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.
