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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1879)
NO. 3. KDITOMALB. 59 eralwe as well.? But college work is so engrossed by other duties that reading of this kind is apt to be fragmentary, and the opportunities lor it so irregular) that we cannot well rely upon the per Ibriuauce oi' much regular and substan tial work outside the class-room. SACKED AND PROFANE POLITICS. To the philosophic mind there ever appear problems for solution. Imbued with the ideas of modern industry, the student when launched Into the midst oi collegiate duties, finds himself beset with the conflicts of theory and practise. Some, gifted with credulous minds accept a conclusion as a legitimate result of an impartial investigation. Others, deprived of this boon, demand a proof for every law of mental or social science. True culture demands research and an opinion based upon the same. And woe to him who would aspire to true scholarship, without sufllcieut ambition to induce him to sepcrate the truejrom the false, the noble from tho base. He, who to-day has no fixed opinion of his own, lias little in Uuence in society. In tho class-room the opinions of men, together with tho result of a life's experi encc, become a distinct study. In fact, such opinions and such experience form the majority of text-books. And before the student is aware he is unconsciously drawn into a discussion of theories and opinions, hence tho politics of the day, cither sacred or profane. Nor can this discusion be avoided. Education demands that the politics of parties aud creeds should be understood ; and upon the best of authority, it should be the duty of the college to suggest to tho student the oourso to be pursued. Hut in this choice tho student must again understand the reason, and thus again is lie thrown into a discussion as to the mer its of various schools of philosophy and political science. What by necessity becomes the duty of Education and tho College, wo have en deavored to represent in tho columns of the Student. If we have published articles that have been radical in belief, they were only exponents of books that appear in tho class-room or tho library. They were the inevitable result of a liberal aud un prejudiced training and ware the honest convictions of writers. And as long as such articles represent the precepts of text-books and the diversity of opinions, whether they are political or religious, radical or liberal, we shall claim it our duty to give them a place among the top ics of the day. THE STUDENTS' MEMORIAL. During the session of the University Investigating Committee, a memorial, drawn up by the students and promptly signed by nearly all, was presented to that body, exonerating the Chancellor, so far as their knowledge extended, from the charges preferred against him. "VVe thought the ignoring of this memorial showed an almost flippant disregard of tho voice of tho students. The desire of tho Committee to get at the positive facts ill tho case, was com mendable enough ; but why, in muny of the charges, the expression of tho students should not have as much weight as tnc statements of those who scarcely enter tho University building, and more rarely yet, witness a recitation, it is difficult to see. We believe, with our Chancellor, that tho most politic mode of college gov ernment is that of treating the students as men and women rather than as mere boys and girls. However well a system of es piouago may bo adapted to a district school, it totally fails of its object in a college. College discipline may not be so faultless as to escape censure, by an occasional outsider of critical acumen, but when Chancellor and students arc as well suited witli each other as the afore said memorial would seem to indicate, little more can bo expected in this world MHPBNHffVm i"rj""-wi:ri'TT"nii rn El
