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University of JTebraHka.
NO. 7.
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inl nonIvollolt.Xoilclt.
1871.
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W nrT- r-Tv T m
Siicccsnch mid 1'ullurcK.
sSt.ECTKD.1
In this world or Joy nnil sadness,
In thl life of love nnii lintc,
Jinny a runt ,nnu uvc8 "ot,m1.
Fettered by tho bonds of fate.
On the bloody ftold or battle,
Mid tho carnage, din, and striro,
Mixny u noble, unknown hero
For his country gives his llfo.
In the lonely, iilot churoh-yard,
Moss-bound head-stones gaunt tho sod
Nenth which niiiny a pilgrim slecpoth,
Known to Tow except his God.
In the world's brond Held of action,
Many u mnn mistake his place,
Makes of lire u mournful failure,
Fulls to bunetlt his race,
In tho dark, primeval forest,
Many a woodman fells tho pine,
"Whom God tltted for tho pulpit,
To expound his truth divine.
In our rich and costly churches,
Many a parson talks of sin,
Who has tulents Tor a woodman,
Anil a woodman ehould have been.
In the Holds and on tho hlll-sldos,
Many a peasant tills the ground,
Who, In halls of legislation,
First and foremost would bo found.
From tho depths of pain and sorrow,
Many a soul scuds up a prayer
To the God who gave It being,
And bestows his watchful care.
Jod has given mnn the power
Over evil to prevail,
Some, In poverty will triumph.
Some, In highest stations fall.
At tho golden gate of heaven,
When the llual trump shall sound,
Many a proud heart will bo stricken,
Many a lowly head bo crowued,
his christian friends but
and tho answers wo get
to the nation;
must go far to-
IiitcllectuallUy vh Religion.
tt'linnever mi lnuiortunt event takes
place, which may properly bo shown to
bo pertinent to any of tho great Issues of
human existence, when tho time arrives
when men are to bo measured, In a relig
ions point ol' view, not by their righteous
thoughts but by their righteous words and
deed, when tho mortal yields to the Im
mortal, then writings and comments and
wen criticisms cannot bo ill-timed. The
records of past lives then become as
hooks written for our instruction.
I need scarcely say that these iemarks
aro prompted by tho life and death of tho
late Senator Sumner and I trust that what
I have already said will in some measure
excuse me in touching Hiibject already
much discussed by abler men.
Whatever may bo said of tho religion
of Mr. Sumner may bo said of that of a
great many others; it is not so much
Charles Sumner the individual man, as it
is, Charles Sumnor tho representative
man of whom I spenk. This is a point
which I would havo kept destinctly in
view, for here, the question is, not solely
who was tho man or how great were his
intellectual attainments, but rather this:
What was tho theory and practice of his
llfo concerning religious faith or what
his religious convictions indicated by tho
tonorof that life? When inquiries of this
character arc put to a llfo such as Sum
ner's they become important not only to
ward determining our estimate even of
greatness.
My attention was especially called to
this matter by a communication to the
State Journal, shortly after the announce
ment of Mr. Sumner's death, in which a
quotation from a sermon by the Rev. Rob
ert Coliyer gives a pretty good idea of
this "intellectual religion" which Mr.
Sumner embraced. Speaking of Mr. Sum
ner's religion ho says: "Charles Sumner
made no profession; he did not need to make
one." How is this Mr. Coliyer? There
must be something very peculiar about
Mr. Sumner's case and tho class ho repre
seats, if this bo true, for the whole teach
ing of the Master was that men should con
fess htm and that publicly. Mr. Coliyer
and his friends in their erratic self asser
tion and zeal to promote the cause of lib
eralism in religion, wholly neglect the
teachings of Christ in other instances
than this and transform tho very weak-
ness of men into virtues.
Again Mr. Coliyer says: " in nil the ages
since the Blessed One ascended intoheav.
on, His likeness has not been more truly
soon than in that sad man's face." In
deed ! What a monstrous assertion of un-
paralellcd sanctitlcation! Whether true
or untrue, it is quite complimentary tD the
dead ; but from the best evidence we havo
Mr. Sumner certainly never meant to be a
saint. Such falsity, though it be interwov
en in the lofty praises of an honored man
will not bear investigation for a moment.
Whatever there might have been of sad
ness, care, or devotion to tho principles
he struggled to maintain, manifest in the
face of Mr. Sumner, it is the sheerest
nonscn?o thereby to support an argument
like that above quoted. It is a most un
pardonablo assumption and tho boldest
species of profanity to liken the cares and
anxieties delineated upon tho face of a
thorough and ambitious man of the world
and aspiring politician, to that of our Sa
viour shining with tho loftiest expressions
of self-sacrifice and purity and into whose
mind thoughts of self-aggrandizement
never came.
