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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1876)
I THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. 4 W 4 HESPERIAN STUDENT. I'UHLlSHKI) MONTHLY HY THK HESPERIAN STUDENT PURLISII ING ASSOCIATION OK THK NEISlfttVSKA UNIV13KSITV. ElHTOU-lN-CIIIKK, A. W. FlKLl) ASS0CI TK EDITOR AND RWY'IISWHK, .1. L. Shank. Local, ... W. A. McAllistku. TERMS FOR SURSCRI1TI0N. 1 copy pur coll ego year - - $1.00. 1 " six months .... 0.50. Singlo copy 0.10. TERMS OP ADVERTISING. 1 column ono insertion - - $4.00. 3 squares " " 1.00. 1 " " .!55. All articles for piililtontion Elioiilcl bonddroftod Editor IIkm'KIimn Stuukst, Stale University. Lincoln Xuhrankn. All biil)crlitloiiH, with tliu ftddrosg, sliiiuld bu font to .1. L. Shank, Subscriptions collected Invailnbly In niHaiico. Aivcrtiunicnt oollue'ed monthly. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. Wishing to know something concern, ing this department of the University, we visited the farm and had a very pleasant interview with Mr. Culbeitson, who lias the control of this brunch of our school. We found him busily engaged in clearing away the dtbria fiom the new dormitory. With his usual courtesy lie devoted an hour or more to conducting us owr the new building, t'XHinininga combined gran ary, niaehino-housoand work shop, planned by himself, and which is really an ing-n. jous model just what is needed on evciy farm in Neb.; in viewing the stock of the farm, that is in line condition, all looking well; and in giving us his views on many mutters connected with the management of this department. The dormitory is a, substantial frame building, tliii ly-slx feel square: Its entire cost is something less than four thousand dollars, and a belter and cheaper building it would be hard to find. In the centre of the building, run ning north and south, is a hall ; to the left. on the first floor, is the ollieu and libtary, the dining room and pantry; to the right, Is the parlor and two sleeping apartments. On the second floor are oix large, airy Bleeping rooms, with ample closet room. There is also a commodious cellar. The building will nccommodute about twenty student!!.. The policy that has been pur sued heretofore toward this department has not been such as to insure the greatest success. We do not k;iow as this could have been avoided, but we do know that it would hnvo been bettor lo have taken no steps towards the establishment of this college than to give it an uncertain and wavering support. There is no time in the hUtory of any institution when it icquires sucli constant support, in which every obstruc tion to its advancement should bo careful Jy removed, as the first years of ils oxis tence, Especially is this true witu icgard to this school, for after the sale of its ninety thousand acres of endowment land, from whjch it will .realize probably not less than one half million dollars, it will not best) dependent upon appropria lions for its support. Rut we understand that the conditions of this grant make it exclusively a professor's fond, hence the oilier expenses must ever be paid out of the general University fund. All classes are intcioslcd in iho success of this college. Nebraska is almost ex clusively tin agricultural state, and ever will be. The future wealth of Iho State depends upon the developement of Ibis one industry. The farming community being so much more numerous than all other classes combined, the intellectual and moral standing of the Slate depends upon the elevation of this class to a ver great extent. A large majority of our people must bo tillers of the soil. Then is it not policy to educate them for their profession ? The advantages of the course offered in the agricultural, over the oilier depart, inents, to the farmer, are many. First, it tends to make him respect his calling, and there is no other cause that has done so much to degrade this occupation as the idea which many farmers themselves have, that there is something in their business that is not elevating, a feeling that men in other occupations stand upon n higher plane than themselves. If the tendency of ihis college is to overthrow this Talse impression and awaken them to the truth that tl.cir business is as noble ns any, and If there is any trouble it lies hWAcnuofau; then wo say success to the college. Again it oilers to a largo class of students the op. porluiiily of an education, who could not take another course for want of funds, and this, loo, with no loss to the State. Another suggestion we heatd at the farm, that is wot thy of consideration, is that of making a complete separation in the depaitmenl-s of Ihe Univcr.sily. The Agricultural College cannot work in bar iuon with any other department; thou emu scs of study are very different; all recitations should be at the I'm in, wheie the menus of explaining and o.poiimcnL ing are ever ul hand; the teuns do not run parallel, ihe long vaca'ion of one be ing in the summer and that of the other in the winter. The extra expense of run ning each separately would be but little. At present it would not require more than ono extra professor. One disadvan tage tlinl has become apparent from car rying Ihe two departments on conjointly is ilia tendency of making the students of the Agricultutal college lose their identity their individuality us a school. For every. thiugo'tUMoof class-room duties they are dependent upon the other depailmcnts. LThis is a niituial result under the present arrangement; students in both courses re cite in the same classes, to iho same pro fessors, and there seems to bo but little difference except in the name. In fact, there are some students who lived on Ihe farm, worked on the farm, and still rur 9ited n purely olnssieal course, and an classed as classical students today. This is not as it should bo. The Agricultural college should bo as distinctly a depart ment by itself as the college of Literature, Science and Art. The people of Kansas hnvo shown their appreciation of ibis branch of education, for the legislature that n fused to vlc. any aid to ils Normal schools, has just appio priuted sixteen thousand dollars in sup port of ils Agiicultural college. The only thing that stands in the way of tiie complete success of this school jy the want of funds necessary lo carry it on. For we are informed, already more stu dents have made application for the com ing term than can possibly bo accommo dated. Willi the proper facilities, this col lege would out number any other institu tion in the