be very limited. For a year the great
president of Harvard, Dr. Charles Eliot, did his best to abolish or
amend football in that university. As head of the institution he spoke
out against the game, which he honestly believed to be brutal and
demoralising. What was the result of his protest? It had no influence
toward abolishing the game and very little, if any, toward modifying it.
The fact is our colleges and universities are just now controlled in a
large measure by the opinion of those who support them. In other words,
the alumni in many colleges run the college, not the president or the
officers. I may say to you frankly that such is the case at Burrton. Two
of the visitors who were here a few minutes ago are really more
influential with the board of trustees than I am. They are heavy
contributors. One of them gave us a gymnasium last year. They are very
fond of athletics. Both of them are betting men. It would be a very
difficult task to regulate the athletics in Burrton in opposition to
these alumni; so there you are, as to a president's influence. All this
in confidence, Mr. Douglas."

"It must be great fun to be president of a university," said Paul in
disgust. "It seems to me if I were president of this school I should
want to be president, especially in matters of conduct and morals."

"You would see it differently if you were president," said Davis with a
faint smile. "Among other difficulties that we face here is the fact
that Burrton, being unusually well equipped for technical high-class
preparation in electrical engineering, is a favorite school for the
difficult sons of rich men who do not know how to get on elsewhere. We
have on our hands the greatest of all problems--how to make useful men
out of a class of individuals who from boyhood have been reared in
habits of the most princely luxury and disregard of all rules of
restraint. The fact that we don't toady to all these rich men is seen in
the records, which show during the year over two hundred men suspended
for failure to meet the Standard requirements. And as to the betting,
Mr. Douglas, your boy has now learned his lesson and will not do that
again. Hadn't you better reconsider? Will he find conditions any
different or any better in any other school that you know? Do you know
any college East or West where the student atmosphere is absolutely free
from all evil customs and habits?"

"I must confess I don't," said Paul, slowly. "I don't mind say