On The Campus

Again the Gym. and athletics take a boom. The March recesa begins the 23rd, and closes April 2. Prof. Sewall has been unable to attend to his class work this week. R. S. Weir, lik '88, has left college to take charge of the Imlay City Optie. Dr. H. Walter, mayor of Eaton Rapids and her stand-by physician, was in the city Monday. President Angelí will hereafter use the reading room as a clasa room. There is nothing lost in the change. Mrs. and J. H. Wade will go to Cincinnati, next Monday, and take a boat to New Orleans. They will be gone about 22 days. The vacancy caused by the death of Prof. Cheever will be filled temporarily by Dr. Prescott and Prof. Cheever's qualified assistant, F. C. Smith. H. J. Powell, lit '8G, who has been studying theology sinee graduation, is at present engaged in practical work at Spring Lake, Mich. He made various friends in the city a cali last Satuday. Make preparations for a spelling match among the professors. Some have already signalized their wilüngness to contest and Bacrifice (?) their dignity for the people's entertainment and the good of the Gym. Prof. Dunster, who has bsen confined to his house for several days by sickness, is iinproving. His place has been ably filled by Dr. Martin. He was able to lecture Wednesday morning for the 6rst time in nearly two weeks. It is said the last examinations have had something to do in helping a number to decide to drop the r college oourse. At any rate, it is becoming to be well understood thst he who gets a diploma from the U. of. M has to work for it. The Mechanical laboratory will soon have to have another addition. There have been more applieations to the courses than the present facilities can accommodate, showing the popularity o(' this extremely practical branch of a University education. The Calendar for 1887-88 has been received. It shows the number of students registered this year to be 1667, of which Michigan furnished 801; Illinois, 158Ohio, 132; Indiana, 85; New York, 78; Pennsylvania, 45; Iowa, 44; Minnesota, 38; Kansas, 29; Missouri, 23; Ontario, 36; Japan, 11; England, 7; Hawaiian Islands, 2 ; Italy, 2 ; Turkey, 1 ; Russia, 1; Scotland, 1. President Angeli's reagon why the University has few rules contains a pith and consistency that it will well repay the executivea of other colleges as well as those persons who state this as an argument against the institution, to chew on, He says : " The reason why we have few rules here is because I have never found a faculty ingenious enough to forbid all the thmgs done that ought not to be done." The class of '88 showed its usual big heartedness last Saturday by votiag $100 to the Gym., the amount to be taken from the c!ass tax which has been assessed $10 per head. Other important business was abo transacted: A cap similar to that adopted by '86, was chosen as a commencement cap. Mr. Rosenthal waselected class orator in place of Lampson, resigned. $5 were donated to the janitor of room A, in teken of their appreciation of his kindness shown the class. A torch-light cession was suggested by a member of the cla88 ; but the indigaation of the others arose and blew out the scheme. The following committees were then appointed : Committee on reception, Messrs. Morgan Mann, H. K. White, L. K. Comstock, e! S. Smitb, F. F. Lehman, and Miases Clark and Ashley. Committee on arrangements, Messrs. F. F. Sharpless, R. Oole, S. a! Moran, G. R. Mitchell, and B. Boy Ie. Committee on invitations, Messrs. P H Richardson, J. E. Hodge, S. Parks, W. Pope. The best of good feeling prevailed and '88'b or the 50th annual commencement of the U. of M. may be looked forward to as something beyond the usual order, and a fit rival to the jubilee of last year. More enthusiasm n their organizations has not been shown in years than was manuesiea Dy tne students of all departpartments last Saturday in Room A, whither they had assembled to organize a base ball association and elect officers that are to put the University team to the front the coming season. Over 200 turned out, 170 subscribed to the association and paid to the treasurer their assessment of $1.00. A large amouut has been pledged besides by those who took no part in the organization. Unlike most of the previous orfjanizations, the present club will be a University club, comprising members of the various departments, and not of the literary department alone. In this way it is thought a better club will result. The foliowing officers were elected : President, J. M. Derby; vice president, A. F. Smith' secretary and treasurer, W. J. Beckley. A board of five directors was then elected by ballot as follows : Jas. Duffy, lit, Mr Wood, law, Julius Hegeier, lit, Louis .' Doud, lit, II. A. Passalt, pharmic. These directors will elect a manager. It is to be hoped that harmony will continue, and that a club satisfactory to all departments may be chosen that will give the U. of M. a fair standing the coming season, amone other college clubs. It is seldom that an entertainment Í3 held in University hall in which the audience has taken as much interest or expressed their enthusiasm more freely thn at the prononncing contest, go admirably conduoted last Friday evening by Pr,f Trueblood. An army of 25 "laws," excellent looking fellows, and, as they 6nally proved, well " bohned" up on " 2000 Words U8Ully Mispronounced," were opposed to an equal number of well groomed lit men whose freshman representative held the sfield a considerable length of time against 8ix opponents. The spirit of the old-fashïoned district-school spelling match, now L, too seldom heard of, was there, and kept up an interest which was a'l good natu; e but meaat earnest fight. From the start it was apparent that the lawa had either been the more carefully selected or were naturally qualified to treat the Queen's English with more respect than their léss ta'kative literary brothers, for the first volley of words thinned their ranks peroeptibly more than their opponent's. The seniors were the first to fall under such words as gaseous, hovel, Argentine, baths, concourse, burlesque, celiary, etc., while some of the laws could not pronounce, correctly, gramercy, brigand, contour, disfranchise, obligatory, combativeness, peroration, corps, rouse, water, etc., words that they should be and are familiar with. Only once in the evening did Prof. Trueblood lose his temper and perhaps he was justifiable. The lits had been dropping down and sneaking out the back door, leaving the ground to their captain and a few freshmen, when the professor evidently thoug"ht he would stop the desertion by shouting a mild word; "1-e-g-a-t-e," he clearly spelled. The lit look at him a moment as if to fiad out if he really meant it. and then pronounced "lë'-gate." "No! K-'-gate,"cried ihe professor, and the fellow went out between the chairg on a good round trot. Mr. Parks, the little gentleman of the law department, attempted to talk back a little and called the professor a - " You! ? !" but that's all was heard for the roaring laughter, and then the professor consolingly added that in Sulphurous (the word mispronounced) the "u" was always obscure. Mr. Remy, a Iaw, was finally the successful contestant, missing on the work varioloid. Por his victory he received a set of British Orations. The literary and law departments now stand tie on these contests, and it will take a " rubber " to decide which is I to be considered victorious. This third contest will probably be held soon, the proceeds to go to the Gym. This last netted the Gym. about $75. By all means let us have some more ; they are a good thing tor the Gym., and a better and more profitable entertainment could not be devised.