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HESPERIAN STUDENT
LINCOLN,
AP11IL, 1878-
lego- pane
of tho No
The Hesfkiiian Student. a (Jollci
published monthly by tho students of tho
brnska Stato University. Terms tt) cents per
year, In advance. Subscriptions will bo rocolved
at J. F. Adams' Now Stand, noxt door north of
Post Ofllco.
Communications aro solicited from all tho stu.
donts and our friends In gent it, Address tho
Hesperian Student, P. O. Box 000 Lincoln, Ne
braska. II. K. METCALF, Editor-in-Chief.
G. A. Watson, j, Agoclnto.
Thapast month hits been an eventful
one in the history of our University
witnessing several important changes,
and one or two welcomed innovations.
In the society nfl'airs especially' have
' Old things passed away and all tilings
become anew."
The turn affairs had taken at the close
of last term, and the final decision by the
faculty as chronicled In the last issue of
Student, resulted in a division of the so
clcty one party withdrawing to form
another. Thus the party feuds and strifes
that prevailed so long in the " Old Palla
dlan " have given place to friendly rivalny
between two distinct organizations. And
already are the the benefits of this change
beginning to appear in the greater inter
est manifested by the members, both of
the Palladian and the Adelphian, and
particularly in the improvement of their
literary productions.
A now feature of this term is the ladies'
society, which has been formed under
favorable circumstances and is well sus
tained. Wo wish the "Pierian" every
good thing, and may its members derive
much benefit and pleasure from their new
association.
We welcome also a change in the ar
"rangements of the' library. For nearly
two years this essential part of the Uni
versityhas been an eye-sore to tho stu
dents and friends of the institution. Du
ring that time the use of tho library has
been limited to tho Faculty and tho soli
tary librarian, while those whom it was
originally intended to benefit were obliged
to content themselves with an occasional
peep. All this, however, has been chang
ed. The grumbles of the venerable
Seniors and sedate Juniors aro to bo heard
no longer; the usually happy Sophomores
are made unusually so by this good for
tune; tho Freshmen are also jubilant over
the prospect of plenty of "posting." To
all these is our well selected libraiy inval
liable. But this after all is only halfway work,
for foi'-r fifths of the students are still de
nied tho privilege of drawing books from
the library. To them it is as if it were
not at all, and not until tho advantages
ofiour University arc extended to all its
children will it flourish as it should.
May the time be not distant when this
shall be done.
Horace Mann.
No. 3.
Probably no single act of Mr. Mann's
career evinced so strikingly the energy of
his character and Ins magic influence over
the minds of men, as the establishment of
the Normal School.
Our fathers were thoroughly grounded
in the belief that teaching was the gift of
nature. She made the teachers with less
effort and expense of material than in the
production of any other of her numerous
offspring. Thcj- cost neither pang, upasm,
relief nor depression. They were as near
a nullity as it was possible to get. To
MBk stereotyped questions and flog their
subjects was the whole duty of those
whom Goldsmith described as " arbitrary,
tyrannical, storm-faced brutes," upon
whom out own gentle, genial Washington
Irving heaped unmeasured ridicule in the
character of chabod Cranes whom Sir
Walter Scott pilloried in tho person of
Dominie Sampson whose degradation
oven the kindly Cowper help to proclaim
In his well-meant defence wherein he
pleads :
Doom him not to solitary meals,
But rcccollcct that ho has sonso, and fools t
Ho deems It hard to vepotato alone.
Pray dont transfix his fcoliug8 with nn oath
Nor frown unless he vanish with tho cloth"
and much more of like tenor.
When Horace Mann became Secretary
of tho Board of Education in 1887, Mass
achusctts had between three and four
thousand common schools, taught, with
rare exceptions, by teachers of this class,
teachers who had not a glimmer of the
real function of education. Instead of
communicating a knowledge and secur
ing the observance of the laws by which
health and strength are attained and pre
served, by their reckless cruelty and erim
inal negligence they did more than all
other causes, that of climate included, to
make consumption the national disease
of America.
Instead of training up a nation of strong
men, they did all thai Ignorance, impulse,
and unrestrained passion could do to pro
duce a nation of invalids. In like man
ner, they attempted to build up the im
mortal temple of the Spirit, without hav
ing given an hour of preliminary study
to the human mind and the laws of men-
tal development.
They had no idea that the senses,, the
pcrcepiivo and tho reflective faculties, and
the moral sense needed special training
and development. They knew little about
them and nothing at all of the order of
development of the mental faculties.
Their entire stock of knowledge comprc
bonded only an elementary knowledge of
the simplest arithmetical combinations,
political Geography, spelling and writing.
The most deplorable fact was that these
8,000 conceited blockheads who ruled with
despotic sway the 8,000 independent roy
altics, called school districts, had indoc
trinated the people in the belief that they,
the masters, were infallible in knowledge
and method ; and, hence, masters and peo
ple arrayed themselves, a mass of stolid
conservatism, against. Mr. Mann's propos
ed innovation. He assumed without a
moment's hesitation and performed un
flinchingly thcungiacious,but mostneccs
sarj, preliminary work of convicting the
innstcrs of their ignorance and of the bar
barism of their methods. In his first prog
ress through the state, he devoted him
self almost exclusively to this thankless
duty. Having partiall succeeded in this,
and having showed, at the same time, that
tho teacher, like the lawyer, physician, or
craftsman of whatever name, needed spe
cial preparation for his difficult work, he
essayed tho more arduous task of trying
to induce the people to build and endow
institutions wherein teachers could be
taught
We are not surprised that this should
have been a most difficult task in view of
tho skeptical state of tho public mind up.
on tho question even now.
