THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
has spent in their preparation. When
others were engaged in frivolous sports he
was hard sit work. Few students value
highly enough the importance of steady
application. Faithful and earnest work
lm made more names honoml and re
pectcd than nature by lavishing her gift.
It is reported of the Duke of Wellington
ihat he said the battle of Waterloo was
won on the plny-groumL of Eaton. As
lMy and man his mind was ever busy
with miliUiry schemes. When the great
opportunity was oflfefed him. when the
hopes and fears of impatient and agitated
Europe centered upon him, the study
and preparation of years made him equal
to the occasion made him the hero of
the age. No untutored soldier, no novice
conquered such a man as Napoleon. The (
lives of great men teach us the value of
industrious habits. Their fame came to
them because it was earned. The flighty
geniuses are not the onus who sustain 3
nation's honor or make her glory fast and
enduring. The hard worker has ever been
u-warded. Industry brings her victories.
Tlne who bear Ibis in mind, may some
da hope to attain the middle rounds, if
nut the top of the ladder.
three good daily papers? It would be
quite an accommodation to the students.
It would supply a want that is keenly
felt.
NKWfii'Ai'EKS arc sought alter by all, the
old and young alike, and students are no
t xcfpiion to the gvuciul rule. They, too, j
like to know what is going on in the
world. We have no hesitation in saying
that the American people read papers too
much. True, one cannot obtain a surplus
ol true knowledge. That is just the
point. Mote than half of the reading
matter of the modern political paper (and
it is the one generally lead) is uot of a
tiaturc to warrant appioval. It is light.
Involous, weakening in its tendencies.
To read such is not to gain information
i become better posted. It is to render
the mind incapable of exerting itself to
n full extent. It is to deaden energy
itself. All regret that the public taste is
- low as to demand that nuwsuapcrs fill
iJjeir columns with such. The newspaper
) but the reflex of popular sentiment.
The public is to blame if it is not what it
thould be.
Willi all Its defects, the newspaper is
tety essential to our progieas and educa
tion. By it we are informed concerning
tlic active, busy present; by it we are
made citizens of to-day , and not of a
week, fortnight or month past. Students
like everybody else desire to keep posted.
They can only do this by reading the
good or essential part of a newspaper.
This takes little of their time, provided
the paper ib bandy. Few students are
able to take a daily. So, whenever they
debire the news they are compelled to go
to the public reading room of the city.
Would it not be well for Hie University
leading room V he furnished with two or
Tiiekk are few good debaters in the
University Why this is so, we do not
know. Most of the members slight their
socic3' work, especially tlic debate. Two
or three hours ptcparatiou they consider
sufllcicut, and as a result their arguments
are scarcely woith listening to. We are
not a very firm believer in extent pornue
ous speaking. When a persou has stud,
ied over a subject much, read a great
ileal about it, and then speaks upon it
without notes or manuscript, some say,
"What a fine extemporaneous speech!"
It was not extemporaneous. It had been
thought of, the principal points had been
revolved over and over in the speaker's
mind, in short, be had mastered his sub
ject. To understand a subject thoroughly
is, when called upon, to be able to speak
knowingly, accurately and fluently upon
It. No man ever grew eloquent over a
subject he knew nothing about. Prepara
tion is as essential in debate as in any
thing else.
Another bad habit is that so many
debaters constantly refer to their notes,
thus losing the attention of the audience.
To read a debate is bad enough, but to
stumble along over notes is worse. To
cany conviction one must talk to the
audience, uot the paper he has in his
hand or the one on th table. It is a good
plan for a new debater to write out what
he has to say, and commit it. Tliis
much he is then sure to have. If the op
posing ones made an assertion he thinks
he can refute, be can do it either before or
after he makes his prepared speech. The
secret of the success of many who are
considered our best debaters is, that thej
commit what ihey have to say if not the
words, thejthoughls at least.
Tins Democrat seems to take a deep in
terest in the welfare of the University
and repeatedly calls upon the Chancellor
to prohibit students from doing this or
that. There are those who never forget
the training of their childhood. As their
fathers did, so do they. Were they the
on I) kind of people, this world would
make little advancement. Progress would
be frowned down, and the dark clouds of
superstition and ignorance that so long
enveloped the human race could never
have rolled away. Years ago, the more
iron-clad rules a teacher could lay down
and enforce, the better he discharged his
duty. Public opinion forget that boys
and girls grew to be the men and women
of the land. Tyranny sat in the teacher's
chair and the rod was his chief adviser.
Does not the Democrat rejoice that those
times are past! or docs it condemn the
enlightenment of the age that now recog
nizes the ftudents as a part of humanity
that is to be developed into useful, practi
cal and educated citizens?
The Student does uot hold that the
University students are perfect in their
actions, nor has it any desire to champion
their wrong doings. What is wrong is
wrong. The plea, however, that so many
make, that it is not right for students to
do that which it is right for others to do'
it holds to be nonsense. Surely, the young
men and women, taken as a class, that
attend the University, know why they are
here. But because they are students, this
can be no good reason why rules should
be laid down to ostracize them from soci
ety. Wer e such rules, however, produc
tive of good, all would accept them, accept
them because they were for the. best. The
reports of colleges that have adopted such
plans are not of a nature to lead one to
think that they result in good. The gov
eminent is best that appears to govern
least. Rules that impeach a student's
manhood, and, of course, constantly
broken, never yet made a University pros
per. Let other institutions, if they choose,
shackle their students with regulations
telling them how they shall conduct
themselves, when and how they shall ap
pear in society, circumscribe them in
every possible way, but it is not what
the Nebraska University desires.
First student, at one of our principal
boarding clubs: "Say, are those biscuits
fresh?" Second student: "No! those arc
Soph imore buscuits. They were fresh
last year."
Why are some of the University girls
liice cadet rifles? Because they would at
tract no attention at all if it were not for
for their bangs. And this by a military
student, f oo !
In the prepantory department one- of
the professors had occasion to ask the rule
for the use of the hyphen. Writing on
the black-board "birds-nest," he pointed
to the hyphen and asked the class, "What
is that for?" After a short pause a bril
liant product from the Lincoln' high
school answeied, "Please, sir, for the
bird to roost on '"
An old man was fishing on Sunday
morning, just before church time, when
the curate saw him, and inquired in ddl
cet tones:
" My man, don't you bear those heaven
ly chimcB?"
"Eh?"
" Don't you hear those heavenly chimes
calling you?"
Beg pardon, sir; but I really can't
hear what you say for those infernal
belts."
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