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THE HESTER IAN,
Is
the liberal support and patronage of the state at
large. ''The opening address delivered by the Hon.
John L. Webster, of Omaha, appears, elsewhere in
this paper and is worthy of the careful perusal and
consideration of everyone.
A committee of the faculty are holding frequent
sessions in preparing such changes in the courses in
the industrial college as shall make the work more
attiactive and helpful to the people of the state at
large. It is intended to make that college as strong
as any in the Union. The new work in electrical
engineering to be offered by Professor Brace will be
included, and there will be a general recognition of
practical industrial training. Special work in agri
culture and horticulture will be provided.
Already, active steps are being taken toward the
reorganization of the Scientific Club, and there is no
doubt but that the Classical Club will also organize,
and both will soon be holding their regular meet
ings. The work done by these clubs is very bene
ficial to their members, and the papers usually pre
pared are reports upon different lines of original
work. Any student, without restriction as to class
may belong to either club and it is to be hoped that
the new students will see the advisability of taking
part in or at least of attending the meetings of these
organisations.
The suggestion made by the chancellor in
regard to the literary societies holding a joint debate
.sometime during the winter term is a good one. It
should receive the hearty approval of the societies.
Such a program would relieve the monotony caused
by the several oratorical contests that occur about
that time. There is no reason why such a debate
anight not be anade more, interesting, more enter
taining, more instructive than an oratorical contest.
The subject selected for debate will be a question that
concerns the present time and not one that pertains
to the pomp and glory or infamy and ruin of Baby
lon, Athens or Rome. Thought and logic would
prevail over the flowery language and graceful ges
tures that are used by the orator seeking admirers.
The persons entering such a debate will receive far
more practical benefit therefrom than they would
receive in competing for an oratorical prize. The
fate of the college orator is often determined by fav
oritism on the part of some judge. In a debate of
this kind the audience will be determined by what he
really does. The audience will receive much more
benefit from such a program than they do from the
average oratorical contest. When most college ora
tors have delivered their orations the verdict of .the
audience is: 'Mr. is a good or poor orator,"
but who was ever known to have been moved to act
through the actions of a college orator.
The societies should consider the matter immed
iately. Two persons from each of the three societies
would furnish a program long enough. Each
debater would have time to say what he had to say
in a direct, concise, fdrcible manner. A debate and
extemporaneous speaking seem to mean about the
same thing in this institution. Such should not be
the case, especially in this one proposed. The
debater should be given time enough to prepare his
argument so that it may be the product of wit,
thought, logic and force in expression. Committees
should be immediately appointed to confer with each
other in regard to selecting a suitable subject for dis
cussion and to make other necessary arrangements.
Mr. R. B. Owens, the new instructor in the
electrical engineering department, has arrived and
has taken charge of the work. Professor Owens
will have the distinction of being one of the young
est instructors in the institution, but there are none
who are more thoroughly prepared for their work.
Professor Owens graduated in the electrical engi
neering course of Johns Hopkins, after which he
held important positions with some of the largest
electrical establishments in the country. While thus
actively engaged he pursued a post-graduate course
at Columbia, where he received the E. E. degree.
Professor Owen is a thorough theoretical and practi
cal electrician, having, by much experience both in
the construction and operation of electrical stations
become thoroughly acquainted with the practical
side of the electrical engineer's profession, and he is
a valuable acquisition to the present list of professors
having the electrical department in charge.
One of the most. important, of the many little
conveniences adopted lately is the providing of a
guide for visitors. In the early days when the only
attractions for visitors were the white-washed recita
tion rooms and the few Indian relics that constituted
the museum, the suggestion of a guide would have
been received as a mild sarcasm. But all that is
changed. Instead of walking around with a fright
ened expression on their faces aad a half-formed
apology on their lips, visitors are now conducted by
a courteous guide who is anxious and willing to
explain whatever may be of interest to them. Not
only that, but visitors will get a much better impres
sion concerning the immense amount of apparatus
necessary for a school of our size. The library, the
laboratories, the museum, the society halls, are all of
interest to visitors, but unless the special attractions
of each are pointed out and explained, these attrac
tions are unnoticed or but half appreciated and all
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