THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
if they have to and it is the business of the faculty to
see that they are not allowed to shirk.
The cheerful clatter of the lawn mower is at last
heard upon the campus. With that love of industry
so noticeable in the laborers of the college, the jani
tor immediately upon its arrival added a seat to the
machine in order to give the equine animal who pre
cedes it something to do; now he may be seen with
his broad brimmed hat at an angle of forty-five de
grees with the horizon and his face aglow with exer
cise driving the prancing Pegasus up and down the
various geometrical figures which compose our front
yard. At this rate Nebraska will soon outstrip her
eastern sisters.
The "State Journal" is one of the fairest papers
in the state when speaking of University matters, but
one of its reporters went sadly astray in telling of
the departure of the cadets for Milford. The mis
representation was doubtless funny to any one that
knew it was a lie, but those who depended only on
the "Journal" for what they knew of the occurrence
were justified in being scandalized. It was simply
an assinine attempt at humor such as the "Journal"
does not often permit to enter its columns and we
wish to advise it, in a kind of fatherly way, to be
more careful in future.
If this number of the Student is mostly filled with
growling at the various inperfections of the Univer
sity and its methods, it must be attributed not so
much to the deficiencies of the institution as to the
fact that the editors are enjoying exami nation week
and are not in the happiest possible frame of mind.
Of course it is not right that the editors as individuals
should obtrude their troubles on public notice but in
this case theirs are the ills of the student world and
they but voice the feelings of all. From experience
we know that it will be a comfort to see anything
ill-natured on any subject whatever.
In spite of the remarks that have been made in the
high places of the University, there is no reason why
a College Annual should not be a source of benefit to
the institution from which it is published as well as
advantageous to those concerned in its preparation.
There is no other way so convenient and so cheap, ol
keeping in mind the various transactions of the col
lege year. Of course a University scrap book will
supply this need to a certain extent; but the publica
tions of the papers do not show that vital interest in
the University which shines in every page of the true
college annual. And then in the one case the stu
dent gets by constant watching, toil, and expense
what in the other only demands a slight expense and
is a much better form for preservation.
It is often said by an essayist or a debater that lack
of time prevents him from alluding to a certain point.
Generally such an observation is useless and takes up
time which were much better employed in some oth
er way. When a manhas a five minutes speech to
make it is not expected that he will give a lecture,
and he will be judged not by what he has to leave out
but by what he gets in. There arccertainof the most
pominent ideas in presenting any subject which
can be expressed in the time at his disposal, whatev
er it may be. If the point he omits be one of these,
his statement that he must leave it out means simply
that he has failed in making selection, which is one
of the most common failings; if the idea be not one
of those most important ones that could be be ex
pressed, it is superfluous to make any mention of it.
A certain judge before whom Aaron Burr tried many
cases, said that that great lawyer could so wind up a
jury in five minutes that it took him half an hour
from the bench to straighten them out. It is not
time but ability that we lack, and if we must public
ly call attention to our short-comings it would be
more manly as well as more truthful to say, "Owing
to my lack of ability thee other important points
will have to be omitted."
Prof. Adams of Johns Hopkins University in
speaking of methods of historical study thinks that in
using the cooperative plan it is better that the stu
dents should give the result of their independent
work to the class by means of lectures, rather than
by themes. His idea is that themes are more apt to
be compiled, and that a class gets sleepy while listen
ing to to the monotonous reading of an historical re
hash. The experience of the classes here confirms
this view; and the inclination on the part of some of
the students to turn their lectures into themes is one
that ought to be checked. One can add to a theme
page by page, working up one point after another,
and so get together a large mass of matter without be
ing compelled to grasp the whole subject at once.
He may even make a very good synopsis of the theme
in the same piecemeal manner, whereas if he had to
get all the ideas into his head in a systematic manner,
so that he could depend upon being able to give them
impromptu to his auditors in their logical order, it
would be much more certain that he had mastered
his subject. Another part of such drill might be
rather severe cross-questioning by the professor on
any points that he may think are vulnerable. After
spending a month or two in special study on any
point the student ought to be able to defend against
all comers the most importaut assertions that he may
make; and to know that he will have to do so will
make him more thorough in his preparation, and
more circumspect in his statements.
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