HESPERIAN STUDENT.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA.
V01..X.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, MAY 1, lSs'2
No. 15.
rQJiscclhncous Jfmtion.
Longfellow whs sometimes styled Pool.
Laureate of America. TI10 expression
might lend one to believe that there is a
laurcntcship in America the same as in
England. There is not however, and the
title when bestowed upon an American
only indicates the high esteem in which
he is held, or that his writings are similar
to thoo of the English Poet-Laureate
The term means the crowning of a poet
with laureals. It is an old custom of the
Greeks and Romans. It was indulged in
aNn by the German emperors, and was
not 1 nknown to the Spaniards. Chaucer
is said to have been the ilrsl Po- t-Laureale
of England. It was not until 1030 that it
was made a patent oftico in the gift of the
Loid Chamberlain. Hen Johnson was
the Mrst to hold it alter this was done.
Since then, of the famous men who have
held it, we might name Dryden.Southloy
Wordsworth and Tonncyson, who is the
present incumbent.
Again our country within the space of
a month is called to mourn the loss of
one of her best citizens Massachusetts
lias given many noble sons to our country.
Not least among them stands the gifted
writer, Ralph Waldo Emorson, whoso
death we mourn to-day. A man of lemark
able genius, moving in an atmosphere
above his countrymen. His own individ
uality is strongly stamped upon our lit
erature and the speculation of our age.
There is much difference of opinion as
10 his merit a a poet. He murders
rhythm, metre anil common sense in his
verses. Some of his poems are mere jar
gon, coarse and had much better been
left unpublished, though here and there
through them gems of some beauty will
be found. It is unfortunate that a man
of such depth oi learning, such ideality
and imagination, such refinement, such
subtlety of thought, should so ape the
great Scotch writer, Carlyle, both in style
and construction. He seems in a measure
content to mimic rather than create. As
11 lecturer Emerson has been eminently
successful. He Iihh lived long enough to
realize the happiness of haying his couu
trymen appreciate what is noblest and
best in liis writings.
The Governor has finally issued his
proclamation convening the Legislature on
the IO1I1 of May. He names seven things
for its consideration, the most important
of which are. to apportion the state into
tnree congressional districts, to confer
additional powers upon cities of the first
class, and to provide for the payment of
expenses incurred in suppressing the riots
at Omaha. It Is not thought the session
will be a long one. There may be some
strile over the bill providing for the pay
ment of the militia while on duty in
Omaha. As it is claimed by some that
their services were not needed, they should
have mi pay. Rather poor argument, out
sufficiently convincing to a few. The
students are all glad that another oppor
Utility is given them to witness the pro.
ceedings of our legislators. They will
find it convenient to spend their spare
time In the galleries of the House
and Senate. The politicians, too,
rejoice that they have a chance to come
again before the public. They will have
another opportunity to enter into com
binations to their favor. As the need of
an extra session was well nigh universally
r-.cognizcil, the legislature will not have
public sentiment to contend against.
Acts alone can render the member ob
noxious.
The May number of the Xorth Amet
iean Review has a very fair and impartial
article on "Party Schemes and Future
Problems" by Carl Schurtz. A concise
and condensed history of the two parlies
is given, not after the manner of a pollti.
ciau but more like a statesman. He holds
that there is very little difference in the
actual position of the two parties, how
ever great a one party leaders try to
make in theory; that these are days of
disinflation, and factions within one
party will ally with factious within the
other, ralhor than unite to defeat the
common enemy. Slavery, states rights,
hard money and free trade have lost their
party signification. In short, that each
party lias outgrown its former beliefs and
that the question of the day is more how
that each department may have a clearly
defined outlii'e of its work, and how the
Intelligent and educated citizen may take
a more active part in the administration
of the government. If either one of the
now existing parties will take hold of
these questions and be the embodiment
of the progression and thought of the day,
that party will have the support of the
people. If it neglects to do this, then a
new party will necessarily be formed.
This is a time of formation, but the exact
turn affairs will take he does not pretend
to say. A great change may come before
the next presidential election; it may not'
come for years. The article is well worth
reading. It is a calm, sober view of the
political parties and what U demanded at
the present time.
People of to-day would hardly expect
an author to s'ato the following objections
against casting lots in order to combat
them, viz. : "Lots ma)' not be used but
with great reverence, because the disposi
tion of them cometh immediately from
God The nature of a lot, whicu is
affirmed to be a work of God's special
and immediate providence, a sacred
oracle, a divine judgment or sentence;
the light use of it, therefore, to be au
abuse of God's name, and so a siu against
the third commandment." We cannot
ea.xily believe that such views, were prev
alent, yet during the middle ages they
were, and even down to modern times.
Theu there was no such thing as chance
chance to them was the will of God or
their gods. They saw no reason why a
stick or whatever they used should fall
one way any more than auother. They
argued that it fell as it did because it was
the Divine will. The principal part, if
not all, of the religion of the Romans was
chance as we would call it, Divine rev.
elatiou as they called it. Everything that
did not obey reguhr laws,' that they knew
was a means by which the rill of godi
could be determined. The only difficulty
was to interpret these signs. Many of
these signs are now known to be the
result of fixed laws, others obey no law,
each being a law of itself. The tendency
of modem science ami investigation has
been to j educe the unknown, or divine
manifestations, and increase the known,
or those phenomena that obey fixed and
immutable laws.
Philadelphia has au artist named
Sword. When only eight years old he
was only a little bowie.
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