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THE HESPERIAN
Russia, that one can almost hear the crackling
of the snow under the marching feat of the un
fortunate exiles and can almost catch the sound
of the mournful sighs which swell from broken
hearts. In this lecture Mr. Ivennan will wear
the convict dress, the ehams and fetters that
Russian cruelty imposes upon prisoners. Tickets
at students rates may be procured at the Hes
perian office.
The Omaha Cup, presented to the cadets at
Omaha at the national encampment last June,
reposes in a handsome case in the Chancellor's
office. It is a magnificent solid silver cup, bear
ing the words:
Presented to Company A, Nebraska State Uni
versity Cadets, by Citizens of Omaha and Resident
Alumni at the
National Competetive Drill
Association, Omaha, Neb.
June, 13-20. 1802.
Mrs, D. H. Wheeler, Miss Clara M. Brown,
Chaparone. Sponsor.
Miss Eugenia C. Kountze,
Miss Stella M. Hamilton,
Maids of Honor.
Below the spout are the words:
"The Omaha Cup."
The prize will be contended for each year by
the companies of the batallion, and the initial of
the winning company engraved upon it.
WASTE-BASKM1 WAIFS.
The other day a young man entered a book
store on O street, and asked the clerk for a vol
umn of "Shakespeare's Rolfe." He said his sis
ter had been entreating him to join a Shakespeare
club, and he supposed he would have to do it.
The clerk smiled, and laid Rolfe edition of "Ham
let " on the show case. The young man shook
his head, and said sadly, "No, they have finished
reading " Hamlet," they are reading Rolfe, now."
A great deal has been said, and written, and
sung about the persecution of learned men by the
ignorant. I think it is high time that someone
take the other side, and set forth the inexpressable
torture which the plain, honest, work-a-day world
suffer at the hands of so-called literary people.
In this age, it requires as much courage for a man
to acknowledge that he thinks Browning a bore,
as it took for Gallileo to proclaim that the earth
moved. In a few years, a boot-black must be
able to discuss Herbert Spencer, or he will get no
patronage, and a base-ball pitcher will be engaged
for the amount of Emerson he can quote,
Ere long we will hear of institutions for the
cure of the toothpick habit. It is a solemn thing
to see every man on the street, in the car, at the
concert, or in the ball room, with a toothpick in
his mouth. It is a habit, pure and simple. No
one chews a toothpick except from sh eer ner
vousness. It is a modern substitute for finger
nails. They are insipid, tasteless. If they were
not they would be discarded. There was an at
tempt made not long ago to introduce tooth
picks whose ends had been dipped in some flavor
ing substance. As a person could not think of
something else and chew these delightful sticks,
they went out of style very quickly. The tooth
pick must be of such a kind as not to attract t he
attention of the chewer. Thus, while his jaws do
one thing, his mind does another with accuracy
and precision.
It is amusing to hear some people say with
rapt and saintly air that they have never studied
the art in any of Shakespeare's plays for fear it
would spoil their appreciation of Shakespeare.
The idea I as though understanding any great
work of art could make one like it less. Does it
spoil one's appreciation of the number two to
know that it is made of one and one ? Does it
destroy one's sympathy with mutton pie to know
what it is made of? Ir is as impossible for one
to understand one of Shakespeare's great plays
without knowing something of its art, as it is for
one who knows nothing of mechanics to under
stand the workings of a ponderous engine. These
exceedingly fastidious people seem to think that
"Hamlet" and " Macbeth " will not bear close
inspection. It seems, however, to have been the
experience of the world, so far, that the work of
the great William can bear with impunity all the
scrutiny that the average intellect can focus upon
it. I wonder that these dear people dare to read
Shakespeare at all, since they desire to keep their
appreciation of him so untarnished.
It has been forcibly impressed upon a certain
waif in this waste basket that a number of stu
dents in the U. of N. lack sense and common
decency. The spirit of noise seems to run ram
pant wherever a company of college boys gather.
No matter how solemn, or how impressive the
occasion, if two or three be gathered together,
racket reigns. Why was it that, in the Lansing
recently, between acts, our University yell was
thrust out to cause disgust in a cultured audi-