THE HESPERIAN STUDENT,
ncntof the right or the wrong side of a
question, and a man with such a power
can no more help wielding u mighty in
tlucnco than ho can help breathing if he
would live Mighty deeds and good ones
live long after one is dead, books, whi'thor
of truth or Action aro as immortal as the
languages in which they aro written, but
nothing, to us, is quite so thrilling, so
soul.stirring as eloquent speech. True
one only one great generous deed can
stand so boldly out on the pago of
history as to be a perfect beacon light to
a selllsh groveling world, and a book or
poem can bo strown broad-cast over the
world, in every country and language and
union g all peoples and with its earnest
woids or stimulating, rouse up the dor
mant consciences and faculties which
men have almost ceased to believe arc
here jjt all. And yet the human tongue
witli tliu varying tones of tho human'
voice, is more effective than them all.
Men arc moved by impressivo speech as
in no other way. Tho destinies of nations
even may hang upon the eloquence of an
hour. The lives of men every day depend
upon tho power of speech and alas then
for the stammering tongue, the befogged
ideas and hesitant fitful language Sim
plicity and earnestness and truth aro nee
cssary prerequisites to effective speech
"Eschew line words as would rouge," says
an English writer; " love simple ones, as
you would native roses on your cheeks."
So we send our greeting and good wishes
to this new debate as wo do to all projects
to further effective speech and eloquent
address amongst us.
We can remember, and it is not so long
ago either, when the classes for tho .June
exhibitions were determined as tho ofll
cers of 'ho society were and are. The
faction of tho society which chanced to
have tho controlling power secured the
exhibition committee, as it was, we think,
called, whoso business it was to select tho
class for tho society. Members were
chosen for important places who were so
fortunate as to belong to tho party in
power; members of tho committee not
un frequently put themselves on, and this
came at last to be an understood thing
that the President should appoint a com
tnitlo with so little modesty as to choose
themselves to represent tho society at its
annual exhibition. It thus sometimes
came about that those on tho Juno pro
gramme were tliero not because they were
selected by tho society as the most com
potent to represent it, but becauso thoy
hnd had sufficient assurance, being mem
bers of the committee in charge of all
arrangements, to elect themselves, and by
skillful maneuvering to secure Iho
adoption of tho desired report by tho
society, if indeed, this farcical formality
was necessary. The absurdities of such
a system aro apparent and tho evils under
favorable circumstances may becomo
great. If tho Prcsidont is on the side of
tho majority and appoints a committee
from the same side, still thoy ought not to
have undisputed authority. And if the
President chooses to repudiate his own
party and toady, for any reason, to the
opposing faction, or if ho perchance
belongs to tho minority in tho first place,
and so gives the committee cntiroly to
them, it is plain that tho society will not
probably bo fairly represented. Eycn if
the report of tho committee hos to be
adopted before it is worth anything, still
tho difficulty is not by any means entirely
done away with. Tho point which wo aro
trying to get at is that theso exhibitions
should come directly under tho control ol
tho society in every particular. There is
too much of the "&poils system" in this
committee business anyhow. Under tho
old regime we recall now a story which
was told on one of these "exhibition com
mittees" to tho effect that after the com
mitlco had met, chosen tho class and
arranged tho programme, decided upon
the stylo, cost, and so forth, one member
suggested that the names of tho com
mitlco bo printed on the back ol the pro
grammes, when lo and behold every mem
ber of tho committee was also a member
of tho class for tho exhibition! And as
tho chairman pertinently remarket
ho could see no necessity for printing
their names on botli sides of the pro
gramme I
n't
The Student has not unfrenuentlv
given place in these editorial columns and
elsewhere to earnest protests against fur
ther curtailing our library privileges and
also to requests equally earnest that theso
privileges of tho library be increased and
that more time bo allowed students in the
library room, and even that they should
bo permitted to tako out more than ono
book at a time. In tho opinion of tho
Student tho library should bo open din
ing tho mornings as woll as afternoons,
and all day on Saturday. Tho books In
tho University .library arc purchased for
the use of the students at least that is the
common supposition and tho students in
order to have tho full benefit of them
must have access to tho room oftenor and
longer than from two to flvo afternoons
in the week. Wo know that this is an old
theme and the fact that tho students feel
that thoy aro not being fairly treated in
this matter is shown by tho frequent allu
aions which liavo been mado to the sub
loct from time to time in tho college paper.
Tho public library is open trom two to
ten r.M. daily and many of tho students
go there becauso our own room is not
accessible. Yetwhilo wo can mako tho
city library do duty very often instead of
the University library, still there aro somo
books wanting in tho former which are
found in tho latter. Tho University library
contains many books of reference which
arc not to bo found elsewhere and to
which students ought to have free access.
Attention to the whole matter of the
library was called by tho communication
of the Librarian to the Regents in which,
according to the Journal report, Prof.
Howard thinks that too many have access
to the room and that tho books ought to
bo better protected which means prob
ably that the books had better bo kept
carefully upon the shelves and preparatory
students and all others who fail to handle
the volumes as thev would eggs, be greatly
restricted in their library privileges. O
courso the books will wear out, but if
meanwhile more or less of tho wit and
wisdom they contain find lodgment in tho
craniums of a larger or smaller number
of students, the end for which those books
were purchased will, in the opinion of the
Student, have been accomplished. The
books which wear out can bo replaced
and those stud-cuts whoso educations at
the University aro rounded and polished
by means of their free uso of a larger
library than was over open to them before
arc not going to begrudge to tho students
who come after them the money necessary
to replace tho books injured in thoir col
lego course. And, it must bo remembered,
those wlio aro our students hero to-day arc
tho tax.paycrs, voters and legislators of
to-morrow, and tho future interests of. our
institution aro largely under the control
of its present pupils interests to bo
kindly fostered by them or ruthlessly over
looked as their present experiences shall
mould and detormino their actions toward
their alma mater. Tho rule of taking
only ono book at a time is far from accom
plishing tho object for which, in our opin
ion, it must have been made. It may bo
that only a short chapter or paragraph or
single sontenco is wanted by a student
from cacli of two, three, or a half dozen
works yet if he cannot find tho references
needed, while U tho library or for some
reason cannot remain there long enough
and would like to tako them all homo
with him for a few hours or over ono
night or two possibly, there is that old
rule learned by heart ere this to tho effect
that ho can tako home only cue book at a
time. Then supposing ho does want only
ono ho may want it longer than two weeks
and it is begging the question to talk of
the injustice of ono student keeping a
book longer than two weeks, for wo have
not unfrequontly wanted a book longer
than two weeks and brought it back when
tho time was up only under protest, and
to see it stand untouched on tho shelf 'till
wo took it out again! Giyo us liberty t
then, in our library and reading-room and
all freedom not inconsistent with order
and harmony.
