The University Excursion

Wednesday morning, at the inrltation of Prof. Maclean, the medical and pharniacy students met on the campus and marched in a body down to the depot, where a special train was waiting to take them to Detroit to attend the funeral of Dr. Farrand. All who wore the University colors, in rosette tlraped in mourning, were allowed to ride down and back free of charge. The membeis of the faoulty and their wives accorapanied the students, and the turn-out was so general that the seven cars, furnished by the railroad eompany, were completely filled, so there must have been nearly four hunclred who went on the excursión. Now when people hear of this they will at once ask what was the cause of this unusual proceeding. It will occur to them to ask whether Dr. Farrand was a member of tlie faculty of the University. To this they will be answered la the negative. Theii they will wish to know whejher he was a gradúate oí tbe cul department. This question can not be answered In the affirmaüve. As a last resort they will Inquire whether be was well known to the studentsand veiy popular wlth them. Candor will compel the response that not one in flftjr of them ever saw him. Then why was all college workstopped;theentiredepartmentgiven a holiday, and those wishing it a free ride and excursión? We asked seyeral of those at the depot these questions, and the boys, with a wink, said, " It is a boom for Maclean." When further questioned they stated, that, as Maclean was In trouble in his libel suit in Detroit, he workec) up this method of taking the boys on a free ride, so as to show the folks in Detroit that the studentsbacked him up by going with him. This, then, was the scheme, and as the heayily laden train rolled away we were left to wonder at the audaclty of the men who proposed it, at the weakness of the authorities wiio allowed It, and at the nocence of those who favored t. We will prophesy that at some time, in the dim and distant future, there will come a time when Michigan's great University will have a Board of Regent whicb will dare to ask the chief executive of the University why he allowed such an extraordinary precedent to be established, of college work being stopped to attend the funeral of one in no way connected with the institution. In speaking of the large amount of railroad building which is to be done the coming summer in this State, Major Wyllis C. Runsom, deputy Railroad Commissioner, says: " The Toledo, Ann Arbor & Grand Trunk road has passed into the hands of the Garrison interest, and on the basis of information from the New York office it is down for about 150 miles of construction." This will be pleasant news for the people of Ann Arbor, as it can not but help the city to have this road made a through one. tnrougü one. It is a good plan for the parents having children in the city schools occasionally to visit the classes and see how the work is done. It not only encourages the scholars and makes them do better work when they expect company, but it is also a good thing for the teachers in showing them the people take an interest In the schools and school methods. Furthermore, it is beneficial to the visitors themselves in that they are able to gain an accurate knowledge of the styles of teaching and results accornplished. For these reasons we are pleased to see a growing tendency on the part of the teachers to invite the patrons of thcir school to vlsit them and judge for themselves.