be kept high. A college displaying but meagre literary ability in its representative magazine is certain to feel the disadvan-tageous effects. And, last of all, remember that a paper can always be improved externally as well as internally by making it more attractive and elaborate, and that a full treasury, through 26o THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY the agency of a large subscription list, is the only way to gain this end. The foregoing has been written—a large proportion of its substance not for the first time—we believe, under the impulse of the right motive. Although, as said previously, we are about to relinquish active relations with the MERCURY, we are, under no circumstances, going to cast aside all interest in it. In fact, the contrary shall be the case. Its advancement will be our pleasure, and its prosperity our lasting desire. If you will but co-operate with us, student-friend, and if we let our good inten-tions take the form of material aid, all will be well. The pres-ent stringency will slacken. The MERCURY will improve and we shall indulge a just pride in our college monthly. ^^-^-^ EXCHANGES. THE Touchstone came out in January, clothed in a pretty gray and silver cover. We noticed at the foot of the cover-page—it may have been because of its attractive appear-ance— this sentence: "Published in the interest of Literary Lafayette." A sermon would be forthcoming on a theme which that sentence suggests, were it not for certain suggestions we have previously made concerning "much speaking." We would make that theme—"The Literary College." However, all honor to Lafayette if she is as thoroughly imbued with the literary spirit as she seems to be. There is one note to which most of our exchanges seem to be keyed : the warning of literary en-thusiasm. One comes out with an editorial declaring that at that particular institution literary spirit is dead. Another is continually appealing to the student body for poems and stories and essays. Were the productions of such a magazine as The Georgetown College Jo7irnal less worthy of praise, we might notice that the same group of men are the contributors month after month, and might draw our own conclusions. But we will not preach. Let us pray the oracle to send a great revival of literary spirit (f\ THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 26l upon our colleges, to make them centers of American literature. May the dead come io life again ! From the unassorted heap on our desk, we pick up the Mani-ton Messenger. We are made glad, as we read an announce-ment for the February number. It does not bewail a lack of material, but it announces such interesting subject material for the coming month that one becomes anxious to see next month's issue. We are not quite so pessimistic now. The article in the January number which warrants us in our expectations is a study of the leading character in "The Mer-chant of Venice." The author's interpretation of Shylock, as actuated by love for his persecuted race, places him in a some-what new light. "Side by side with the epithets, the Avarici-ous, and the Avenger, let us place the epithet, the Martyr." In a well-written article on "Panama," a rather partisan view is taken. The story of Herbert Spencer's life, with a statement of his theory, is very clearly shown. There is, however, a lack of the short story, and the poet does not venture to show him-self. Some of the ex-men have been quoting specimens of the college man's poetry. With apologies to the ex-man of the University of Va. Magazine, we quote: "The twilight palls The shadow falls And round me like a massive shawl The night descends." Author unknown. It may be better to lack poetry than to give the poet's Pegassus a chance to roam in such a way. But the magazine which carries something of this nature has at least the credit of having variety. We wish to acknowledge a new exchange, the Brown and White. It is a sprightly paper from Brown Preparatory School, Philadelphia. We wonder what the Dickinsonian might mean in her ex^ change notes, referring to the seven articles in the December number of The Gettysburgian, which is characterized as " a mediocre college weekly." No doubt the printer is at fault. 262 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Last night I held a little hand, So dainty and so neat, Methought my heart would burst with joy So wildly did it beat. No other hand into my heart Could greater solace bring, Than that I held last night, which was Four aces and a king. —Tlie Courant. The author of the following effort is nameless. Perhaps sometime he may come to college, and we can only hope that that time will be soon (for his own good). " The mouth is the front door to the face. It is patriotism's fountain and a tool-chest for pie. Without the mouth the pol-itician would go down to an unhonored grave. It is the gro-cer's friend and the dentist's hope. It has put some men on the rostrum and some in jail. It is temptation's lunch counter when attached to a maiden; tobacco's friend when attached to a man." The Review, edited by the students of Washington College,, has just arrived at our desk for the first time. " Why Brer Rabbit Has No Tail" seems to be an elaborate attempt at dia-lect. There is a tendency with some of the exchanges to arrive at least a month late. The St. Johns Collegian for January is at hand for the first time in several months. The issue, how-ever, is worthy of perusal, and the short story, although not particularly interesting as offered in this issue, unites with the essay to