The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899, May 01, 1892, Page 2, Image 2
HUW0WV r v THE II E S V E R I A N. 1 improve the debates. They will always do their very best to defeat their gentleman opponent. Then too, the boys will not enjoy having the girls tear their argument all to pieces. Therefore, every one will do better work. The Hesperian believes that there arc girls in college that will make the best debators on the other side, work hard to even hold their own. Such students should not be excluded from the society. As much time should be given to the preparation of a debate, as to the preparation of an oration for an oratorical contest. In fact th debate should be considered a contest. If the club is conducted prop erly there is no reason why it will not be very bene ficial to all those that participate in it. Let every member of the club do their part faithfully, and it will be conducted properly. It is for the members to decide whether it is successful 01 not. The managers of the national competitive drill which is to be held in Omaha the third week in June, are evidently afraid of the university's prize com pany. They refused to let company "E" enter, on the ground that it is a picked company. They had no objection, however, to our entering one of the regular companies. Consequently, we have decided to send company "A", Of course the university had rather send company "E." Since thai cannot be done, we must make company "A" as efficient as possible. Every cadet in the company should be present at every drill. The whole company must enter the work "fbr all there is in it," or there is no use trying at all. Remember that the company which wins will not have a "walk-a-way. Each man in the company should be thoroughly familiar with every movement in the "school of the com pany''. The momemt a command is given, every private in the ranks, if called upon, should be able to explain it fully. If the company will only take hold of the work in the right spirit, we may rest assured that even company "A" will do credit to itself and to the university as well. The athletic contest to be held at Cushman Park, May 7, promises to be the most interesting one held for years. We have more and a better quality of athletes than ever before. Many of them have been in systematic training for a year. There is more preparation being made fortius contest than was ever made for any previous state contest. Not a few are practicing after the sun goes down and expect to take their opponents by surprise. In times past the greater part of the preparation for like contests was made the day before. The coming contest will be one of endurance as well as skill. There are medals tud gloiy ahead ihis year and eveiy athlete will do his very best to win. Now, U is the duty of every student to attend this contest and help keep the uni versity at the head of Nebraska colleges in athletics. The park is in good condition and every one will have a pleasant time. Our success at the slate con test depends upon the number and enthusiasm of those who attend the local field day. Let in all lay aside our other duties of that day and lurn out en masse for our athletes. A Communication. As lo the article of T. V. A. Williams concerning the local oratorical association, the first part of the article is indiputablc "Rush," pure ami simple. Concerning the bal ance, his conclusions arc in no way warranted by his premises. Mr. Williams hopes "for the sake of .he university" that no one "will insinuate that our orators deserved dcleat." I hope foi the sake of truth and common decency that, if our orators cam no better place than the lowest round ol the lad der, we shall be free to acknowledge that fact. Assuming that Mr, Williams' figures as to the percentage of students in the different colleges of the state who belong to heir local oratorical associations arc true, it does not follow that our literary students are less enthusiastic in such matters than the literary students of those other colleges, nor that more would join our local organization if we withdrew Irom the state association and joined the northern league. In fact there are strong reasons (or believing that the per centage would be lessened. Oratorical associations, like col lege papers, must depend largely on enthusiasm and "scraps" to secure members If we withdraw from the state associa tion, join the northern league, and take our turn in having the league contest at Lincoln, il would hardly be held heie more than once during the time any one would be a student in the university; there would be but little incentive on that score to join and many would not join who, as it is, do join. The expense ol a trip to another state simply to witness a , contest is more than the most of us can bear. And there are but few who have both the ability and inclination to pay u oney to become a member ol an organization, the chief feature ol which will be the opportunity to contribute money to pay the expenses ol some delegate who shall have all the fun. All this will tend to lessen enthusiasm and conse quently membership. To balance all which, there i: but one thing, namely, the high-sounding name of "The Northern Oratorical League." It is plain then that our local oratorical association, instead of being benefited, would be crippled, if not altogether destroyed, by such a change as Mr. Williams proposes. Mr. Williams has overlooked the difference in character of the several colleges in the s ate association. Only about 31 per cent, of the students in the state university last ye&r were in the classical and literary courses; the balance were special students or in the industrial college courses. These colleges are well equipped with laboratories and other facilities for study; the students in those courses are special izing to a great extent and are justly quite indifferent whether an oratorical association is maintained or not. The condi tions are quite different in the other colleges belonging to the association. Their laboratories are comparatively very poor. A literary course is all they have; their business in each case is to make preachers. Therefore it cannot be properly expected that we should have as great percentage of our whole student body in vhe local oratorical association