THE UNTOUCHABLE CURED

Fitzgeraldiam is apparently on the decline. In spite of the horrible stories which are written to lay bare the inner Soul of the present day college student, he is really a man of infinitely greater intelligence and moral character than was his father a generation ago. So at least thinks the "Literary Digest", which has been at some pains to find out just what a representative group of college presidents think about their undergraduates.

The results of this collection of opinion, as printed in the "Literary Digest" for June 14, are those with which ninety-nine per cent of all university men, long wearied with the somewhat captions Jeremiads of an older generation, will enthusiastically agree. In fact a majority of the presidential observations might almost be termed flowery. From the unbroken string of epithets and abuse which was fashionably applied to the youth of the land five years ago in the moral depression following the war, the weather vane of opinion has swung around to a point which almost indicates approaching tirades against the old for not keeping face with the spiritual idealism of the young.

Of course both extremes are absurd. College men today are no more persons of sterling Christian character and high moral worth than they were inherently wicked, depraved, and leprous in the two years which followed the signing of the armistice. Their only fault was that they were and are young, and, being more receptive to new influences than their elders, unconsciously responded more immediately to changing conditions of time and circumstance. After the war, sensing the general relaxation, they let down, while their elders still held blindly on. Presently they felt the coming of what is hoped will be a new epoch and lifted up their eyes to the hills while the old generation was still perplexed with doubt and question. It is within the bounds of possibility to surmise that another five years will see on both sides a restoration of harmony and a renewal of understanding.