THE
A
BRAS KAN
i
V
9
Vol. VI No. 15.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN, FRIDAY, JAN. 14, 1808.
PltlOK 5 Cknts.
N
ADDRESS TO OLD SETTLERS
h
Miss
Ellen Smith Tells of
University History.
Early
INTERESTING AND AMUSING
An Inslruclivo Picluro of the Unlvorslly In
Its Infancy lis Trials and
Tribulations.
TIip following Is tho complete ad
dress of MIbs Ellon Smith, tho regis
trar, (lellvired Inst Tuesday ovonlng
before the Old Settlers' association. It
Is extremely Interesting and also val
uable as an authentic history of the
University In Its early days.
My Dear Friends, tho Old Settlors
of Lancaster County: It Is quite un
usual tor mo to appear In public and
very difficult to find tlmo to prepare
even a short paper on any topic, and
hnil e Old Settlers' association hs'ko I
mo to come before them on any other
siilripit. the Invitation would have
l)oon very quickly and decidedly re
fused, but to give jou a few
of my early recollections of tho Uni
versity vn too tempting to seom quite
Imptisnilili', and so hero 1 am.
In the latter part of tho winter of
1S77. the health of Prof. Hiram Collier
bepnn t fall, his ilmptoms giving
stronu indications of pulmonary' con
sumption and the regents gave him a
leave of nhsonco to travel in Califor
nia, and the question arose as to what
provision should bo made for his vorU,
that tlie University might suffer the
least dt trlment. Another question had
for some time been Interesting the
board of regents and that was In re
gard to the employment of a woman
in the University, as It was a co-cdu-cational
institution. Doth questions
were nnswered by deciding tho latter
in the affirmative as she could relievo
..i. or ;:rfc "jTi c;rjhijsr .t -n " i
their work. Which In turn could do
Prof. Collier's for a time?
Then as between the daughter of
Dr. Morgan of Oborlln, 0., and my
self, m firm health and strong consti
tution turned the balance In my favor
and I nunc as tutor of Latin and Greek
the 1st or prll, 1877, tho first woman
who roc -i v i d an appointment by the
regents of the University of Nebraska.
But in those days to be appointed
tutor or professor of any particular
branches meant very little, so far as
his work was concerned, and mathe
matics, English and even general hls
or wuti often assigned to mo; for
each was expected to do, whatever, all
things considered, seemed best for the
l'nivprsit, and many years after that
a young man who Is now a prominent
lawyer of Lincoln, was tho llrst to re
fuse absolutely to teach a class for
which the terms of his engagement did
not call, his services were not long
retained. The chancellor was a tench
r of mental, moral and political
science ami on one occasion a class
In physiology was left without a teacn
f,by the alihence of a teacher on leave
on account of sickness and Chancellor
i'alrtleld tiiiifiht it tho whole term.
TIk t'niMiHity, If not In Its Infancy,
as certainly in its early childhood;
'or I'Rs i him six years had passed
lnre ti)P dnors wore llrst thrown open.
and previous to this year, only six
Professor and ono tutor had been cm
Ployed ami 132 was tho highest number
of Btuilonts enrolled In one yenr. But
this yPar marked a decided ndvnnce
oent. Pur the first tlmo the chemls
JO' and physics which had been In the
lands of tho professor of natural
Imipph, wei-p plnced under a separate
instructor. iror. Hiram Colllor. who
a an enthusiastic teacher, whose
ori( war limited by his strength
alone
Fr the first tlmo a professor of
modern latiKitngoB was employed, Prof.
"arrinKton Emerson, who had been
iucatp,i ,ihrond until ho Boomed morn
"rp'6n tha,, native, and had perfect
mand of French and Gorman,
"en. with his native Yankeo vim
ni enersy made him u superior
if3cnor.
