CO
K1HT01UAI.S.
VOL. VIII,
Hi
ma
of imperfections. Of course tlioro were
some who let! in tho matter, but tlio stu
dents arc not more school children and
we do not believe they would have rcadi
ly indorsed the head of their Institution
Inula belief of misdemeanors on ills purl
obtained much credence among them.
VHYr
We regret that tho literary societies
have hardly made so good a record Ibis
vear as usual. The late invostijrnlion
and the lectures given under 'he auspices
of the students' association, have caused
several interruptions during the present
term, and the faculty have not been back
ward in urging the performance of a
large share of work on the part of the
students; but all this doos not entirely
cover the case.
When the names of those on perform
ance for declamation and essay are read
oil", two or three straggler's respond and
perhaps a fourth will enter the hall and
perform his part when the exercises arc
half finished. The debates will begin
witli the old, old prelude that "ihey are
not prepared; had not known which side
of the question they were on," etc., etc., ad
nauseam.
These skeleton delegations, comparable
ill numbers to the attendance of the facul
ty at chapel service, fairly indicate the
percentage of willing workers in tho so
cielies. After recess, a lew forlorn, reso
lute individuals, hardly more than enough,
sometimes, to form a quorum, remain to
assume the responsibility of the business
meetings. It is of course remarked that
the members "don't show the interest
they ought to;" in short, that "the society
has run down."
Is this lisllessnes unavoidable V l'er.
haps we have scales on our eyes or wear
specs that make things appear in an upside-down
pos'lion, but we see no good
reason why tho societies may not be
brought tn as high a degree of efficiency
as they have thus far ever enjoyed. We
venture the opinion that if a student lias
not, as a rule, time to attend every meet
ing of a society, and to prepare himself
well every time ho is regularly placed on
performance, he lias no lime to belong to
a society at all.
Why need society work he of no higher
a type than oil' hand debating, and a repe
tition of old essays and declamations?
If class-room work compels this result,
we may as well dispense witli our society
organizations and allow the halls to be
come repositories lor slacks ot bones
and shells, or vaeationary aByluuis for the
broken stoves and rusty mush-pots of the
self-boarding students. If Ibis state of af
fairs should obtain for one or two terms,
wo would doubtless wake up to a realiz
ing sense of the worth of a literary society
and bojrin anew with fresh zeal.
;OUU ADVKRTISKKS.
The patronage of Sot) students in the
city of Lincoln amounts to no small sum
within a year. Hence wo take this oppor
tunity to direct the attention of the stud
ents to those firms that advertise in our
columns. "We do this, partly because
they merit the trade of the students and
partly because students tripling with our
advertisers will find better rates at which
to purchase. Hence before purchasing,
glance at the columns of our advertise
incuts, and see that you appreciate as
sistance, as well as responsible firms, for
we advertise no other.
The complaint is often made by some
of our advertisers, that an advertisement
in our columns' brings thorn little profit.
This however they cannot say with exact
certainty; for students, as a general rule,
make few acquaintances in the city, and
hence are not well known; consequently
they arc unknown by our businessmen
and treated as strangers, and those, who
chance lo bo our advertisers, are none the
wiser that students ever trade with them.
This is the case lime and again. But
those who do not believe that it pays to
