THE HESPERIAN,
UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA.
Vol. XIV.
LINCOLN, N Fill., JUNE i, 1SS6.
No. XVI.
CURRENT REMARK.
Now that the mud has dried up wc can, without being ac
cused of having lost rubbers, complain about the poor cross
ings of the city. Certainly, no place that pretends to be an
enterprising city could have a more horrible lot of street-crossings;
and if Lincoln does not wake up she will deserve the
name of "small village."
The practice of 'doctoring" up everything has become so
common that one can place no dependence in anything. Ev
ery contest, whether of brain or muscle, is said to be fixed.
Some people have so completely lost faith that they claim the
base ball games of the Western League have been "fixed"
so that the Lincoln nine will not get so badly beaten. Of
course this is not true; but it docs show that according to prac
tice such an arrangement is to be expected.
The Ohio state senate is just now in a predicament quite
unique. The Democratic senators, consisting of a majority,
have refused to attend the sessions of that body, thus leaving
the assembly without a quorum. The cause of this unexpect
ed action is, the Democrats allege, that a scheme has been con
cocted between the president of the senate and the Republi
can members, according to which contesting members were to
be given the positions for which they were striving, whether
or not they were entitled to the places. In default of a better
remedy, the Democrats have left the president with a number
too small to transact any basincss, and have issued a mani
festo explaining their actions to the people. We await with
interest further developments in this queer contest.
It is but fair to mention here the improvements now being
made by the city. We have before joined in the general cla
mbrlor paved streets, good sidewalks and a system o sewer
age, and have said that Lincoln would be far behind the times
ii these improvements were not soon begun. The question
of paving is being agitated, and the measures necessary for
the work are now being taken. A system of sewerage is a
thing of the near future. The Waring system has been adop
ted by the council as the most efficient and perfect system
available here, and an election has been called for June 26th
tqvotc bonds for its immediate construction. There is little
or no danger of the people of this city voting against an im
provement so greatly needed and so soon to become a necess
ity' The decrease of denominational prejudice between the dif
erent divisions of the christian church is most gratifying to
those who have at heart the spread of the christian religion.
The frequent union meetings and exchange of pulpits shows a
growing fraternal feeling between ministers of the gospel
which caneot fail to benefit both the pastor and the church.
The time h,a been when the feeling between certain de
sdAinatioBS was almost fierce in its vehemence and neither
iect would believe any good of the other. True Christianity
is not possible where such animosities exist, and the churches
have begun to realize it. A committee has lately been ap.
pointed to adjust the diflurences between the northern and
southern branches of the Methodist church. At the recent
Southern Baptist Conference speeches were made regretting
the division in that church and hoping for a speedy reconcilia
tion. So the good work goes on, and we may soon hope to
sec all sectarian strife cease. It is perhaps well that the dif
ferent denominations exist but let there be more harmony be
tween them, and let them work in common for the same end,
the elevation of humanity.
An nccount of a recent debate between deaf mutes brings
to mind the wonderful progress made in the education of this
unfortunate class. It is not many years since a deaf mute was
considered almost an idiot, and no pains were taken to teach
him anything. Then, a person born deaf and dumb, though
every other faculty was perfect, lived a life but little better
than the dog, with which, perhaps, the mute had a better un
derstanding than with those of his owrrkind. Now, thanks to
the benificent hand of Science and her humane investigators,
these unfortunates arc severally fitted for an active, useful life.
The difficulties to be overcome in this training arc not at
first so apparent. But when wc considci how long it must
take even to produce in the mind of the pupil an idea of what
a word is, and how, after that fundamental idea is fixed, a
conception of the relation between objects and the arbitrary
signs necessarily used to represent them must be so slowly
imparted, then it is that wc begin to realize the arduous na
ture of the task. Many noble men and women arc devoting
their lives to this work, and though their labors arc not appre
ciated by the general public, the thousands whom they have
freed from the thralldom of this misfortune will rise up and
call them blessed.
Some persons when writing under a nom de plume become
exceedingly brave and consider themselves privileged to crit
icise as unfairly as they please. The University correspon
dent of the Capital City Courier seems to be of this descrip
tion. In a recent batch of items there were two which are
calculated to cast slurs upon the University and its Chancellor.
That referring to the Chancellor was especially unjust, and we
are surprised that any student should express himself in such
a manner. The absences of the Chancellor have been cither
on account of sickness or of business connected with the Uni
versity, and in cither case the affairs of the University have not
been allowed to suffer. Neither have these absences been so
frequent nor so extended as the Courier correspondent would
have it appear. The statement that there are "nearly as
many professors and tutors as students" is too absurd to be
believed but will ncvcitheless give a stranger a poor idea of
the institution and its work. As long as half of the classes
have to be divided into two divisions in order to accommodate
the number of students, we have small reason to complain of
a surplus of instructors. We are glad to see the papers of the
city contain University news but hope that in the future mis
statements and exaggerations of the defects of the University
will be excluded. - '
A CIRCUS TICKET FREE WITH EVERY SUIT AT MAYER BROS., ion ST CLOTHIERS,
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