The first United States nrmy office r.
terv i S' I)H,l'yi WI18 detailed to
thei tl'" I,nlv"dty this year and
drtBt,on of the nrBt company of
,. el8 WnH IlOt onallv nnnnmnllnhP.fi
was nn I, u " """" Bring of 1880, tho cadet band was or
Wtu 11 .fi0"t,oraan rt a ?nrS Tll i.S ho following year the
-MllKl rilltnnu .. .. .1.. . .r,,
ini-n... i ,....,
bill I uulctr ao dl1 n01 lnlnl;
tmifhxVi0"1 uniforms nmounted to
fcl to ,?.ny of tll(5 students were unn
inM1880 these at flrst and It
omp "mo to get started right
-j uuiici- Mn mi Mid mil I iiiiii,
SSSSi.JSSSS.VSi
yonr In the Orcok clmlr ho the por-
sonnol ot iho fnculty wnB greatly
changed, tho number of professors and
tutors raised to ten and mo attendance
Increased 1G0, making in all 282. After
that tlmo tho attendance did not fall
below 200, wob genornlly 250 but did'
not reach 284 until 1882. Everything
wns rather primitive compared to tho
presont. Tho campus was a dreary
place, with a few trees hero and there
too smnll to give any shndo, unkempt
and uneven, but nearly enclosed with
a long hedge; but when onco within
the enclosure nothing prevented tennis
being driven up to tho front steps of
the ono building for there wat only
ono.
In thnt building tho Union society
hod the samo hall which It now occu
pies. The Pnlladlans wore In tho pres
ent law room and tho museum In .ho
present Dellnn hall. Ono room was de
voted to tV library, and out to trie
nrnis and equipment of tho mllltnry
department and ono to the janlioi, for
the janitor wns then obliged to room
In the building; several rooms which
are now In constant use were then fill
ed with rubbish, nnd yet overythlng In
the curriculum was taught. Tho torch
ing wns all done In the forenoon, of
five dnys of tho week, a class In the
afternoon being considered au In
fringement on the rights of tho stu-
dents and tho first attempt to hold a
class on Saturday came near producing
not a very mild rebellion.
There was no ventilation In tho
chomlstry room; thcro was little appa
ratus In the physics room; there was
no lnbratory for botany, zoology or
any of the "ologles;" tho museum wa,
disarranged nnd unclassified; the li
brary was opened but a few hours one
day In the week, but the professors
wero energetic and determined, the
students eager, faithful and hard
wor-ftX ' ' much 4'ood work wj
done, as tho success of those who did
it has since proven. There were no
electric lights or signals. Tho boil
which Is now used to call to chapel
and to celebrate football victories, wit
iho only boll except ono in tho build
ing. For many years it was tho duij
of the janitor to tap the bell two or
three times for closing recitations,
thon nfter two or three minutes two
or three more taps for beginning the I
noxt. The other, a tea-bell stood on a
small desk on tho rostrum and this
the chancellor used to call the audience
to order at chapel. It was given to me
when the practice was abandoned and
1 Intend to placo it in the museum
some day, as a relic of those old times.
Tho chapel, as everything else, has,
been greatly changed. Tho rostrum
was In the north end of the chapel
and It was seated like mny of tho old
fashioned churches, with narrow,
-wooden pews, which would hold five
or six persons comfortably and heated
by two Immonse stoves. On tho floor
lii front of the rostrum, stood a small
melodeon for use In chapel exercises,
which was played by some student,
mostly by Miss Knto Gllette, the first
year of my acquaintance In the Unl
versitv. All the school rooms wore
heated by stoves and tho comfort of
the room depended largely upon tho
skill and en re of the teacher In that
room. The halls wero never warmed
until steam heat was Introduced, aud
going from warm recitation rooms Into
ley cold hnlls was frequently the cause
of serious Illness.
In the spring of 1877 an earthquake
shock was folt In all the heavy build
ings in Lincoln. In tho University the
vibrations wero strong enough to slop
over a glass of water Btandlng on a
dPBk In tho chemical room and I shall
not Boon forget the sensations pro
duced by the swaying of th building
ns I sat In my school room, though I
had no idea what was the cause. Thut
spring also it was discovered that)
the foundations of the building wero
crumbling and it wbb decided that the
brown worthless stone must be re
placed at onco by a more durable mn
torlal. and as there was no monoy In
the treasury, the faculty decided to ad
vance 1 1-4 per cent, of their salary
for the purpose and rely upon the next
I legislature to replace It; it has
I never been replncod and I nevnr heard
i Hint nnvono asked for It. In tb
1 ...'' - -.--
I ' n.iwi .... Anr ciriirr
young mon Biicceoded by great 6ffort
In raising monoy for uniforms nnd
since that time it hnB boon on an us
ee ontlnued on Fourth Page.)
