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
