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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1881)
the iiespeian studkn,t. nolliiiig further to say, but grunt they ought lo lo taught. If, however, it is the Siiile Unlvor.lly of Nebraska, its dignity is humbled, its powers weakened, its use fullness crippled by throwing open its doors to cliiUlrcn, lo those who by right belong in the high schools of the state. The Studknt heariily concurs in any plan thai tends to elevate the University to its proper level. It is of the opinion that this is no place for foolish boys and giddy girls to llirt and waste their time. Hut it is the place fur downright hard work such as those only well along in their teens and twenties are capable of doing. The first preparatory year can well bo abolished. There may be longer need of the second. It is of a more sub. Blunt 'ml character Thkhk is n growing discontent on ac count of the number of studies, not hours, required by the new system. Pew students in the college have less than four, live or six studies. The question naturally arises, can one do as good work having so many dillerent studies as lie could with less reciting ol'lenor? Wo are (f the opinion that three, at most four, studio ate all that a sludent should carry at any one time. If more are taken some are slighted. Those in which a student M'citcs onco or twice a week, he is very apt lo lose inteiest in, because so long a time intervenes between reciting days. The more continuous the thought on one subject, the more thoroughly is that sub jeet mastered. By ihe present system the mind is subject to too many changes. Ii requires an almanac and u lime lable for one to know when, and in what, he is to recite the next day. Again each profes sor expects as much work put on a two-hoursa-week study as formerly he re quired on n four-hour one. Never have the students been compelled to do so much as this year. In fact too much of a diversified character is required of them. Power similes, siudies in which a student recites four or five limes a week would be welcomed by all. No fault is found with the elective system. It is the great num. her of siudies that have lo be carried at the same lime. In the life of 11 sludent there is a ten dency to keep the mind too closely con fined to lext books, to ono line of work. Not enough lime Is taken for rellcclion. To be avail a nle. facts must be recognized in certain relations to other facts. Above all, the most important thing is to bo able lo clearly see Ibo result of those relations. It is not often lhatyoung men are thought ful enough to nulicpato the result of a mental characteristic. The possession of a single predominate mental trait often determines the future of the individual. This is especially true regarding that gilt commonly known as wit. Too frequently wil degenerates into common buffoonery and jesting. The object becomes not to convey some principle, but, merely to cause laugh ler. It lias been said that he who has no thought seeks to attract atten tion by a word. Wit is for to-day ; thought for all lime. Ho who replies wittily lo all things is not to be trusted in serious things. It was the great dread of Thos. Corwiu that after death he should be re triirdod as a wil, rather than as a thinker. When he arose in the Senate to speak, if he did not say something lo cause laugh ter, his serious and weighty thoughts were forgot leu in the general disappoint, meul; but when he did set his listeners laughing, the same results followed, all seriousness necessarily vanished. Prom Ihe I'acl thai in early life ho lost control of Ih is faculty, his power as a leader was weakened. A witty young man may think he controls minds, but too soon he finds himself the dupe. No ono can afibrd lo make a clown of himself for the amuse ment of others. Wit does not enter the list against danger and passion. Wit, as slave, is a blessing; as a master, a curse. MODEliN SLANG. " Oh, thunder, ma," a University Prep, exclaimed us he burst into the sitting room, the oilier day, ,l I'm all broke up and want some chuck, P. D. Q.! " "You're you want some what?" said Ihe old lady. " Why, they've changed Ihe barrel down to the hash house, and I've got to hang on tyou lb i grub," protested the brilliant youth. "My boy, what wc you talking about? Are you hungry V" "Now you're just rattling, ma. I should sneeze to snicker." ' Sneeze lo " "Yes, blush to murmcr, you Know. I should gigg , smile, slobber, grunt to giumblc, anything. Don't you tumble?" "What! Tumble?" "Well, you (ire a jay. Can't you twig? Savvy, diop to the racket, you know." "You are just awful!" " So all the old nuss-backs say. I'm no gilly, (him seldom; I'm a daisy fly and acquire the confectionery cyery lick. Pol hups you don't treeze onto that; it means take ihe cake, the whole bakery. I should genlly reiterate." " Come, where did you learn all this?" " O, the kids dovn at tho University get it off in bang-up slylo. They're teazers. To hear my chum go on is glubtly jolly, quite loo-too. He's got a 'menso mash." "A what?" " Oh, lie had a knockdown to a dolly mill was sticked, that was all. She's very verj. Said lie had n most fetching time." 'You're the worst boy I ever heard. I'm ashamed of you, thoroughly ashnm oil of" "T'anks, I'ousaud t'anks. Pork over the sponds Come, don't be such a guy. Baby wants pud 1 " " Baby shall have pud! " said the young student's paternal as ho entered the room. He bad been at college in bis life. Prep py studies his lessons standing, now. THE LIBRARY. In looking over some numbers of the Studknt for '72 and '7JJ we find many complaints in regard to the library. 'It seems that in those earl' days students did not have Ihe privilege of retaining books and they grumbled much at the long walk to ihe University in older lo have a glance at a work from 2 to !1 o'clock. Now, although we could wish tho library open in the mornings, the system is much improved and the library growing, not only In usefulness but in size. Prof. Hov rid, the present libraiian, was editor of the Studknt at the lime wo speak of, and he tells us that there was much trouble about books, the preparatory students not being allowed their use and tho roo,m being shut half the time, because the professors would forgot when their turn a rived as libraiian. New and well-selected stocks of books aro constantly arriving, mostly bargains with sccond-iiund b.iok dealers in the east. Some remarkably good bargains arc made. The other day while In the library we saw a box of books from Fran cos, of Now York, opened. They hud been ordered mostly by Professors Wood, bury and Howard. Among them wore,' a quaint " Historic of the Councell of Trent containing eight Bookes," printed at Lon don in 1020; a very fine series of plates illustrating Thorwaldsen's statuary and basieleifs; the Decameron of Boccacio with the Milan plates: Malone's Drjden in four volumes: Fielding's works; Do Tocqueville's Democracy in America; Burton's Queen Anno, three vols.; Bollng. broko's works, four volumes; Dryden's dramatic works in six volumes; llervy's Court of Gcorgo II, Mythology of tho Aryan nations by Cox. A few days pre vious to this llic following books were received by the library, Prof. McMillan's selections, many of them being raro. Pooto's Dram al ic Works, 1782; Earl Shafisbury's " Characterlsticks," 1714, an excellent edition with choice steel plates for headpieces; Cowley's works, 1707, and. others. Then of modern books there aro fresh on the shelves, Kant and his English Critics, by Prof. Watson; Bowon's Mod ern Philosophy; Calrd's Philosophy of Religion; Pulcy's Aeschylus; Cur'tlus' Greek Verb; Key's Origin and Develop ment of Language, und many Greek aluV Latin texts. HRrRPWH
