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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1879)
B8 KUITOIMAI.S VOL. VITI, ..t "d ..! n most vnlunblo exercise; valuable not only in a practical point of view, but emi nently valuable as a means of discipline One cannot write an original essay with out close application of the reasoning powers. To so prepare an article that all its parts may be interdependent; that noth ing may be retained which is superHuous, irrelevant or illogical, and that each word may be used accurately and to the best advantage, is a task, which, as it ap proaches perfection, demands a certain degree of concentration of thought and feeling which few employ in the prcpara lion of their daily lessons. A finished essay cannot bo u hastily written one. We will not except any stu dent from the application of this criticism An article that is rather long may be written in a single hour, and, when com pared with the like cflorls of some other persons, it may be excellent; yet it still admits of improvement. We therefore deem it unfortunate for a student to fall into the habit of careless willing after he has once acquire:! skill and accuracy in composition. The objection is often made that after one ends his college career he has little pi no occasion to write, or that if lie is to enter upon a journalistic career, lie must write much and do the work rapidly. Very true; yet if ono does not write a single article after leaving school, the disciplinary benefit gained is of great value. In the other case, tho severe drill which the student has undergone is a most important preparation for the prac tical .work of journalism. HISTORY IN THE UNIVERSITY. The limited amount of attention which the teaching of history receives in our University compels us to call attention to the value of this branch of instruction, and its claims as an important factor in a curriculum. A person can hardly bo called well cdir cated, unless he lias gained aconsidcrabl knowledge of both ancient and modern history. A mere acquaintance witli a few scattered facts is not enough. Neither can one who knows by heart tho rulers of any given country be considered well versed in its history. The brief compen. diums, which are now in so frequent use, are of some service as introductory trea tises, but they usually impart an incom plete idea of iho real importance of the subject matter. They merely present a skeleton of dry dates and facts ; that which would cause the past to stand before us as a reality, full of interest and significance, is. to a great ex tent, ignored. Dates arc important enough in their way; so arc tho accounts of how kings and nations have warred against and slaughtered each other. But this treatment of history is superficial. The truer province of tlic study is to tell us how men have lived, thought and acted in former times. To tliis end, something more than a mere compendium is neces sary. In view of tills fact, we were surprised at. the meagre provision for instruction in history as indicated in our last catalogue. It comprehends only two terms in each course of study, and this amount does not come until the Junior year is readied. Tho scope of the instruction is properly European history of the sixteenth, seven teenth and eighteenth centuries; but thus far, these limits have not been closely fol lowed. In addition to tho above, Greek history is a part of the instruction in tho Greek language, and there is also one term of ancient law in the Senior year. AVe believe that the requirements for admision to our University, which in clude a knowledge of United Status his tory, are sufficiently high: but the afore said amout of history does not meet the claims of the study as a brunch of college instruction. Two terms of ancient and tiiree of modern history seem to us little enough. One may, it is true, do some collateral reading in connection witli liib study of history, and in language and lit-
