HRF "-PJ '" i ,
THE : HBSPERiAN
n
mSS'T.
ers declare wo excelled them in delivery. A
defeat nnder those circumstances is no dis
grace. Wo have every reason to "be proud of
our representatives to Missouri.
While having local und, it has been inti
mated, incompetent judges may account for
the defeat at Columbia, it certainly can not.
account for the defeat last Fridaj evening.
ery; let us not try to deceive ourselves, let lib
acknowledge the fact that we have been de
ficient in this in the past, but. let us endeavor
to remedy it in the future. Oratory has a
place in University life. No one who has
listened to our debaters can deny the fact.
The University Oratorical Associatior now
has an insignificant position; it deserves a
Chancellor MacLcan is to be congratulated place in the front rank of University organi-
Tor securing so able a set of judges on such
short notice. All wore from Council Bluffs.
Mr. Sims is a prominent attorney, Mr. Hisej',
suporintendant of schools, Mr. Bender editor
of the Nonpareil a decision by such a set of
judges m.ist mean something. How then
shall we interpret it in order that wo may
jH'ofit most by it?
One of the judges said to a Nebrastan after
the debate, "You had argument all right,
but the Kansans were more familiar with
their manuscripts. " Manuscripts! Great
Scott ! ! Manuscripts in a debate ! ! ! In A'iow
of this frank admission some students are ad
vocating that we do away with our debating
'hi lis, that we amend the constitution of the
debating association to allow set speeches in
the preliminaries, that hereafter, in our inter
state debates, some one be assigned to write
'the speeches of all three of our debaters (?)
and it bus insure continuity of argument, ifluon
'Cy of speech and save an)' possible 'loss of
time in refutation.
This is the merest nonsense. To adopt
such a policy would be to make the winning
of debates the one great end and to sacrifice
everything to that end. It would defeat the
very purpose of such contests. Jf the evil
'Win be remedied iu no other way let us adopt
inter-state rules against sot speeches. JPauiil
liarity with manuscript could not then deter
mine markings. But this is a x Hiov poiut.
The Hespeuian believes that the one lesson
we should learn from the Friday night defeat
as, that not more depends on irhnt is said
than hoie it is said. An audience demands
something more of a speaker than that he be
Ilogical and argumentative. We must not
llodk upon stage presence, self posossion, gea
ttiuu'latiou and quality of voice as mon-esson-liials.
They may be buuIi before a supreme
oouiH; tfhey are not before the average audi
'no, 'We uniiat give unore attention 1o doliv-
Tryour $3 Shoes tltat can't he bat
zations. Are we going to give it that place?
Or are avc going to continue to apologize for
our debaters' appearance and lack of polish?
Tlie lTryiiija; Pii.ii.
Remember me and my best "wishes
When in the guard-tent, or digging ditches.
A soldier is just an ordinary biped; genus
human; species, boy, chief! y. He is rigged
out in Nebraska sky blue trousers, dark blue
coat, brown leggings and a cap like a police
man's, two sizes, at least, larger than the
biped wore when he was one of ordinary peo
ple, and still a perfect fit. But what a charm,
what a superior atmosphere, what a calm
suavity surrounds the creature. How won
derful he succeads in making people believe
he is.
About the first thing that will be pounded
into the heads of the University en'listers -will
be the understanding that there are some
people iu the world besides University stars,
that they lenow lots of things without carry
ing degrees or epaulets on their shoulders,
that contact with them is not contaminating.
'The vulgar mob" may show that it is 'fitted
for other purposes than to be a machine run
by men who are "born to mile." What a
sight it would be for all the ages if the tin en
who 'imitated would say, "I'll take my place
with the rest. I'll try my strength with
others before 1 step up. And may the 'best
man rise to his proper place. " But itlhat
Spirit is not abroad iu the land, (iroat mien's
sons must be brigadier-generals, sergeants or
corporals .anything but privates. And U
suppose college people are the uies.it worse
ofi'endors in believing themselves ooi)porals,
Uioutonantu, majors and chief oooiks Ury ttlhe
divine right of men who have 'Conjugated a
Latin verb. But Ihe big world mover takes
Ikindly lo ithis idea of superiority.. 'Jjol re-
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