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THE HESPERIAN
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and free instruction; -with a material equip
ment infinitely in advance of any other in
Nebraska, though not yet meeting the full
demands of the work; crowded to overflow
ing with earnest, industrious, determined
students; in the hands of an able, loyal, self
sacrificing faculty; backed by the enthusias
tic loyalty of a splendid body of graduates;
and with an ever-increasing hold on the full
confidence of the state.
What the University of the near future
will be may be easily surmised.
LITERARY SOCIETIES TWENTY YEARS
AGO.
2
THE early literary
societies of the Uni
versity, twenty years
in retrospect, present
a pathetic as well as
a ludicrous side.
The Palladian was
the first born and
found a home in the
east room of the
present library.
About the beginning
of the spring term
1873, either because
there were more em
bryo statesmen than
there were offices to
be filled, or more
heavyweight orators
than could be accommodated in one society,
an internecine war arose. Both factions
claimed to be the true representatives of the
parent organization. Finally however a
few "choice spirits" longing for a "higher
life" took formal leave of the tumultuous
Palladians and established what they fondly
hoped would live in history as the
Adelphian. Their longing for the "higher
life" was partially realized as they perched
on the third floor in what is now the south
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end of Union hall. A strong rivalry, if I
may use that mild term for so intense a
feeling, at once aroused between the two so
cieties. At the beginning of each term, com
mittics appointed for that purpose by each,
buttonholed every new student and en
deavored to aid him in making a judicious
selection of his future society home. It is
now something over twenty years, and yet
it seems as but last week, since I visited
the two societies alternately for several
weeks trying to make up my mind as to
their relative merits. I think only those of
you who have been unlucky enough to have
two solid girls at one time can fully ap
preciate my vexation of spirit. I always
flattered myself, however, that I was
courted rather than courting in that transac
tion. It is not often that one has a chance
to choose his parentage, but hero 1 felt that
I was selecting a foster mother, whose
tender care and venerable name would one
day bring those large honors which I fancy
fill the day dreams of most college boys.
After being flattered and cajoled alternately
by the two rivals I cast my lot with the
Adelphians in the fall of 1873.
The early societies of the university, per
haps on the assumed superiority of the
male intellect, excluded the girls from
membership. If we ever needed an object
lesson of the absolute degeneracy of the
male portion of the race when without the
civilizing influence of the gentler sex, the
condition of the Palladian and Adelphian in
the latter part of 1873 would have furnished
it. The want of decorum as well as the
lack of spirit in the exorcises, showed only
too plainly the absence of that influence, so
easily uuderstood when felt, yet too difficult
to define or account for, that comes from
the presence of those we always wish to
please. Not so much that our condition
was worse but that we sooner devined its
cause, the Adelphian first determined by a
coup d? elatj to bettor its estate.
About the close of the fall term 1873 an
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