Concerning the Agora

The Agora whose proximate appearance was heralded in the January MAGAZINE, has, as is generally known, arrived, and still continues to supply Sabbath contrition with the scourge of Saturday. The object of the paper, as stated in its editorial page, is to give opportunity for the free expression of student sentiment, and for open discussion of all College questions by any one interested in the good of the College. With this object no one could properly quarrel: it is most estimable. But having chosen "liberty" as its slogan, TheAgora adopted the policy of printing any reasonably well mannered epistle that should be contributed to its columns. The natural result has more than once been the public exhibiting of individual indiscretions that, while estimated at their true value at home, have in some .cases been misconstrued abroad. In several instances the definition of "well mannered" has been so stretched as to allow the printing of some rather unfortunate methods, of statement, and m most instances the tone of the contributions has been unduly contentious.

To some persons it appears that TheAgora has seriously damaged the College, not because it has shown weaknesses in the institution, or is likely to; but because it has given the ready generalizer opportunity to assume that what one excitable, or cantankerous, or thoughtless student, alumnus, or member of the faculty may take the trouble to write is representative of the thinking of all his fellows. Since the majority of mankind are ready generalizers, the opponents of The Agora fear that the Dartmouth product is liable to appear in a decidedly bad light.

THE MAGAZINE does not share such fears: in fact it believes that The Agora has accomplished greater good than harm, for it has done more to demonstrate the futility of putting unsubstantiated theory into practice than could have been accomplished by four years' study of history and economics. From the beginning till now, it has been a weekly lesson in the beauties of conservatism. It has set the students to serious thinking, and has prompted TheDartmouth to the writing of its best considered, most logical and most conclusive editorial of the year. Furthermore, when all the bees have exhausted their stings and the pepper boxes are empty, it may come to pass that TheAgora will succeed in interesting the undergraduate body in really constructive work along lines which it is fully competent to follow.

The sheet should not be utterly condemned until it has had a fair chance to develop naturally or to die gracefully In the meantime, a correspondent offers a few thoughts which perusal of TheAgora has suggested. They are to the effect that a vox clamantis is "by no means a vox Dei; that when dirty linen is washed in public, the bystanders are usually more interested in the dirt than in the quality of the linen; that one minute of hard work is worth an hour of advice; that liberty and indiscretion are not synonymous terms; that the pen is mightier than the sword when both are kept dry; that a reformer may be simply a man who disagrees with the public estimate of himself; that it is easier to gain notoriety than wisdom; that it is always easier to kick than to help draw the load.

Who can believe The Agora a failure when it inspires such ideas?

LATER: The Agora is no more; obituary notice next month.

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