The Hesperian.
'UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA.
Vol. XXV.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, DEC. 20, 1895.
No. 7.
'The Hesperian.
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BOARD OF EDITORS.
0. H. ALLEN
ASSOCl ATES
II. E. NEWBRANCH,
P. H. THOMSON
IDA W. HEISE
CLINT M. BARR
J. N. SHREVE
C. E.MATSON -LULU
W. BURROWS
JOE BOOMER -
L, J. ABBOTT, ., I
NED: C. ABBOTT (
Editor-in-Chiei'
Editorial
LlTERAKY
'LITEKaHV
Athletic
' - - Local
'Local
'Local
Alumni
Business Managers.
EDITORIAL.
Tmk Monitor indulged in its last ihsuo in
a 'final despairing yawp against tho "degen
erate and decadent" literary societies. "This
last tirade is only in accord with the 'boliof
which has marked its briuf and painful
oxiataneo "Nothing good can come out of
tho literary societies."
They are bohind the times, they aro fit
only for lower classmen; they accomplish
nothing and attempt nothing; their career is
drawing to a closo, all this quoth tho pes
simistic sago of the Monitor.
All this talk is arrant nonsense tho
veriest drivol. The litorary societies aro
now in the boBt state of their existence and
promise to become still bettor. In point of
their membership, enthusiasm and loyalty,
as to their belief in their own aim and policy,
there can be no question. Bnt, the Monitor
says, they accomplish nothing. Their lit
terary work is inane, embryonic, unsatis
factory. Granted, we are not finished writers or
orators or olocutionists. If we wore, there
would be no need for literary societies. It
is true, we are in an embryonic staejo, and
our work, to the cold, critical eye of the
genius of the Monitor may appear inane,
but we are growing. We are developing.
The poor essayist of one year, under the
guidance of the societies, becomes the popu
lar writer of the next. The awkward, stam
mering youth who tries to speak as a fresh
man and fails, gains through practice, suc
ceeds through failure, and as a senior is an
easy, graceful, fluent talker. And it has
boon a noticable fact that tho Monitor itself
has supplied its really bright and interesting
litorary columns from tho pons of literary
society members almost exclusively. The
writers and the speakers of tho University,
as Thk Hksi'BIcian has said, will bo found in
the litorary societies. The society member
ship, all told, is less than two hundred not
twenty per cent of the students. Yet this
twenty per cent contains at least ninety per
cent of the literary and orntoricrl ability df
tho University. Why? Because they have
developed raw material. They have fol
lowed the rule that "practice makes perfect."
They have kept plodding steadily along,
and the result is seen in tho work they do.
No, no, oh ostoomod pessimist, tho so
cieties aro not "dying." They aro not out
of date. On tho contrary, they aro very
much alive, and right up -with tho times.
Ohauncoy Dopow says that tho groat fail-