State. We do not know what means the Regents at present have at their disposal, lint, iiiou' or less. Iho Agricultu ral college should iccelvo a liberal por tion. Al present, Mr. Culbortson has ihe entire responsibility upon his hands, not only the duties of professor, but also the entire management, of Ihe farm devolving upon him. This is evidently more than auv one man can do and do well. The in stitution suffered an incalculable loss in the resignation of Prof. Thompson, who brought a long experience and great execu tive abilities to the discharge of bis du ties. What is needed to carry out the work so nobly begun by the Prof., is, first Sufllcient means so Hint whoever has con trol can work without continual pecuniary embarrassment;' second, a person with ex perience, aoilily, and energy tit lis head, with an adequate number of utile assistants- lo carry the work on and not make it a continual drag. SUNDRY TOPICS. Why are wo not favored with elocution- to carry litis subject somewhat Hutlicr than a mere drill on the elementary sounds; that tills class be placed in charge if tlio Chancellor, or some other member of the Ihoully.who, while he may. nol profess i0 he a skilled elocutionist, lias nl h'ast Kjvrn enough attention to the subjict hi be of great service to tho.se who might wi-h t0 prosecute the study of this art l speak, ing; that instead of giving this as extra work to a Professor, already crowded for time, as lias usually been the case, it heal lowed one of the morning hour and meet daily as any other class If ibis siigges. tion should meet witli approval from "the powers that be," and it should be honored with atrial during the coining term, wc think wo could safely guarantee a large class. Without doubt something of a prepara tory department, in connection with the University, is a necessity under the exist, ing condition of affairs. Rut there should be some fixed standard of scholarship re quired and every applicant should puss a satisfactory examination in all blanches up to this standard, before being admitted. This standard should be as high as cir cuiuslances will admit, and lie constantly raised until no candidate should be pisxd, ary training? This is a want that bus that was ,iol piepaied to enter the Fresh long been felt, and that wo had hoped to man chus. The object for which tne Uni havo seen supplied before this, but it seems vcrsiiy was founded, was not lo give till mi that wo havo hopud in vain Until the I opportunity to become proficient in tlio prosent term wo have had something in tlio way of rheloricals, but it appears thai all this has been abandoned. The differ ent courses, as laid down in t lie catalogue, cull for rhctoricals during the Freshman and Sophomore years, themes from Jun iors and orations from Seniors. The members of tho Senior class are Iho only ones that have done duty during the pies ent term. However, if all the icqiiire nu nts of the various courses, in this re spect, were carried out, they would still fail to meet the real demand. What is needed is elcuotionary training. There is no accomplishment more greatly to bo dceiied than that of good reading. To tlio public speaker elocutionary, power is simply a necessity. While a line deliv ery will not supply a deficiency of thought, yet good ideas presented in an unattractive manner carry but little weight v it li them No one who hopes lo accom plish anything in life but will be called upon tn appear, more or loss, befoio the public, and tho world will judgo of his powers from the manner in which ho pro. souls his thoughts; then would it not be well, while wo are developing our oilier faculties, that we pay some heed to that upon which the value of all the others de pends. It may be thought that Iho societies fur nMi all of this kind of work that is re quired. They do accomplish much in this direction, but it will lake a long time lo find by practice! what, under proper training, we would gain in a shoit lime. Hehidis, we are apt to fall into n faulty way of speaking, copying our own errors, which horn tlfr force of habit it will be difficult to lef.nn As wo have pointed out a need, we will common brandies our district schools are suppotted for that purpose but lo fur nish t lie menus for insti uelion in the high er studies. Wc do nol wish to call in question tlio wisdom of those who estab lished the preparatory department, for wc think il an absolute necessity to the exist ence of the school, bill we do think tho standard of scholarship has been lowered to such an extent, as to become absolutely detrimental to the best iuler"sts of the in stitution. Wo have said, that the existing condition of affairs, made the preparatory school a necessity. Now let us inquire what is Ibis condition ? What arc the ed ucational advantages enjoyed by a majori ty of tho students previous to their enter ing Iho University? Hy far the greater number have only had the advantages which are offered by tho district schools, those having the privilege of attending an acadfiny or high school before enter ing hero are the very rare exceptions. As ihe University is a Stale Institution, it should ho so conducted as to accomodate the greatest number possible, and as wc have said, by far tlio greater number coino direct from the district school, hence tho space left to be filled by tho preparatory department is those studios hjng between the branches generally completed in the common schools antl'the Freshman jenr. In tho distiict schools scholars arc sup posed to become somewhat thorough in reading, spelling, geography, arithmetic, English grammar etc.; therefore before lin ing admitted to tlio Latin school they should be required to paws a thorough ex amlnatiou in these branches. What wo wish to call at tention to, is tlio fact thai there is a largo number of students in at- also give what seems to us a practical lendiiuco, who could not pass a strict ex- mode of suppling it. Of course v would all like to enjoy the advantages of training under some ono who lias made elocution a specially, but tlio want of means probably renders this impossible at present. The plan which wo would pio pose is, that a class bo formed fiom the more advanced students, who would wish aminalionin these common branches, stu dents that make no pretention to a proper use of the English language, and wlu'so knowledge of atitliinelic extends but little beyond the multiplication table. Now wo think lue admission of such students to be opposed to tho true interests of tho imlh Yiduul themselves, and also of tho Institu- k is.
