j
THE HESPERIAN
THE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.
OUR EYES.
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Tho Athletic Association mot Thursday
nt one o'clock for the purpose of considering
the aboption of tho proposed constitution.
About thirty members of tho association
were present, and the constitution was adopt
ed as proposed, except that several import
ant amendments were made. Tho advisory
board is to bo elected by the association in
stead of by tho directors and tho board can
annul the action of tho directors by a three
fourths, instead of a seven-eights vote of its
members. As tho advisory board consists
of three mombers of tho faculty, three alumni
and two students, this clause places the bal
ance of power in regard to athlotic matters
in the hands of the faculty and alumni,
which is just what is wanted to figure out a
large amount of "rotten politics."
Tho admission fee will be fifty cents, in
stead 'of a dollar. Tho constitution takes
effect at once. The chairman of committee
on field sports shall also be manager of tho
track athletic team.
Cameron, Fred Barnes, Hay ward and R.
E. Johnson were appointed a committee to
make arrangements for the proposed inter
state meet between the track and base-ball
teams of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Ne
braska at Kansas Ctty in May.
Mr. Karl Burnham was elected treasurer
in place of Mr. Sweeney, who is not in
school.
Mr. Fred Barnes nr.ado a report of the af
fairs of tho Western Inter-state Foot-ball
Association which was accepted. Tho board
of directors were given charge of selecting
the trophy.
Committees were appointed to investigate
the indebtedness of the association to Mr.
Crawford, and to make nominations for the
advisory board at the next meeting.
Sherman What is a trust ?
Miss A. A 'stand-oft " for soda water.
I wonder how many of all tho students of
tho educational institutions in Lincoln have
ever thought of tho imporance of tho care of
their eyes. With a fixed determination to
finish his education within an allotted time
the over-anxious student pores over his
studies hour after hour, and day after day.
But the eyes, like any other member of the
body, tiro and grow weary with overwork.
Nature may offer a vigorous protest in tho
way of smarting lids and blurring visions,
but too often her kindly warnings are un
heeded by tho ambitious student. Knowl
edge gained at tho expense of our eyes is
dearly bought. Within the last year, I met
a young m&n who was a graduate of one of
our eastern eiucational institutions who, in
order to read, was compelled to hold the
book or paper so near his eyes that it touched
his nose and forehead. If all eyes were
perfect and only fatigue resulted from over
work, then this warning would be super
fious. But all eyes are not perfect; in fact,
there are but few that are not defective.
Many defects are latent and would remain
dormant through life if we never learned to
read.
Savages and that class of civilization who
follow occupations that do not require con
stant use of their eyes are said to enjoy the
best of vision. Statistics prove that as civil
ization advances good vision decreases, and
already in tho educational centers of tho
world, notably Germany, rigid sanitary
measures are enforced by statutory law for
the protection of the eyes and the preserva
tion of the vision of students. Dr. H. Derby
has established the fact that a course of study
in such an institution as Harvard University
in this country, where the hygienic condi
tions cannot be impugned results in tho
development and increase of myapia. One
writer on this subject indulges the very
melancholy speculation that at the present
ratio of increase we will be a nation of
myapos within the next half century. But
what is myapia and those other errors of
refraction hypermetrapia and astigmatism
that are so troublesome and annoying to
students ?