There are a few men who keep up a continuous stream of conversation during prayers. This may be the pleasantest way for them to pass the fifteen minutes devoted to the chapel service, but they seem to be entirely forgetful of their neighbors. It is exceedingly disagreeable for a man who wishes to pay attention to the service, to hear two men keep up an incessant whispering and laughing; and it is even more disagreeable when they talk loud enough for him to hear what they say. If a man has no feelings of his own to keep him from acting in this way in chapel, he ought at least to respect the feelings of those around him; and we hope that in the future those men who are in the habit of talking will be more considerate of their fellow students, and put off their gossip until after chapel.

In the last number of the Michigan Argonaut, we notice an editorial commenting on the extremely small value of a college-bred man in our politics, and giving the impression that all such are but a mockery to that great number of successful men who have not had a college education. Such views seem to us to be radically and foolishly wrong. Now and then a collegian may make himself ridiculous by aspiring to some high position for which he is quite unfitted, but such a case does not often occur, as the writer of the article seems to think. A college training essentially cultivates common sense. We venture to say that it is to the educated class of men, men who have had a college training that the country must look if she wishes a more intelligent and honest administration of affairs. Of course, men may become great without any such preliminary course of education, as our history shows, but it will be in spite of such a lack and not because of it. Statesmanship is a trade to be learned as much as any other, and a liberal education cannot help being a great aid in mastering it.

The cries for civil service reform, which are being sent up all over the land, are but the echoes of the feeling of dissatisfaction in the conduct of our affairs hitherto; feelings which a large part of the country has now, and to which the rest must come in time. The importance of this feeling is shown in all our colleges by the increased attention paid to the study of political economy and civil government, and the eagerness with which such courses are taken. No student now feels he has a good education unless he has intelligent views on the practical questions of the day, and the only way to get these intelligent views is to study for them. The time has now gone past when it was deemed beneath a gentleman's dignity to meddle in the mess into which politics had fallen. No one is now too good to lay hold and help. Education is the only way to make our voters intelligent, and the more college-bred men, who are an educated class in themselves, we send out-men who have an earnest purpose as we believe most men do have,-the better will it be for the country. There has always been a silly hue and cry against college men in any occupation, which certain would-be wits have made on account of those boyish ideas that all young men have. But let us not, like our Michigan contemporary, give up all that is good in order to add our voices to this clamor. The proportion of intelligent men is much larger among collegemen than among those voters without a college education. Let us, then, not sneer at the influence college men have in politics, but let all college trained men unite to do their best in endeavoring to make the government of our country what it should be, as clean and strong as possible.