THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
i :
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT
Published semi-monthly by tho students of the
Ncbrnskn State University.
Wednesday, Ai'iui. 5, 1882.
KD ITOHS IN t'HIF.F.
May D. Faiiuikm). N. 'A. Snei.l.
Local Kditou, Clem Chase.
Associate Editor Will O. Jones.
IU'mnehk Manaoeii I). F. Maksiiall.
THUMB or HUnsailU'TMN.
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1 ' one half year ,60.
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Editor Hem'eiuan Student, Stato University.
Lincoln, Nebraska. All subscriptions and bust
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lected invariably in adance. Advertisements
collected monthly.
Hjditorial
Two-thiuds ol' Hits scl' 1 year is past
and wo moot again to enter upon the
remaining one. Refreshed I)' the recess
wo are all, no doubt, ready for our work.
Hut, before wo begin it, let us have a real
old fashioned sociable. All will enjoy it.
Probably the Faculty will give us pennis.
aion, and it may not rain.
Wk call upon the new presidents of
both societies to make order the great
policy of their administrations. The
time lias arrived when a Jinn stand must
be taken against tho foolish "sociables"
which have from time immemorial dis
giaced tho meetings of the societies and
made the tear of the halls perfect pande.
monium. The best members are anxious
for reform and will heartily aid tho pre.
siding ofllcers in their efforts to bring
it about.
"Litekauy Notes" gives some whole
some advice to commencement speakers.
Tho pith of it is "bo simply yourself"
The assumed importance, llie unnatural
speech and carriage, only show a lack of
true judgment. The jnuer man, what he
is, and what capable of doing, is tho test
for all. The external part, that which
may be worn or put aside, is not thb
standard by which to bo judgeu. Hence
the iorco of the advicr - be simply your,
self. Show your true colors and not filne
ones. Lit. Notes also holds that tho j.
duction should bo merely a fair average of
whul the speaker is capable of doing;
that ho should not spend much more
time upon it than he can afford to give to
like work in after life. This is urged
that a correct estimate may be made by
the audience of the speaker's ability and
of what use he will be to society. Good
advice.
It is to be hoped that the graduates
this year will remember a long.sufTering
public and not inflict upon their patient
audience either a repetition of former com
mencemenls or of each other. Do let one
June come and go without dragging
Greece and Rome from blissful oblivion or
propounding and answering or attempt
ing to answer metaphysical questions
beyond the depth of an average Senior.
"What am I, whence came I, and where
am I going " are problems that can never
be satisfactorily solved on u warm sum
mer's morning. What you are, ten to
one the audience will discover before
you're through. Where you come from
they probably don't care, and where you
are going they will decide according to
their creeds. It has been a just criticism
of some commencement days that the
orations were r 1 because of a general
likeness which they bore to each other.
The present class is composed of students
widely different in character, principles,
theories and practices, and there will be
little excuse for giving any occasion for a
similar judgement.
The University is old enough and its
classes large enough to make a good be
ginning in the right direction and insti
lute a class day. This in eastern colleges
Is coming to be tho chief event of the
commencement. As long as the classes
in our own University are small enough
to permit all to lake part in the gradu.
ating exercises, by reading an essay or
delivering an oration, the absence of any.
thing more is not so keenly felt. Hut
where it is the custom, as it is at Michigan
University, to have no member of the
graduating class appear commencement
morning except to receive the diplomas
class day becomes a positive necessity as
a means of bringing the members of the
class together as such, and class day con
sequcntly becomes their chief care and
pride. Over its programme and general
arrangements are waged the pitched bat.
ties so dear to a Senior's neart, and to bo
president of class day is to receive tho
highest honor. The University has poets
and tho Senior class has one, so we should
not feel the want of an ode. We have
orators and historians and possible pros
idents. We can respond to toasts and
applaud them, and we will snjoy a ban.
quet. So lot's have a class day.
It is not pleasant for tho Student to
speak of matters not to tho credit and
honor of anyone. Much less delightful
is the task when friends and class-mates
are to bo censured. It is no secret that
there arc those, and they arc known, who
at every examination use their notes or
cxt-book in answering questions. For
their good, at least, Moral Philosophy
ought to be taught in the Freshman and
not in the Senior year. Their standard of
right is, "I must pass, dishonestly if I can,
honestly if there is no other way." It is
lift a year since a party of students, liav
ing obtained the questions of an axamina
tion then in progress, deliberately copied
the answers out of the book, then went to
the examination, sat and fooled with their
papers tho required time and handed
these previously prepared papers to the
professor. This they do not brand with
the name of dishonesty and broken faith,
no, not at all. It is called a huge joke.
Such are tlic jokes that destroy confidence
that confidence without which society
falls apart. Young man, if there bo any
virtue you honor, honor that which is the
basis of ull good and all society. Deceive
not yourself with the delusion that what
is done in the spirit of lightness and
under the stimulating advice of compan
ions is not a wrong.
Tho Student is also inclined to believe
that some of the professors arc lacking in
moral coinage; that they are conscious all
is not well, yet do not seek to know pos
itively. There are none so blind as they
who do not wish to see. Such are noth
ing more or less than cowards. They
blunt their own moral nature and give the
security of silence to the offenders. Pro
fessors, does not a small voice tell you
tli is is soy Wc trust not, but fear that it
is too true.
We boast of our progressiveness and
culture and general "supremeness," and
look with great self-complacency upon
the superiority of ourselves and the world
in general. Hut in all this self-piaise and
commendation of personal and national
characteristics, we are too apt to overlook
the many and sterling excellences pos
sessed by times and peoples other than
our own. Fast living, high pressure sys.
tern, slang, exaggeration and the outro Jn
speech and theories arc characteristic of
America and the nineteenth century.
We cease to bo children when wo enter nur
"teem," and ure young ladles and gentle
men long before we're twenty. The vocab.
ulary of the street urchins Is in daily use
In school and homo. Eccentric and fool
ish aie too often the synonyms of original,
and to run wild over a novel and efferves
cent stylo of literature is to be enthusiastic
in the cultivation of the emotional nature
and in tho pursuit of culture. Our exag
gerations of life are hypocritical; of
speech, false Veracity and simplicity are
not unfiequently considered countrified
and childish, while interesting wickedness
and pleasant falsehoods are condoned and
applauded. It is time that simple and