But Mr. Coliyer goes farther; these are
his words; " now and then, as it seems to
" me, lest wo should forget that these
"things in their holiest forms aro only a
"means to an end,(referrlng to all acknowl
edged outward manifestations of Chris
"tian life and character) God permits us to
"see a man who reechoes the end without
"the moans: a saint free from tho accept
"ed conditions of salntshlp, as they lie
" in our religious teachings, and Charles
"Sumner was one of theso men. Ho was
"outside of our religious lines, It made
"no difference, ho mado no profession of
"his faith in God, he simply gave himself
" to god, body, soul, and spirit, a living
"sacrifice." Now really what are wc to
gathci from this? Tho mountains havo
labored and what is produced? What
sort of a religious monstrosity havo wo
got? What a delightfully easy method
of stultifying God and nullifying his
whole plan of human redemption: and
simply because Mr. Sumner's case is alto
gether too important to let pass without
some plan to fit it. Out upon such citron,
tery and stuff! If tho above is a true
picture of a "saint free from the accepted
conditions of saintship" it certainly is a
false and delusive theory upon which to
base a hope of the future, for it declares
that it is only " now and then" that God
permits that sort of thing and thus the
great mass r,f mankind aro left helpless
and hopeless. In our opinion this will
scarcely do for a system of religious
faith; in fact it is absolutely wrong and
pernicious.
Now the doctrine which this class of
persons hold so dear seems to be substan
tially this: that if persons only have strict
morals, exalted notions, think a great deal
about nobody knows what and live up
on a high intellectual plane, this is all
that is necessary to immortalize them as
great and good. If the thoughts and inten
tions are right everything is right and a
man is still a Christian though he repudi
ates Christ and all his commands touch
ing Christian duty.
What is tho use, justice, propriety or
sense in thus substituting for true Chris
tian faith and character a highly refined
intellectuality? It shows too plainly an
attompt only to find an excuse for neglect
of duty, which while cssentiully weak is
still pleasing and admirably aduptcd to
tho temper af many minds.
That this docirino can be maintained
upon tho ground that persons of this class
havo strong intellectual convictions, or
think a great deal and that solemnly about
their relations to a Supreme Being, and
therefore havo a claim upon his mercy, is
all nonsense and too weak a point to
spend time in arguing. I have thus brief,
ly touched a few points which I consider
worthy of more time and space than we
have to give them and which arc embody,
ing themselves into a system which I am
sorry to say is gaining some support,
though designated b' a little different
name than that I have indicated.
In conclusion I havo a few words to
say to young men who are forming habits
of thought and character do not follow
such examples as Mr. Sumner in this re
gard. Almost every one has a model. Mr.
Sumner will be an admirable ouc in many
respects, but not hi this. Since as Chris
tian men you must act as well as think,
must accept Christ's teachings rather than
assert yourselves, do no bo misled by
these false theories, but ever turn for in
struction, hope and comfort to that fount
where they can only be obtained in all
their purity to the blessed words and
example of the Saviour. " By their fruits
yo shall know them." J. S. D.
The Literary Work of the
Normal School,
Wo give below a sketch of tho "extra"
work of tho Normal. In all the depart
ments of tho school (primary excepted.)
Friday afternoons are devoted to
UHETOKICAI. EXEUCISES.
These consist of 1st, Declamations,
Recitations or Select Readings; 2d, Es
says and Written Criticisms; 3rd, Analy
ses. The departments are each divided
into two divisions so that each pupil has
to prepare alternately one of tho above
exercises once every two weeks. When
offered they are rigidly criticised in vari
ous ways as follows:
Declamations and other exorcises ' of
the 1st class are criticised by the whole
class as to delivery, pronunciation, ges
ture &c. Essays aro first criticised like
declamations, by the class and then as
signed to some one who in one or two
weeks oilers a written criticism upon tho
choice, analysis, and treatment of tho
subject, language, rhetorical figures &c.
Analyses are placed upon the board and
two or three critics appointed for each,
after whose criticism the whole class criti
cises. To analyze a subject, arrange tho
topics in logical order, and follow the
analysis into details requires more intel
lectual exertion than to write after ana
lyzing. It is the first step in learning to
speak or write effectively. The occasion
al discussion of a question adds variety
to these exercises. The expediency of
society's recognizing dancing as a legiti
mate amusement and practicing it, has
been discussed by two of the class with
much zeal.
A ItEADINO noojr
lias been establised under tho auspices
of the Philomathean Society. With what
papers and. magazines the teachers and
pupils havo contributed, together with
those the society itself lias added, this in
stitution has already proved a source of
much profit. Wc havo also inaugurated
a system by means of which we havo
DAIIiY JtEPOUTEUH.
No student can be expected to pursue
his studies and keep himself thoroughly
acquainted with all the news of the day.
Special topics aro therefore assigned to
different pupils and each morning some
one makes to the school a brief statement
of his researches. The whole school Is
thereby kept conversant with the doings
of Congress and of Parliament, religious
movements, educational intelligence, now
publications, lato scientific discoveries,
inventions and a host of other subJcctH.
The system has worked like a charm and
Its value cannot be overestimated. Wo
havo
TWO MTEKAltY SOCIETIES,
the Philomathean and tho Everett. Both
meet on Friday evening of each week.
A steady growth Is perceptible In ouch.
Among the most attractive features of our
literary work aro the
ItEADINO ci.uns.
On Monday evening.. Gen. Morgan
meets tho First Year Normal students,
and they aro now reading together Owen
Meredith's Lucille. On Wednesday even
ing Pi of. Wilson meets tho A Prepara
tory students, and is readiug with them
selections from Washington Irviug's writ.
ings. On the same evening a more ad
' vanced class meets tho preceptress, Miss
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