16
THE HESPERIAN
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wore envious, wo varied proceedings by
opening the door ourselves and gently toss
ing a fire-cracker into the middle of their
pie. It went off just as Adams reached for
it, so he not only failed to save the pastry
but burned his fingers. We two first Preps
were in a state of seige for some days there
after. Poor Adams! The next year, which was
to have been his last 'before graduating,
proved to be the last of his life. It seemed
so manifest that stinted living and unstinted
work had undermined his health that Chan
cellor Fairfield, the day after the funeral,
felt it best to caution the students as a body
against the mistake that he had made.
There used to bo three largo frame build
ings, facing upon as many sides of the
campus, which were inhabited by students
who were boarding themselves. Rivalries
in athletics or something else were frequent
ly long continued between the inhabitants of
these houses, and when the attempt was
made to see which set of boys could perpe
trate the most practical jokes on anothor set
the proctices camo dangerously near to haz
ing. Later self-boarding wont out of fashion
and boarding clubs were formed. I joined
one or these because they promised to make
mo steward. Consequently I was the storm
center when battle was joined on the issue of
having or not having cod fish, or upon some
equally burning question.
Not many children of woalthy parents
wont to the University of Nebraska in the
early days, because those who could afford
it, and thoro wore not many such in the
state, preferred to go East. The fashion of
tho day was thoreforo sot by those to whom
lovish expenditure was out of tho question.
In my time one little knot of students was
both fast and woalthy, and tho impression
made upon mo by this fact was such that to
this day I cannot help fooling that there is
something disreputable about being rich. In
tellectually I know that this is not tho caso,
and that in some sort tho hope of tho coun
try lies in those who are "rich but honest."
In other colleges I have mot those whose
simplicity of life was in no. wise dostroyed
by tho fact that thoy had independent in
comes, and whoso money was used to
broaden their education and to enlarge
their sympathies and their usefulness in a way
not possible to those of restricted means. It
is possible for a student to spend a thousand
dollars a year and still lead a life that is un
ostentatious and healthful. In college bet
ter than elsewhere men of this class may
meet on terms of equality and friendship
with those who have no money but what
they earn. In college life tho unpardonable
sin is snobbery. Tho lines of social cleavage
among students should not be those of pro
perty but rather those of capacities and
tastes. Tho universities of Oxford and Cam
bridge wore established originally for the
education of small boys, but there have been
times in tho last hundred years when they
seemed to serve only as the idling places for
tho sons of "gentlemen." We look with
earnest confidence to tho state universities of
America to avoid such degeneration, to main
tain a standard of living that is simple, elas
tic, and healthful, and to preserve for com
ing generations tho benefits resulting from a
democratic mingling of tho capable youth of
all classes.
A NEW "UNIVERSITY EXTENSION."
University extension moans much in many
ways, and moans very little in somu ways,
it must bo sadly confessed. Because of this
latter truth, tho University of Nebraska has
gono into the movement very slowly and
very carefully undertaking nothing that it
cannot carry out in a sound and thorough
manner.
This summer an entirely now phaso of the
extension of University influence will ho in
dortakon by our own institution. A year
ago last summer Professor Lees piloted a
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