HOVEL ELECTRICAL EXHIBIT
Electrical Engineers Prepare
Charter Day.
for
CHANGE 1'KOH FORMER YEARS
Old Tlmo Exhlbil Will bo Abandoned and
Iho Latest Electrical Novcllica Will
bo Shown. '
. , ,
Arrnngcmonts for tho big annual
clmrtcr day celebration have already.
bton commenced although it is yet a
month beloro that fwtivo day arrives. '
uuu ui iuu tuuiurua oi mis nay nas
always been the electric exhibit which
takes place In iho ccnlng in tho ar
mory. 'Iho electrical mgineors hold
a meeting last 'iuetday evening to ,
make preparations for this Interesting
exhibit. It. was ihctdnl to n;k, ,t
novel departure from the usual pro
gram of the last few years which It
is expected will prove n stronger
source of attraction than their live-ton
magnet. New electrical novelties will
be on exhibition In tvlilch everybody,
whether an olectntal ..uuont or other-,
wise, win oo deeply ..ucresied. ,
It is the intention ot tne engineers to
secure a first class lecturer to glvo a ,
leciurc of general iu.or.si on somo of
tho best ekctiical achievements of thi
day. It Is the Intention to make tha I
lecture one which everybody can uu-
dcrstand and appreciate without tne ,
ald of an encyclopaedia. It will bo 11-
lustrated with sttroptlcan views. In
order to defray the exponses of ijarry
lng out this program, it lins been f.,und
necessary to charge a small admission
fee. It Is hoped that the students will
help along the good work by patroniz
ing the lecture as generously as though
it wero free.
At tho conclusion of the lecture a
reception will be hefe tti the armory.
The armory will bo decorated wKh
latest lighting effects and special ar
rangements will be made to accommo
date the crowd. A complete lino of
olectrical cooking utensils will be oper
ated to their full capacity and refresh
ments cooked by electricity will be
served. Such "out of date" affairs as
the water pail forgo, calcium carbite
furnace, electrical hair curlers and
"splnninir eggs" will be positively for-
blddon.
It Is the Intention to havo refresh
ments prepared and served by Univer
sity girls, and not by the enginuers.
This fact Is mentioned in order to as
sure those to whoso lot It will fall to
eat product of the electrical cooulng.
Two years ago the engineers served
pan cakes to illustrate the value of
electricity In cooking, but they left out
a few rather necessary Ingredients In
the batter so that the public did not
recover for some time from tho effects
thereof. The girls, however, ?taud
ready to guarantee that there will be
no such blunders this year. Visitors
will also bo given an opportunity to
get their handkerchiefs scorched for
nothing on tho electrical Ironer. Other
Important electrical features will be
put on exhibition.
An executive committee consisting
of MessrB. C. W. Weeks, H. B. Noyes
and M. A. Hydo will have the work in
charge.
COMPANY F HOP.
Company F held a meeting laBt
Monday afternoon and decided to hold
a hop, which Is to be the first annual
Company F hop. This adds one more
to tho long list of annual hops in the
University. Captain Noyes has evi
dently determined not to wait until
tho end of tho yenr before beginning
to work up Bomo company Bplrlt, but '
has wisely concluded that now Is tho I
time to got tho cadets Interested in,
tho final success of tholr company. A managed by tho Y. W. C. A. and it Is
committee on arrangements for tho i10ped tlut a vigorous campaign will
hop hns already been appointed con- bo mnde for tho Bale of tickets that
Blstlng of Messrs. Brown, Cloland, ! lt mny be both a financial and bocIiiI
Clarke, AdnmB and Atwood. The date ' Buccess.
has not been definitely settled upon. Prof.' Kimball Is now making ar
It wns thought at first to have lt Fri i r,ingomontB for a delightful trip for
day of examination week but lt was tho i,oyB through Colorado in March
finally decided that lt would bo un- and lt jH i10,)0,i to give concerts In ton
wIbo to have lt so closo aftor tho Per- nr twnlvo cities.
