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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1896)
THE HESP&iEttAH gymnasium, make -him drag a cord up down back nntil given muscles had boon been developed in a given way, and curves and angles had been altered and modified according to an arbitrary standferd. Think of it! "Why, it is infinitely harder for that boy to hold his hoad erect, his chest ex panded, his back upright, than it is for other boys. Yet the drill sergeant would torture him into painful symmetry. Thank Heaven the ago of barbarism is passing. Thank: Heaven for William Hawley Smith. There is a girl who is short. Passing by my laboratory table, she furtively whisked my fountain pen into her chatelaine bag. She could not help it. 0 know all about her. Yesterday my glovoR were missing. Today I had broad and butter for lunch. She likes cake and grapes. "What's the use tliough, good folks? In the name of Oh, (you can stamp your 'foot yourself) What's the uso? iDo you want to look at some moro? Wiry, we are all born abort. Look at your self. I will look at myself. I am lazy. I can't help it. "When the Journal boy leaves the 'paper, the little Eslrimo dog down stairs barks and wakeB mo up. I think. "Now there is that trigonometry two hours till "breakfast -what a lot I could do in two hours." Then I go to sleep. Pretty soon I 'hoar an alarm clock 'whizz faintly, and I wonder if it is six or half-past six. I calcu late how many of the problems I could work in half an hour. Presently I am "half aware of a foot on the stairs. It is the girl 'who works in the telephone office. She has 'to be at work at eight. So should 1 be at "work at eight. I fall iuto a reverie. How much time I waste, every morning. Two hours a day six days in the week would be Lot mo see The seven o'clock wTiistle blows. 5 shudder. The -breakfast bell 'rings. You leuow all about it, Yon nre 'as "grateful "as T tlhat William Hawley ;Smih 'has 'said: '"!Let the iharcl 'things (go'to'thefseven'seas. We cant help it when wo are "lacking in 'some fo'f the linos that go to mako up the measure of the stature of the perfect man." I believe I said thank: Heaven for William Hawley Smith. Heaven might consider thanlcs gratuitous I am afraid. The people wo think about as manipulating the golden harp-strings, earned their Tight to recreation by discipline moro taxing than the study of celestial harmony. It would be very nice if We could make things easier. But life isn't easy and pleasure is not compatible with the highest good. . Why, even Demosthenes, away back in Greece, 'lenew better. Of course Grooco and Demosthenes are out of date. They knew nothing whatever bout modern methods of pedagogy. But they couldn't be expeoiod to. They had no teacher's insti tutes, and no William Hawley Smith. So of course, Domosthenes wns dissatisfied with his shortnoss. Bat the now era is upon us. All 'those years and years, we have all beon "wrong We have insisted upon setting up standards and trying to follow patterns prescribed for us. Why, when we have succeeded in measuring up fairly well to one wbitary ideal, we have immediately proceeded to set up another. William Hawley Smith lms made out a clear case against the methods by which progress has been trying to run itself. Like one who went before -him, 'ho has "changed all that. " February 21st, the new members of fthe Palladian literary society gave the annual "new members' program before a large and appreciative audience. The program con sisted of "The Graduating Exorcises of Sleepy Hollow High School" and the tableau "Bluebeard." The successful manner in winch all the, participants acquitted them selves sTiOwou beyond dispute the fact that 'literary -enthusiasm, and literary spirit 'were 'never imore'active 'noiMmoreipotentfthan 'now.
