THE HESPERIAN.
UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA.
Vol. XV.
LINCOLN, NEB., JANUARY 15, 1887.
No. VIL
THEHESPERIAN
(HESPERIAN STUDENT.)
Issucd-scmi-monthly by the Hesperian Publishing Associ
ntion, of the University of Nebraska.
W. S. PERRIN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
ASSOCIATES:
P. F. CLARK, '87. FANNIE A. BAKER, '89.
A. H. BIGELOW, '87. C. S. LOBINGIER, '89.
Business Manager
C. V. Bigelow.
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"Address all communications to The Hesperian, University
of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
EDITORIAL NOTES.
There are few movements of immediate moment
which more deeply concern the people of these west
ern states than the general transportation question
with us the problem of railway control and manage
ment. The University has recognized the great im
portance of this question by making among the
elective studies, ample provision for a short but excel
lent study of this problem. The management of our
railways has been so flagrantly unjust toward our
farmers and shippers that the legislature has felt it
necessary to look into the matter. Now as a training
school for citizens this move on the part of the Uni
versity is much to be commended. We have furnish
ed our share of the legislators so far and they have
proven themselves worthy their Alma Mater. We
can soon promise even better trained and more widely
informed mn to All the responsible positions of state.
It is no small task for a college paper to undertake
.to voice the sentiment, the life, the needs of the stu
dents, yet that is undoubtedly its province, TheHES-
perian claims for itself the honor of representing
the students of the University of Nebraska, and is
therefore obliged to cry out once more against our
courses of study" as at present arranged. These'courses
without exception require of our students too many
hours of work. Professor and student alike are con
vinced of that fact. But this is especially true of
the Freshman year in the scientific course. The ex
cuse would seem to be that there are so many dis
tinct sciences of which the student must have some
knowledge, however imperfect, before he may possi
bly be accepted as a fit candidate for a degree; that,
under the circumstances, it seems necessary to crowd
him through this desultory work, allowing him after
ward the privilege of electing and specializing. The
opinion of a student is that it is little short of expos
ing a man of studious habits and somewhat trained
faculties to the danger on the one hand of destroying
forever the really extraordinary powers with which he
is endowed, or on the other hand, forcing him to
give up the true student habit. It is, in short, set
ting a premium on dullness and unscholarly methods
of study. The only way out of the difficulty is, of
course, to outline some three or four courses either of
which completed would entitle the candidate to the
degree of B.S. Eachot these courses would then,
as one must see at a glance, offer a specialty of either
Chemistry, or Geology, or other science as the case
may be, providing only such elementary work in
other lines as would be necessary to make the aspir
ant to a college degree a fit candidate in general cul
ture providing always great freedom and large op
portunity in the choice of electives. The fact that
this particular course is very heavy in number of
hours required, is moreover the reason for over-taxing
students in the other courses of study. Unless it
can show an equal number ofhours,of required work,
with the heaviest course outlined in the catalogue,
any course must appear light to the student . who
comes here to make the most of himself and get the
most that his opportunities and his circumstances will
allow. There is, then, the most urgent need of ac
tion in this matter,and we hope that in the interests of
our University and therefore of our 'students, that
such a revision may soon come.
At best newspaper work is unsatisfying. ' The
forced effort constantly demanded precludes the at-