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Caption: Book - History of the University (Nevins)
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316 STUDENTS AND STUDENT LIFE the fact that student scholarship has steadily improved in the last fifteen years. Much of this is traceable to the emphasis which President James, assisted by a group of the faculty, has thrown in the years since 1904 upon scholarly breadth in the curriculum, as through his readiness to make desirable appointments irrespective of outward demand for them; much to the direct interest of himself and this group in undergraduate standards. The college year holds a vast of various things not mentioned in the foregoing summary; and it is more generally light-hearted than it would indicate. The essential spirit of the student community baffles description, but there is no doubt either of its democracy or optimism. Despite the leaven from homes of wealth, the social strata are forgotten more completely than they would be in an older college community, and the students are measured only by capacity and goodfellowship. The cheerfulness of undergraduate life is also assisted by its want of sophistication. The majority of students, from farms, villages, and towns smaller than Peoria, are little acquainted with either the virtues or vices of urban communities. It would be hard to say how many freshmen had never seen a metropolitan theatrical performance, or entered a saloon, or visited a gay restaurant, but the number would tfe very large. This unworldly quality has its disadvantage, in that the students are not inspired to alertness by acquaintance with the complex facets of our civilization; but it carries a fresh naivete' that makes the University a pleasant place for the average impressionable youth. The autumn opens with the excitement of "rushing," of football practice, and of adjustment to the everchanging University. The fine September weather sees the streets alive with automobiles brought in by fra-
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