THE UPHEAVAL IN ITHACA

The year 1920 must take its place with 1848 as a year of revolution. Even the academic world has been swept into the maelstrom--the most conspicuous fighting occurring at Ithaca, N. Y. Like the daily revolutions in Russia the causes of the Cornell outbreak are little understood by the outside world, the official dispatches being few and far between. Some interesting facts, however, may be gleaned from the report of the special Committee appointed from the Student Council and the two Senior Honorary Societies concerning the relations of women to the University.

After complaining of over-crowding and recommending a restriction of enrollment as a temporary relief, the report continues: "But women are here and probably cannot be at once turned out, although the same has been done at other eastern institutions which years ago made the mistake of confusing co-education with the omancipation of women. Co-education will in due time be something of history. It has failed in the west where it is truly indiginous and it will never succeed in the east." Ezra Cornell apparently had not the foresight of John Harvard, who founded his college as far east as the Atlantic seacoast.

Then follows a severe condemnation of the fair Cornellians who have caused the "degeneration" of the library, who have prevented a professor from entering his office by holding a "nose-powdering festival" on the threshold, and estranged the Metropolitan press by singing football songs on a New York ferry-boat. But this is not all. "Cornell is and always has been essentially not only a man's but a he-man's' school." If something is not done at once "Cornell will face an overthrow." That's the real danger an overthrow.

Many of the "he-men" differ with the Committee, so that even the men are not united in their defense; which dissension within leads us of the far east, where all is solid and conservative, to fear for the safety of our brother in Ithaca. It is a troublesome year, and Cornell is not the only victim of the march of modern women. Would that the strife were over, and with the news of peace a word that Cornell had been saved for mankind.