HS&"?
NO. 2.
UDITOniALS.
1)5
that rusts upon the r.itixcn of a represeu
tulivu government, have not boon slow in
Ascertaining Unit upon higher education,
a well as upon tlio common branches of
learning, dcpumls the perpetuity of our
national institutions.
The latter of these two necessities, we
have doubtless seen consummated in the
perfection of our system of common
schools. And so thorough has this iieen
instilled into the body politic, that there
is little danger of its being totally eradicat
ed. But our system of higher education
has not ilways met with hearty approval.
For though it exists for the material heuelit
of all, yet because ilbeuellts un individual
personally, it has had man' obstacles to
overcome. Subject to the frequent lluetu
alions of political power, our institutions
of learning too often become mere toys in
the hands of political aspirants.
With this fact in view, statesmen, ob-
serving the advantages of broader cul
ture, now step forth and boldly demand n
greater stability for our colleges main
tained by the state. Instead of their ex
istence .md prosperity depending upon
the generosity of legislative authority,
they now demand that such laws as per
tain to the maintenance ol colleges and
universities, be made constitutional and
not legislative. This would indeed be a
radical change. But the change is not
advocated without good grounds. For
there arc serious dilliculties arising from
the careless legislation in this respect
throughout the western states. But we
have faith that the legislation of our own
state has not reached that state of partly
intrigue and party prejudice as to ignore
the interests of higher education the
vital clement of society. For when a
community has reached that state of li
centiousness, that it cannot control its
own institutions by representative policy,
whut must bo tlie fate of its laws chained
by constitutional fetters and deprived of
the means for revision and adjustment.
SUPERFICIAL KKAMNO.
One of the most notable of the many
famous sayings of Bacon is the statement
that " Some books are to be tasted, others
to be swallowed, and some few to be
chewed and digested." This aphorism,
so characteristic of the great philosopher,
is in our own day still more pertinent to
the object of reading than when written
by him. This fact is due to the greater
abundance of lilcralurt at the present
time, and especially to the multiplication
of the newspaper, an institution quite un
known to the sixteenth century.
While wc would in some measure ex
cuse superficial rending, it is far from our
purpose to ignore the importance, in its
proper place, of deliberate and attentive
reading. Some persons, in thoir zeal for
condemning the practice of reading in a
hasty manner both important and uuim
portaut books, insist on the necessity of
always reading slowly and carefully.
But while this is a useful rule, it is not
of general application. The character
of one's reading is rather to be determined
by its amount and its value. Thnt which
has proceeded from the pens of the repre
sentative men of all ages, and which is
worthy of being so read that the thought
may be retained, is comparatively small
in amount. On the other hand, the
amount of ficticious and journalistic lit.
craturc is immense. Here and there is u
fragment worthy of special notice; but
what reason is there for storing up with
equal pains, a history of our country and
a story In the Ncio York Ledger! The of
flee of the novel is to amuse and enter
tain. Being of a light nature, it is rapidly
read, and when once perused has usually
served its purpose This remark can be
made in respect to by far the greater part
of the contents of newspapers and other
periodicals.
With men in the learned professions,
superficial reading is almost imperative.
They have to deal, in many cases, with
great numbers of books, and while their