THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
A writer in the "Edinburgh Review" for January
takes up the cudgels against Herbert Spencer and his
philosophy, the occasion being that of a new edition
of the "First Principles." It was to be hoped that
the antiquated. methods of criticism by misinterpre
tation and misquotation had, become obsolele. Such
reviews do no harm to those acquainted with the
works reviewed but they do prevent many from in
vestigating really meritorious theories. Mr. Spencer
is the first man who attempted to formulate the exact
meaning of the word "evolution" in its scientific
sense and while he may not have succeeded perfectly
he certainly did not fail entirely; he set an example
of consistant and accurate thought which the reviewer
would do well to imitate.
Our Chancellor is finding work to do for the Uni
versity moie important than that done in the class
room. His energetic efforts to render the educational
system of the state a systematc whole are deserving
of most abundant success. As he said at the State
Teacher's Association "the University is suspended
in the air, and the common school remains stuck in
the mud;" while, as he might have added, the back
stairs plan of a preparatory department is sublimely
inconvenient for all. It is hard work to get a whole
state interested in any particular thing, and it is still
more difficult to get it to move forward so that the
advance is perceptible, but Chancellor Manatt and
his able coadjutors seem to be making a decided
impression. If they succeed, as they seem liable to
do, Nebraska's educational system will all come out
of the mud together, and before very long the people
of Lincoln will wake up some fine morning to find
that the University is of as much importance to the
city as the capitol itself.
Society is still worshiping the hero known as
the "good fellow." The "good fellow" is some
thing of an anomaly and needs examination. . Some
perhaps would like to know what are the steps to
arrive at such a pitch of greatness. As his character
is somewhat complex, we shall have time only to
name a fiew of the leading traits. In the firsl, place
earnestness and seriousness are undesirable. These
destroy that careless, easy manner that is so captiva
ting. Again too nice a conscience is in the way, for
as it is his office to be popular, it is necessary that he
should have some of the weaknesses of men, so that
he can have something in common with them. He
must be liberal to those who in turn will be libeial to
him. He must be generous, that is in that kind of
generosity that costs no selftsacrifice. He may be
selfish, narrow, niggardly in his inward life, but he
treatsi his friends lavishly, though of course he knows
they will'Teturn the compliment. In fact this phe
nomenon is a typification of selfishness and artifici
ality. Finally as the term "good fellow" is used
apologetically, as if to palliate the offence of his
not being better, so he is an excuse rather than a
positive quantity.
Now that Queen Victoria approaches the age of
three-score and ten and may be expected soon to pay
the debt of nature and be gathered to her fathers,
Americans begin to wonder whether the English peo
ple will continue to hold up a mediocre person to rep
resent the government while the duties of his office
are fulfilled by another and capable man. As the
people now appreciate that public economy is very
much the same thing as private economy, it will be
strange if they continue to spend several millions of
pounds each yearto support in luxury one of the least
useful personsinthe kingdom. In the case of Queen
Victoria her utility in the elevated position which she
now occupies may be explained as that of a pattern
or model for English housewives, and it must be con
fessed that many of them, under the benignant in
fluence of her example have equalled and even exceed
ed their model; but if accounts are true Mr. Wettin,
otherwise known as Prince Albert, does not possess
the domestic virtues so long advertised as belonging
to his mother. In fact it would be far from advan
tageous to England to have the rising generation
make this exalted pcasonage their hero. Now under
these circumstances ifewould, perhaps, be advisable
for Albert to turn his attention to literature; he may
reasonably hope to inherit some of his mother's geni
us as a writer which, if we may judge from the sale
her few works have met with, is very great. In fact
we should be surprised if he could not write ai well
as the Queen herself without any practice. We think
this matter worthy of the Prince's careful attention
in case the people of England decide to do without
an ornamental figure-head in future.
(J
Horace Greeley speaks of the head adorning the
American dollar and some other of our corns as ''the
unmeaning figurewhich (because of its cap) is now uu
derstood to image and body forth Liberty. ' ' This
remark suggests a question whether some other util
ity than that of easy recognition might not beadded
to the images on our coins. Some European nations
have already set us the example by making the dies to
represent the man at the head of the government at
the time of coinage, and there seems no reason why
our coins of each year should not bear the features of
of the acting president. Aside from the adpropriate
ness of stamping the head of the nation, so to speak,
on its circulating medium, there is a real advantage
in the custom as a historical record. Our age has
BMPPJM