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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1892)
T HE HESPERIAN. V Everyone knows that energy and push are essential to the highest success in any culling. Everyone knows that these depend largely on bodily vigor, and this in turn varies as the hody receives careful training or neglect. And yet, even in this practical age, is there not a general feeling of contempt for anything so plain and common as attention to consider ations of health? The young man preparing for the ministry feels that such things are beneath him, and goes through life with a weak body ami the consequent lack of personality and power. The athlete who has his own hobby, in the shape of some brilliant trick, disdains such trilles. Is learning so dear and is hobby-riding so sweet as to be purchased at the price of health and success in life? There is a notion abroad that the American college stud ent is a very athletic young mail. He has been told this so often that he believes it himself. The fact, both here and elsewhere, is very lar removed from this theory. The per cent of college men is found to include all who take an actual part in any out-door games, and three per cent will include all the regular players. The vast majority of college youths gel all their athletic training from reading the sporting news in the papers and sitting in the grand stand three or four times a year to see the "varsity" team play ball. The tennis players have full possession of the gymnasium about four of the best hours of each day. Some of the boys think this is much too long, for two or four persons to use the whole gymnasium, especially when so many are desirous of training for field-day sports. It is impossible to train while the classes in gymnastics are being conducted, but the tennis players ask for the room at all hours except when classes are excrcjsing on the lloor. It would be much appreciated if those controlling the tennis court would be less selfish in using the room. When field-day sports are over the U. of N. is liable to have some records that will surprise the neighboring colleges. It will take some excellent athletes to compete favorably with Klippin as heavy and Johnston as light weight wrcstle;r Tcfl as short and Sawyer as longdistance runner, and Thomas as high jumper. Over forty students enrolled this term for fencing, one third of whom arc young women. Lieutenant Pershing divided them into classes of ten each, which meet twice a week in the lower gymnasium room and are conducted by the lieutenant. Pitcher Haldwin established a wonderful record by pitch ing eighteen consecutive innings, allowing but eleven base hits ami two earned runs to be made off his delivery. . W. II. Morris, the lamous colored runner of Philadelphia, is a student of law at the Pennsylvania university. Earle, the league ball catcher, will coach the Columbia, S. C, team this spring. The world's record Inr roller skating is less than three minutes per mile. Messrs, Ilclvic and Kenyon arc busy mounting zoological and geological collections. Three thousand new labels have been printed for the museums. A new collection of minerals has been received by the geological department from Eng lish & Company, of New York. It contains valuable spec! mens of all the principal metals. It covers over 1,000 square feet of table surface. The entire collection cannot be exhib ited on account of a lack of cases. The dep.-Mment has put up some temporary cases until better ones can be obtained. Crash! crash! crash! Thud! thud! thud! Whence come those sounds? Are Maghee and the weather service descend ing through the floors into the- basement? No. Haughton is falling through the lilK-ry window. CHARTER DAY. A Day That Will Bo. Loii Remembered THK KKV. WASHINGTON (JI.ADDKN AT TH14 LANS ING THKATKK. A Brief SynopMn of thn AUdresH Ior Tlian 1500 I'eopln ComiioMxl tho llrlllliuit Amllcnoo Tho Reception at tlin Armory. February 15 was the anniversary of the twenty-third birthday of this institution. The day was observed with all the ceremony due to a university of so much importance. The most complete arrangements were made for showing the university off to visitors. In the afternoon from 2 until 5 o'clock the professors and assistants held informal receptions in their various quarters, and visitors were privileged to wander with out let or hindrance through all the buildings. No effort was made to keep a record of the number of people who passed through the buildings during these hours, but it is estimated that not less than 1500 people enjoyed the entertainments afforded by the university. The main event of the celebration was the address of Rev. Washington Gladden, D.D., which was delivered in the Lansing opera house. The theme for the address was, "The True Socialism." Without printing the whole- address we publish the following synopsis: My theme assumes that there is a true socialism that in the mass,of conllicting doctrines going by that name there is some fundamental truth. Many of our best thinkers are travelling in the direction of socialistic tendencies. It can not then be denounced as wholly a thing of iniquity. Do not understand by socialism, anarchism. The two are at antipodes. The anarchist denounces government as essen tially an evil. To the socialist, government is the main thing. The socialists would extend its domain until it would embrace almost all of life's concerns. Herbert Spencer preaches against government, calling it an institution growing out of man's imperfections that might be abolished if all men were philanthropic. This is the essence of anarchism. Socialism is the exact opposite. It claims that as civilisation extends, government advances and assumes new powers. Ido not take sides' with either party. I, perhaps, stand a little nearer to Karl Max and socialism than to Herbert Spencer and anarchism. Hut the distance between them is so great that there is plenty of room. The theories of socialism arc not well enough thought out for absolute adoption. Hut we do feel the evils of which socialists complain-starvation in the midst of plenty, war laic between brain-workers and hand-workers. Therefore, if we are not pleased with socialism, we are no better pleased with the unsocial present condition. Some improvements must be made in commercial and industrial arrangements, and 1 believe they will take the direction of socialism. The spirit of true socialism consists in regarding our work, no matter what it may be, as a social function, bearing on the common weal. This is not a familiar notion. The min ister of the gospel is thought to chose his profession with regard to the good he can do, but in general he is thought to have the practical monopoly of doing good. Hut who thinks ol the miner, banker, farmer, or hwyer, as performing social function in their occupations? An individual here and there may connect his work with the common weal, but most men
