Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1876)
:. tu .ImeriVjiii AViM of'Plucti. l-iI 1 r.vi that the student wishing Id pursue these cMi.do an by hlnwlf afterward." Wo think It u goucrnl truth, however-, that when earnlug a maintenance, n' person has.nolthcr the time nn'r ha good an oppor tunity -as thq college .ought to give him. American, students, unlike those of Eu rope, arc very often compelled to work their own why through college. It Is, therefore, only- natural that they .should desire, full -and substantial reward Tor their hard labor. Then"! abridge the disproportionate time that is allotted to the-study of thu e'lastdcs. Let it be shortened t leijst a year, and let only the choice portions-of the host and mostjinstruetlve classical authors-be read, lift Mu remaining lime ho-' devoted to topics 'f Interest and pryelieality. A more general culture, would thus 'be af forded, -and thu well foirided objections to classical education would lose much of their weight. We would not ho under' stood as wishing that thu classics might be done nwty with. On tin other hind, we fully ad.ult their j-rout utility, yet we contend thai. they now receive a dispro. portionntu share of attention. Scientific and othif.studies are now claiming more attention, thiui hitherto, and ir we would have true liberal culture, we inu.-t accord to them tiiu place which their merits dc mnnd. .. . ,, American Names of Places. ?. What a si, ikjjng lack r originality our people vxliihil'ln naming oiri les.'vilhi. gesandeonntie.s! L'.ok over maps and gazette., and (mnt, if you ca. the Btr. lius, Minnas, CIiwim and It , -lies ;, nru PCjyjeni.1 prnfulj ,,.,. ,,. 03U,r... T"l. -. .. . . iubjhimv,.! nmiiwuhiuh our pc p!e would M-ein to ihwji-ks. induces thtm to appropriate diserjininately mid of'en ridieuUiiy u. u.f , ;. U()Sl incm plne.eM in tl,e. Old. World. A rail road Mnlion, composed uf n few dwcl ling houses, blacksmith lo,,s, whiskey sa loonu, and dirofmiUyjis'storus" isclign! .fled by the name, perhaps, of Parte Or Pal. myiV, while the iunc name may bo found applied 'do some I'mvn or vitiligo In nearly every State in the Union. And how do these names appear In com parisonb Would the nVme of Oeorge' Washington, or Thomas JolVers'oil; give dignity to a street rowdy, or a drunken debauchee? As well should a inagnill cent gateway be erected at 'the entrance to o turnip patch. And yet this Is a parallel ease. New cities and towns are constant ly springing up on our borders, and re delving the oft repeated application of transatlantic names, until there Is scarcely one of the latter but has Its scores of ' namesakes in our inlds't. And still the" practice goe3on. What Is the need of this? Why not retain the aboriginal names a) far as practicable, and then ex erclsc ourorlginallty a" Utile In devising the remainder? The State of Michigan, some years ago, enacted a law to retain the native" nnmes of places aslhe mementoes of nrncc now so nearly extirpated. By this arrange ment, thertf Would be no Naples and Al cxandrla within ten miles of oach other, ' and no insignificant village in the back woods bearing thV imposing name ol Pc-" kin or Cairo. The'names with which" the Indians des- ignatcdlheplae.es they "frequented wdre appiopriate and expressive. It Is tar more fitting that we should retain them, since we have pushed theft-" originatdVs from our path, than that we should in- crerse thcmisuii'd and roughly handled n, imcs w havo imported, until they be cov 'ie threadb-ir ittid their number defies com 'nation. When the former resource fails, leuippropi no name-i be invented. Many, 'm,,, 'mvo ,H-'cn produced from this source, ''N' the prac tice is mniMi less com mon that 't ought to be. The first occu pipits of ov. tv conntn derived their iinnifs (preach lot ility from somo'''pecuHarlty connected wi.'h it. Many old p.'nccs liavc Vetnined their names for so ljn41 a time tlfat their import tilt .. I I . !. I it
