THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
will finally crumble to pieces, as all institutions that
ait founded on a false principle. But in the mean
time do we want such a blot and stain upon our gov
ernment to remain until that time? But if anything
is done it must be done immediately.
One of the editors in an article in the Student es
timates Carlyle as "two-fiifths genius and three-fifths
sheer fudge." All we can say is, if he is "three-fifths
sheer fudge" let us pray for more like him. If fudge
consists in a hatred of all shams, an earnest love of
truth, let us have more fudge. Carlyle was one of
the pioneers who brought about the great revolution
which has swept over the world, which has renovated
literature, religion and the life of man. Before his
advent literature was but little better than an imatory
art, religion consisted principally of outward cere
monies, and the aim of man was to seem rather than
to be. He commenced a fierce attack and shouted
the "everlasting no." He pictured in bold colois
the evils of the day, abuse and insults were rained
upon him, but he kept steadily on. He directed his
blows against sham and appearance wherever he met
them, and insisted on the necessity of being true.
His efforts have uot been in vain, the truth and force
of his philosophy has been recognized; literature has
been revived, religion has ceased to be a form, and
has become a living reality, "the eyes of man," as
Julian Hawthorne says, "have been turned within,"
and he recognizes the fact that the highest aim is to
be, not to seem. Carlyle is one of the great factors
that accomplished the change. If fudge can do this,
then fudge is what the world wants.
and other expensive affairs which the individuals
would, never think of in their private capacities. The
expense is no small matter to most students. On the
other hand the society need cost very little, and its work
is the art of expressing in the most forcible manner
what we have already learned. In fact those who
heave gone through a University course usually say
that the society is worth one study throughout the
four years. There is, it is true, a third course open,
which, being the worst, is the one that will generally
be followed that of belonging to both. This neces
sitates a neglect of the work we are here to accom
plish. We do not mean one may not attend both the
society and thechapterand still stand well in his class;
but we do mean that he cannot do this and do the
best that is possible for him in his University work.
The Student has no odjection to fraternities as
fraternities; any thing which tends to bring the stu
dents into closer relations meets our hearty approval.
But there is a question as to whether fraternities ac
complish this end in the sense of bringing the great
est good to the greatest number whether the forma
tion of a clique will not destroy more friendship than
it creates. Frienship brought about in this way has
no regard to mental compatability, nor in fact to
anything but the sense of companionship in a few ex
clusive particulars, extravagance being too often
the main one. It is doubtful whether a friend
ship founded upon a feeling that unnecessary drafts
have been drawn upon the future or upon relatives
will be lasting, or tend toward good results. No
fathful student can afford more than one evening in
each week to social enjoyment. The question then
arises is the chapter more beneficial than the soci
ety? At the former the enjoyment consists in con
versation which, the members being exclusively mas
culine, is more than likely to degrade rather than el
evate. The interest must be eked out with banquets
The State Democrat seems to take an unwarantcd
degree of interest in the University. No misde
meanor or offence escapes its vigilant eye, and when
there are none of these, it has a habit of manufact
uring them out of whole cloth. The late articles on
Charter Day are examples. We might expect such
things from a back-woods country paper, which, for
lack of any thing else, is filled with slanders and lies,
but for a paper which pretends to be a state paper to
stoop as low as this is infinitely disgusting. The
Democrat adds apologetically that the first article was
only intended as a joke to get .up a litte excitement.
If the Democrat has so little brains in its staff that it.
has to have recourse to such stuff as this for a joke,
we advise it to emigrate to Custer County (where it
properly belongs) and become the County paper,
where it will have the patronage of cow-boys who,
possibly, can appreciate such jokes. The Dem
ocrat has always done all it could to injure the Uni
versity. Last year, when an entertainment was given
by the students on Charter Day, which was approved
by the faculty, the Democrat suddenly became very
moral, and actually discovered some things that
shocked it. Such cases of moral discrimination are
very rare. The Democrat characterized the perform
ance as "disgraceful" and unfit to be repeated before
decent people. This was absolutely false, as there
was nothing in it that would shock the moral sensi
bilities of the most refined person. The ambition of
the Democrat seems to be to blacken and ruin the
reputation of the University all it can. A laudable
ambition certainly. It is a pity that the Democrat
could not reserve the high degree of morality it some
times attains to, for daily use, but doubtless it is of
such an etherial character that it vanishes as soon as
it reaches the air. But at least we would like to have
the Democrat confine itself to facts. If it only tells
these, we will not complain.