Bhlng Hop and just before tho Junior
Prom. Hence .i will not be given un-
til some tlmo In March.
Tho glrlB basketball team secured
considerable newspaper notoriety In
tho Chicago papers recently by send-
K SFfcffiSn8: W
Iator, however, woro unable to ac-
copt tho challenge.
CHOOSE PROP. KIMBALL,
i The hoard of directors of the Trans
! Mississippi Exposition last Wednesday
' unanimously chose Prof. Wlllnrd Kim
I ball of tho Conservatory of Music, to
bo musical director for tho expostt.on.
1 This means that Prcf. Kimball will
assumo full charge of all the music
, which It Is Intended to have at tho
opposition on n grand scale. The po-
sltlon which Prof. Kimball has been
fortunate enough to secure Is ono
which hn8 been bitterly fought for.
It has been sought by the best musl-
clnn8 tn tll0 rountry, m Omaha, Chl-
cng0 Now York nrt 0VPn m Bcrlln(
80 Umt 1rofi Kimball and the Vnt-
vcr8lly hnve bolll reason to foel hlghly
honored
Prof. Kimball has not as yot formu-'at'-d
any definite plans, but It Is his
Intention to give largo orchestral con-
ccrls llnlly Uurlng tho oxl)0jJiUon at
which the best talent in the cour.tr
will be scoured.
THE NEW KIOTE
No, tho Kioto Is not a freak publi
cation. Nolther is it to be a budget of
so-called western dialect stories with
a jargon that savors of some ulterior
eastern back-writer's seventh Murv
kllliui uiiitiiiuui. i uu niuii: uuva uu,.
intend calmly to look on while 'Al-
inll Ike" shoots the tenderfoot's silk
tne iX of -IS-callbro eyes. When the
i,are-foot herolno, with iter breaming,
raVon locks (or should it bo blondlnc
tresses?) flapping wild in tho mnuden-
ing gale, leads the Intrepid little band
upon tho robber's nest, you will near
the Kioto howl In mortal anguish The
Kioto is a western magazine, to be
issued monthly by the English cUb of
the University. The initial number
appears noxt week.
It Is a literary publication. Not
literary in that sense which causes
the general reading public to show It,
disgust, but In the true meaning and
Interpretation of the term, as wo all
have come to know it.
The writers of this Unlversly,
though as yet little known, possess
the rare charm of readableness. They
have something to say and they know
just how to say It. Their work Is for
love of the art, as shown In the initial
numbers of the Kioto, are In ivrry
way artistic.
A publication from the students, and
of them. The mngazlne expects to
reach them all. True to the traditions
and policy of our University, the
Kioto comes before you as a perma
nent fixture. Its constant endeavor
will be to encourage writers of merit
throughout the whole middle west,
nnd though modest In size, It Is yot
bold in undertaking, for it seekb to
voice the unuttered spirit of the now
land which is ours.
GLEE CLUB PROSPECTS.
The personnel of tho glee club for
the coming year has been practically
decided, although some difficulty has
been experienced in deciding on per
manent material. It is always hard to
tell definitely at flr-t as voices which
are alright Individually do not har
monize with others. It Is expected
that the membors decided upon will be
announced Inside of another week.
It 1b n matter of congratulation that
Messrs. Konagy and Ireland, who at
first wore not hero, are now back and
will take tholr old places In the glee
club.
The addition of the bnnjo club
makos twenty-six mon In all nnd adds
considerable to the club.