The public spirit of Edmund Dwight
of Boston accelerated the gratification of
Mr. Mann's ardent wish. He offered the
state ten thousand dollars upon condition
that it should add a like sum and devote
it to normal schoo instruction. At Mr.
Mann's earnest entreaty tho propositisn
was accepted and the beginning was then
and there made of normal Instruction
which in one form or another is justly oc
cupying so much attention throughout
the land. That Its inception is due to Mr.
Mann, no one can doubt. The germinal
thought was his; whether it is to be fur
ther developed in the direction of distinct
institutions endowed and officered by the state,
is another thing. We judge not. In
Michigan the' have a good Normal
School; but very little of the Normal
School work is done there. Tt is mostly
done in the union schools thaoughout the
state. In nearly all the towns which sup
port a good Union School, there is a nor
mal or teachers' class which ih trained in
the methods of teaching and the members
of which are from time to time allowed
to put in practice their knowledge in tho
lower departments of the school under
tho eye of accomplished teachers. To do
in distinct. Normal Schools the work that
is here done in the Union Schools and at
no greater expense to the teachers them
selves, would require the indefinite mul
tiplication of these institutions and a di
rent outlay th'at would be intolerably bur
densomc to tho people. Normal instruc
tion must be given in every town. It can
be given in every good Union School with
positive advantage to the school. We are
much mistaken if this shall not every
where prove, and most happily prove, the
solution of the Normal School difficulty.
At the best, most of tho work that is done
in these schools is the same as that done
inany good school in any of our larger
towns. (It will not, bo difficult for the
High School to supplement, its work by
the special training of the Normal. G. E. C.
(to bo continued.)
Reminiscence of '19.
It, was during the earlier days of the
excitement about tho gold of California
and Pike's Peak that I joined a party
who were leaving their homes in Illinois
for the mine-regions.
Arriving safely at St. Joseph, we pro
ceeded to make tho necessary preparation
for crossing tho plains, by purchasing a
wagon and four mules, together witn sun-
dry indispensiblc articles called food.
Then attaching ourselves to a train that
was destined westward, we commenced
the routine of camp life, which, pleasing
and exciting at first, before the end of a
long journey, becomes vcrj' wearysomc.
After being out from the. settlements six
weeks' some of the party began to tiro of
the monotony of the prairie, and hunting
the bison and antelope which were to be
found in abundance. We wanted an inci
dent; it came. One day a solitary horse.
man was seen far out on the prairie, rid.
jng toward tho train. Of course it was
supposed to be an Indian ; and it was well
known that there were other Indians close
by in some of the benches which aro to
be found every mile or so in corlam of
tho prairies. Then the men of tho train,
in every direction, were to be seen loosen,
ing their revolvers, and taking down their
rifles from their fasteningB in the wagons.
But as the adventurer approached, lie
proved to be a white man dressed in tho
usual western garb. He stood a little
above the medium height, and might have
been called handsome but for a disagreca
ble expression of his mouth.
Being asked how it was he was -jo far
away from the settlements, without com
panions; he said he had been on the
plains many years, and was accustomed
to all tho arts of Indian life and warfare.
He requested permission to accompany
us, for ho said he wanted to try his luck
farther west. There seemed no good rea
son why he should not join his fortunes
with ours.
Shortly after, a party of Indians came
into camp and begged lire-water, which,
sorry to say, was given to some of them
in trade fof robes. Our new man who
could talk their Indian language fluently,
conversed with then as though he himself
was one of them.
Among the women belonging to the
train were the wife and daughter of an
officer, who were going to join him at
some western station. Our new acqualn.
tance soon became known to the ladies,
and having a light tongue and nn excel
lent voice, made himself agreeable to
them. Ere long he was on intimate terms
with the daughter. They would some,
times ride u mile or two in advance of
the train, and at other times ramble away
over tho prairie while every body else
was in camp. Tho stranger having be
come acquainted with the affairs of tho
train, began to make suggestions that
were displeasing to the men who were ac
customed to cross the plains, but which
were likely to be met witli favor by those
who had never crossed before.
And once, when we were Hearing the
cross roads, he counselled the wagon
master to take the lower trail ; for said he,
"the Indiam- arc hunting along the north
ern ; besides the southern is nearer and
perfectly safe." But the wagon master
said lie had received news from a train u
week before, that the northern route was
safe, and ho hinted that he himself was
running the train and that the unasked
adviser, had better take euro of his busi
ncss. Seeing that nothing could bo done
with tho wagon master, then the man com
menced to create an excitement about the
unsufety of tho northern road among the
owners of tho wagons accompanying the
train.
When we arrived at the cross-roads, a
halt was called; then a general consulta
tion ensued; but no one knew what was
best to be done and only two persons were
decided, and these two were the newco'm
cr and the Train Boss. So we camped
there that night, and the next morning the
Train Boss ordered his train to prepare to
go forward, and all those who were dis
posed to follow him werp invited to do so.
Then he mounted his horse and started off,
one hundred and five wagons following
him. Thirty-flvo wagons remained be
hind, doubtful which way to proceed; but
finally they slowly moved away on the
southern route, with the stranger for their
guide. As the lower trail was somewhat
shorter, our party had concluded to take
that route and trust, to providence.
C. II. D.
(to bo concluded.)
"Deal gently, deal kindly, deal lovingly,
and there is not a wolf in humnn shape
but will be melted to kindness; anb there
is not a tiger in woman's form but will
break down and sue for pardon, if God
should bless the love that is brought to
bear upon her by her friend." Spurgeon.
It is tho greatest courage to be able to
bear the imputation of the want of courage.
Henry Clay.
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