form a well-balanced college paper. The article on " The St. John's Spirit" should stir one's blood for his alma mater. "Spirit of Old-Fashioned Roses," Breathing the air of the spring, Spirit of far-away roses, Sweet as a song you sing. Now in the dusk of the twilight, As evening softly falls, Kiss the farewell of forever, Ere the thought of forever appalls ; Touch his lips gently and sweetly As leaves touch a castle's walls. —The Haverfordian. ma® PATRONIZE Ol'R ADVERTISERS. EAGLE HOTEL Rates $2.00, $2.50 and $3.00 per day. HAS A CAPACITY OF 400 GUESTS —=. FRANK EBERHART, PROP'R. Dealer in F Picture Frames of All Sorts. Repair work done promptly. Wl will also buy or exchange any second-hand furniture 40hanibersburgSt., - GETTYSBURG, PA. Buy Your^^^^s SUMMER SUIT -_A_T-IT FITS. IS STYLISH, LOOKS WELL, WEARS WELL. CLOTHING We mean Hand~TailoPed Ready-to-uuear Nobby Dress Hats, Swell Neckwear, Fancy Shirts, Men's Underwear. YORK, PENN'A. LWatch for his Representative when he visits the College j PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. Geo. E. Spacer, PIANOS, ORGANS, MUSIC/LL MERCHANDISE Music Rooms, - York St. Telephone 181 GETTYSBURG TEACHERS! TEACHERS! Teachers wishing to prepare for Examination should write im-mediately for our Teachers' Interstate Examination Course, as taught by mail. This course is endorsed by many leading educators, and every progressive teacher who wishes to advance in their profession should begin work immediately. Address nearest office, with stamp, for reply. AMERICAN TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, 174 Randolph Building, 1423 Arch Street, Memphis, Tenn. Philadelphia. k M. ALLrEMAN, Manufacturer's Agent and Jobber of Hardware, Oils, Faints and Qieqiwar Gettysburg, Pa. THE ONLY JOBBING HOUSE IN ADAMS COUNTY W. F. Odori, -DEALER IN^ Beef, fork. Lamb, Veal, and Sausage, SPECIAL RATES TO CLUBS. York Street, Gettysburg:, Pa. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. ECKENEOBE & BEGKER CHAMBERSBUBG ST., Dealers in Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork, Sausage, Pudding, Bologna, Hams, Sides, Shoulders, Lard, Prime Corned Beef. 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 orbiological 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. Wright, %j \ Co. 140-144 Woodward Avenue, DETROIT, MICH. Manufacturers of high grade Fraternity Emblems Fraternity Jewelry Fraternity Novelties Fraternity Stationery Fraternity Invitations Fraternity Announcements Fraternity Programs Send for Catalogue aad Price List. Special Designs on Applicatisn THESE FIKMS ARE O. K. -PATRONIZE THEM. DO YOU KNOW WHERE The Choicest Candies, The Finest Soda Water, The Largest Oysters, The Best Ice Cream, Can be found in town? Yes, at Young's Confectionary On Chambersburg Street, near City Hotel, Gettysburg, Pa. IF YOU CALL OH C. A. Bloehef, Jeuuelet*, Centre Square, He can serve you in anything you may want in REPAIRING or JEWELRY. SEFTON & FLEMMINGS 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. 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. TEACHERS WANTED. We need at once a few more Teachers, both experienced and in-experienced. More calls this year than ever before. Schools supplied with competent teachers free of cost. Address, with stamp, AMERICAN TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION, 174 Randolph Building 1423 Arch Street, Memphis, Tenn. Philadelphia. HELP THOSE WHO HELP US. t Tie IntereoIIeglafe Bnrean of Academic Costume. Chartered igo2. Cotrsll S^ Leonard* jPs.lba.rxv, 3NC. IT. ffiakefs of the Caps, Gouuns and Hoods To the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Min-nesota, Leland Stanford, Tulape, University of the South, Wel-esley, Bryn Mawr, Wells, Mt. lolyoke and the others. Illustrated Bulletin, Samples, Etc., upon request. A. B. BLACK, Gettysburg College Representative. E. A. Wright's Engraving House, 1108 Chestnut St. PHILADELPHIA We have our own photograph gallery for half-tone and photo engraving. Fashionable Engraving and Stationery. Leading house for College, School and Wedding Invitations, Dance Programs, Menus. Fine engraving of all kinds. Before ordering elsewhere com-pare samples and prices. GET THE BEST The TEACHERS' AMD PUPILS' CYCLOPAEDIA. ANEW, RELIABLE and BEAUTIFUL WORK OF KhFEKENCE in three volumes, edited by B. P. Holtz, A.M., for the homes, schools and colleges of America. It has over 2,200 pages, quarto size, is absolutely new, and treats thousands of selected topics. Many prominent educators have already recommended it for gener-al use. Sample pages furnished on ap-plication. AGENTS WANTED. The Hoist Publishing Co., Boone, lo-wa,- PATRONIZE OUR ADVEKTIZERS. FURNITURE Mattresses, Bed Springs, Iron Beds, Picture Frames, Repair Work done promptly. Under-taking a specialty. # Telephone No. 97. IE3:_ IB. ZBen.d.ex 73 Baltimore St., Gettysburg, Pa. THE STEWART & STEEN CO. College JEngrcuners and (Printers 1024 Arch. 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. d. §. ipalding & (Bros., * * OFFICIAL J» * FOOT BALL SUPPLIES Are Made in Accordance With Official Stiles. Spalding's handsomely illustrated cata-logue of Fall and Winter Sports contain-ing all the new things in foot ball will be sent free to any address. Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide, containing the new rules. Per copy, 10 cents. How to Play Foot Ball. By Walter Camp. New edition. Per copy, 10cents. A. G. Spalding & Bros. New York Chicago Philadelphia San Francisco Host011 Luttalo Kansas City St. Louis Minneapolis Denver London, England. Baltimore MontrealjCan. I