THE HESPERIAN STUDJENT.
and the north pole the Student will stop grumbling
about the cold chapel. There arc many barns in the
city warmer than our chapel, showing that the pro
prietors care more for their stock than does the Uni
versity for her students. It is certainly cruelty to
ask students to go to daily worship in such a room as
this. The Student sincerely hopes that the legisla
ture will not compel the students to sit in this cold
room for two more years when the extra heating ex
penses at present over that of steam would pay for
the steam apparatus in two or three years.
From the present indications it would seem that
the interests of the people in general, and the Univer
sity in particular will be served by the present legis
ature better than by previous bodies. And before many
days we hope to see a bill matured that will give us
all that we can desire in the way of appropriations, for
we verily believe that if some of our law-makers and
money dispensers were to come into our chapel one
of these moderately cold morning sthey would try and
devise some more practical method of heating our
building. Few even of the recitation rooms arc
comfortably warm, and we would like the legislature
take cognizance of these health destroying in
fluences to which the students and instructors are
exposed.
he Indents' gwtp go oh,
THE HUSH QUESTION.
The partially successful attempt to wreck some of tho
government buildings in England will probably revive
the attacks of Iho English press on the freedom of agita.
- tors ir. this country to threaten and talk as long as they
) see fit provided only they do not violate pcisonal rights.
Freedom of speech lias been so long held up as one of
the inviolable rights of all American citizens that our
people, and our press reflecting thoir opinions, are apt to
consider any discussion of the matter even, as rank
horesy. "While however, tho position of the English press
in looking to America for protection against criminals
in her capital is certatuly absurd, the question raised
should not be ignored in the judicial manner so often
assumed. Freedom of speech is a right only as long aB
the greatest good to the greatest number is tho result of
itsexoieisc. Wc have laws even now against the use of
obscene language and against profanity because such
tilings are disagreeable to tho majority of men and lor no
other reu8on since tho stato lias never assumed the right to
regulate wrongs wholly personal. If then the use of vio
lent and threatening language can he shown to result un
favorably to tho best interests of tho country, which Is of
courdo the majority of the country it follows of necessity
that it is in the reacji of legislative regulation.
What then, is the tiffect of tho bombardment of words that
somo of Eugland's enemies aro carrying on ugalnst her
from the safe distance of America, on our own citizens?
It has passed into a truism that as a nation wo are exceed.
ingly nervous and excitable; it follows that wo arc easily
led away by plausible theorists if only the carrying out
their theories does not rest with ns. In tills latter case
tho strong common sense of tho average American may
bo depended upon to hold li'mi to a rational course of
action; but if wc are only asked to approve and help in
ditectly as by money or influence on others, their is
nothing too wild to find supporters among us. Ireland's
wrongs and the patriotism of tho Irish lias been a text so
long preached from, and the implied accompaniment of
opposition to England is at the bottom so acceptable to
Americans that there arc few in this country who do not
side with the Emerald Isle in a greater or less degree.
Willi this basis of approval which, however worthy its ob
ject, is in general founded on a thorough ignorance of the
whole matter, it is only too easy to go on to approval of
methods whech are supported bj thoso who represent
Irish patriotism. Their reasoning is plain these men
nre patriots they approve of these methods therefore
these methods are the right ones.
All these things lead to a loose habit of regarding
things from too general a stand point. Our national love
of exciting events assists tho tendency and vo come to
look upon crime as a toleration if it is in England and
is supported by the adjective "patriotic;" this frame of
mind cann l but lesson respect for law and for the
sacrcducss of human life.
The rabidly patriotic Irish press of the country may
well bo placed in the same list with tho yellow backed
novel and the "fain ly" weekly with this much more to
thoir discredit that they openly advocate and approve
real crime and bloodshed, the destruction of tho ignorant
and innocent as well as tho wise and guilty, while in the
works of flctlou tho blood and suffering does not get out
side tho glaring covers.
OAltTHAOE.
On a lonely promontory, inhabited by tho jackal and
hyena in brute and, human form, tiie chance traveller, dos
tallied by storms sees in tho unnatural regularity of the
atone fragments surrounding him, somo symytoms that
a higher civilization has hero passed away and perhaps
moralizes to himself on tho evanescence of earthly
things. The ruins of a great city are hero hidden
by tho thin deposit of a few momenta of old earth's exis
tence, and seated on somo timossmoothed fragments, hal
lowed by memories forever lost, time becomes the
fancy's field of vision and tho imagination shows pictures
which take tho place of the grolesquo confusion around
like a faithful ci-rrlcr dovo it brings our traveller mes
sages from beyond the gulf his gross body cannot pass.
It tells him of human energy materialized In massive
walls, of graceful fancies realized in shapely temples and
of stern thought symbollized In yot sterner and harsher
forms. It paints for Us mental vision busy crowds of
happy people with their thoughts and feeling, with their
passions and longings so like our own and yet further re
moved than tho inhabitants of tho faintest star which tele-'
graplis us of Its exlslenco on an oyer qvlvorlng ray of
light, lint, regardless of tlme.thc higher thought and
kindly deeds of that pooplo so Ung since mingled with
tho scanty vegetation covering thoir once beautiful homo
are a part of tho civilization of which wo aro tho result;