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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1896)
8 THE HESPERIAN hall, his landed possessions stretching be yond his vision, his trusty retainers, and the badge of his nobility, his coat of arms. Yes, his coat of arms. And as he looks upon it the fantastic dream-god paints upon it a device what is it? A student levant, a pony couchant and a professor rampant. Just then the alarm clock at the bedside of the dreamer sings into his oar its daily geo whiz, and the next momont he is up and digging away at the lesson that positively must be had by seven o'clock. What wondor that after a fow months of this the student comes to the deliberate con clusion that learning is stuff, that education is a process of stuiling, that the teacher is the stuiFer and the student is the stuffed? The term onds at last and he goes homo. "Well, son, what have you studied?" asks fond mamma. The son replies, "Mother, I have studied mathematics, I havo studied history, I have studied literature, I have studied psychology, I havo studied ento mology, 1 havo studied political economy, I have studied electrical engineering: 1 have studied all these, mother, but but, mother, don't ask mo what 1 Zvjojw." Some students however, in a similar situation would be like the boy whoso father placed him in the office of a juBtico of the peace to study law. This story was copyrighted by Noah, so it has tho delicious aroma of antiquity about it. The father put his son into tho office of tho justice to study law, but tho next day tho boy camo homo. Tho father, with pride in his eye, accosted him "Well, son, and how'p tho law? "Dad, tho law aint what itB cracked up to bo, and I'm sorry I learnt it." It is amusing to an alumnus who is back in tho University as a student to note tho way in which different students regard tho alumni. Some will say to you with awe: "Look at Howard and Little and Wilson anil Caldwell and Wolfe and Warner. Thoro were giants in those days." Others will say:' uTho80 alumni aro merely a sot of back numbers that moot once a year to commem morate tho time whon thoy were somebody students." But how narrow a conception it is to limit tho term, "student," to those now enrolled within institutions of loaruingl Whothor ho is a college professor or a hod-carrier, whether he reads of men in books or reads thom in tho experiences of daily life, what ever his station in life, tho man who is not a student is not a man. He is a blunderbuss unable to copo with his follows in tho battle of life, unable to profit by tho experience of the past, capable of nothing but defeat. "A little learning is a dangerous thing" whon tho other follow has it. To you thon, students whon considered in this larger, bettor sense, I carry tho grooting of tho student body of tho University, now one thousand two hundred strong. The Kansas-Nebraska Debate. The second joint debato was won by Ne braska. The Kansas representatives ex pressed themselves as well satisfiod with the decision. Mr. McMurray romarked to tho writer: "Wo didn't have any idoa that wo could win tho dobate, on this question," but the Jayhawkor8 wore not without consolation in their defeat. Their lcador, McOall, was awarded first placo in the debute; Quaintance won second; Weaver and Guyor tied for third; Nowbranch, fifth; McMurray, sixth. Tho totals were: Nebraska 28, Kansas 82; a very satisfactory margin. Tho Funko opera house was well filled with students and common people. The three lit erary societies turned out en masse. Sev eral fraternity people and a number of profs, wore present and a large number of towns people made up tho rest of tho audience. Matthows, Searson and Oraig discovered that an office in the Debating Association is no sinecure at all. But thoy succeeded in working up enough interest among tho stu dents and tho city peoplo to make it certain that no trouble will bo found hereafter in drawing crowds to tho Kausas-Nobraska do bates. The joint debates will bo a regular biennial event in Lincoln as inevitable us the legislature itself.