The club Is furthor along thiB year
than at tho samo tlmo for many pro
vlous years, and the second buBO If es
pecially satisfactory. Tho home con
cert tntB year win no given ior tne
I benefit of tho associated charities as
, Proft Kimball 1b also trying to offoet
j Barnewlmt of a transformation In Lhe
music usually sung by glee clubs. While
I not intending by any means to bar
I comic songs, and havo the club render
I strictly clnss'cal muBlc, ho hopeB to
;-nge the stereotyped plan of the
gloo clubs In gonoral where they sing
year after yenr tho same old songs.
ATHLETIC BOARD MEETS
It Transacts Some Very Important
Business.
BISCHOF FOOTBALL MANAGER
Mailer of Securing Baseball Coach Not Yet
Decided Other Matters Aclcd
Upon.
Tho athletic board met Saturday at
9:30 with all the members present.
The regular routine of business being1
disposed of, the question of baseball
coach came up and was discussed at
some length. It was flnnlly decided to.
defer any definite action until the mat
ter could bo Investigated. A commit
teo was appointed to gathor Informa
tion nnd report at next meeting.
The matter of electing a manager of
tho football team was disposed of next
and Mi. Bishof was elected. On mo
tion his olectlon was made unanimous.
Dr. Hastings wns appointed to look
nfter the representation of the Univtr
slty In athletic contests nt tho Trans
Mississippi exposition. He had re
ceived a communication asking that
tho University lend its assistance to
this phase of the exposition as well as
to any other.
Another commltteo was appointed to
report some regulations in regard to
regular training for men working for
positions on the different teams. It
will be seen that this Is important,
and It Is to be hoped some regulations
will be adopted. The board adoourned
to meet In regular session January 15.
TAU DELTA' OMICKOM.
Charles Wray of York was received
Into toe fellowship of the Tau Delta
Omicrom fraternity last Friday even
ing. Tho fratovnity .urx has a mem
bership of eleven, the boys being p'eas
nntly located at 2444 P street. H. B.
Noyes, P. H. Thompson, Fred Kueglo,
A. T. Strahorn, Wm. Axllng. W. L.
Hall, Oliver Chambors, A. A. Miller,
T. D. 1-unn, It. D. Elliot nnd Charles
Wray are those of Its membership.
UNI VS. OMAHA Y. M. C. A.
What promises to bo the most Inter
esting nnd hardest fought game of
basketball this year will be played
tomorrow, Snturdi" evonlng In tho
gymnasium between the Omaha Y. M.
C. A. team and the University team.
The porsonelle of the University tenm
has yet to be decided. It will be se
lected from the members of tho 5
o'clock class and the football men with
a preponderance of the former. Tho
Omaha team Is the same one which
made such a good showing against tho
crack Chicago team, and as tho Unl
vorslty boys know something about
the game, themselves, an Interesting
contest will result.
The athletic board has voted to do
vote tho surplus from the Freshman
Sophomore field day to purchase rec
ord boards for the suitable inscribing
of events on that day.
PERSHING RIFLES DRILL.
The announcement that the Persh
ing Rifles would glvo nn open drill at
tracted a large sized crowd to the ar
mor' ThurBday evonlng. John Sum
nor cnrrled off the honors In the in
dividual drill, winning the sold medal.
At the conclusion of the Individual
drill Lieut- Prshlng took charge of the
company und put thorn through sev
eral movements. His presence beemed
to put now spirit Into the men and
they made a very creditable bhowing.
The company then adjourned Into
ono of the recitation rooms and had
tho pleasure of listening to a short
talk by Lieut. Pershing. Speeches
woro also made by Lieut. Stotsenburg,
Captain Oury and ox-Captain Schwartz
and the greatfflt enthusiasm was
arouBod in the interest of tho company.
Prof. Hodgman states that he Is
uuthorlzod by Dr. Davis to ofTer an
elomontary course In calculUB itxt
somestor. This will recite five houri
per week at 8 a. m. Osborn's CalculUB
a book on tho approved methods o
limits, and attractive in the preBontn
tlon of tho subject will be us'-d.
This mnkes calculUB available to
those studonts not In tho regular en
gineering course, but who expect to
tench and desire a general view of the
subject. , , ,
A sufficient number have askod for
the work to assure a class In dlfferen
tlnl calculus, which will also cover a
portion of integral calculUB.
