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THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
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individual scholars to be obliged to come unprepared
to class, and often to purchase other books in lieu of
the abstracted ones, is more than patience will bear
much longer. A word to the wise is sufficient.
From present appearances the class os '84 will either
have to graduate without the usual dose of metaphys
ics or teach it to themselves. The present members
of the faculty are already overworked, besides no one
would be willing to teach something outside of his
specialty, and tile prospects are slim for securing one
who would consider the honor of the chancellorship
with three thousand a year a sufficient inducement to
endure the "slings and arrows" of politicians and
the Free Press.
Mental and moral philosophy are among the most
important branches of a liberal education, and as
there is no other resource, we suggest that the mem
bers of the Senior class be allowed to take turns at
teaching, and as "the laborer is worthy of his hire"
we also suggest that the class while doing the chan
cellor's work shall also draw his salary. This would
be infinitely superior to i fund "to aid indigent stu
dents" because each student would then justly feel
that he gave value received for his money.
The Thomas lecture, although not a complete suc
cess financially, was an intellectual banquet. Cir
cumstances, as unfavorable as unkind providence can
inflict even when in bad humor, conspired to make
the venture a failure. The audience which greeted
the noted divine was "small but intelligent," being
composed mainly of students and those directly in
terested in University affairs. The speaker treated
his subject in an unostentatious and original manner,
making no pretentions to oratory but riveting the at
tention of every auditor by his clear cut ideas and
straightforward way of presenting them. A synop
sis of the discourse would be given in these columns
were it not for the fact that space is limited and so
many of our regular readers were present at its deliv
ery. The Palladians are satisfied with the first
number of their course, and will continue in the
good work.
In a late number of the "State Democrat" appeard
an article severely criticising the members of the lit
erary societies for howling like maniacs on their way
home from society at eleven o'clock at night, and
disturbing the peaceful slumbers of the dwellers of
north Lincoln. At first we felt inclined to apply to
the writer the Anglo Saxon teim for prevericator, be
cause although the students do occasionally sing
songs of gladness like the nightingale, they never
howl nor make night hideous, neither are the societies
kept open later than ten minutes after ten. Yes we
were wroth when we read that libel on the character
of our exemplary students, but after cool, calm re
flection we put our self in the writers place and felt
disposed to forgive and forget. The "devil" makes
a demand on us for copy once a fortnight, when we
have no copy to give, and we sometimes wish that
some member of the faculty or board of regents would!
violate the rules and regulations laid down by the
students, or do something unusual, like commending;
the class for a good lesson, or try to get a chancellor
so that we could have something to write about.
How then must he feel who gets the "devil" after
him every day? He can't afford to let such a slight
thing as a regard for the truth deprive him of art
item. So go ahead brother, others may find fault
with you but we never. Remember "Ne Jubiter
quidem omnibus placet," and how can an editor
hope to do it?
The University recently shipped to ex-chancellor
Fairfield a large number of books which had previ
ously been purchased from that gentleman, or dona
ted by him to our library. Among these books were
a hundred volumes of Littell's Living Age, and some
twenty volumes of a French work entitled "Causes
Celebres. ' ' Five years ago the times were hard and
each politician felt it his .duty to make a record for
economy. The Omaha Herald had made a big fuss
about the Chancellor and the general management
of this school, so providence seemed to have blessed!
the politicians with the chance for investigating some
thing or other, which they needed. Among other
charges brought against Fairfield was an alleged sale,
of worthless books by him to the University library
The fact was that he had sold the volumes of the Liv
ing Age and had donated the others. Church Howe,
who conducted the prosecution, would not recognize
the fact that any books were given and that the others
had been sold at a fair price; but tried to prove that
the set of Littell was worthless, also the theological
works, and that the French books were absolutely
vile and not fit to be in the library. In short he
claimed that Fairfiield had sold to the University a lot
of books which he wanted to get rid of because thejr
could be of no value to anyone. The evidence to
prove these ideas false was overwhelming, but none
are so blind as those that will not see, accordingly
Howe & Co. tried to cut down the chancellor's saE
ary to $1800, and so insure his resignation. Fair
field said at the time that he should never again make
the mistake of giving books to tbe University, and it
seems that he at last concluded to take back those her
had given and refund the money for those he had
sold. What wonder that C. K. Adams did not
care to become the head of this politician-cursecl
institution!
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