Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885, March 15, 1887, Page 7, Image 7
161 f I rT HESPERIAN. .1 A i - m N i " J When I was a boy and heard tales of fairies, I envied them their lot and wished that I might be among them and be hap py, kittle thought I that still more divine and delightful be ings existed upon this mundane sphere, to mingle among whom would be both possible and heavenly. It was my visit to the U. of N. that apprised me of that fact and 1 now en joy those raptures which I so often longed for in my youth but had never hoped to enjoy. It is true that to attempt to de scribe the representatives of the fair sex who arc crowded in our University halls would be as an attempt to gild a spark ling diamond, yet I cannot restrain from saying that if there ever existed any beings ravishingly delightful, divinely beau tiful, those beings arc excelled by U. of N. girls. Geo. M. S. EXCHANGE. A new Exchange, the Butler Collegian, is on our table. The locals are constantly reiterating 'confidentially approxi mate.' Wonder if it refers to prof, tutor or soph. The College Cut rent speaks of two interesting events at the university: advent of the mumps and an old fashioned "spcl lin' bee." The first has honored us, and we arc in hopes of being able to announce soon, "Spellin' Bee: Seniors vs. Sec ond Preps." Crescent, you would verify your name better if you put more preparation and hard work into your productions, in stead of trusting entirely to ready wit. Off-hand writing is an art acquired mly after years of labor. A high school journal should not attempt it. Wc notice quite a flow of genius in the last number of the Campus. One of the students has written an epic of four cantos after the manner of Dante, upon which we congratu ate the Campus. We shall no longer have need to delve in to the Italian intricacies when we have such a wonder in our own language. The Ariel and Dartmouth are always welcome to our ta blc. Though the last issue of the latter was too local to be of interest to us, the former makes up this deficiency by an especially complete number. Among the best is an article on 'Gladstone and Tennyson." In spite of the difficulties of the antithetic style, the writer has handled the subject well; the thoughts are good, and the whole forms a very read able article. Wc find an apparently sky-scraping article on the "Desire for Power" in the Muhlenburg Monthly. From the title and a few of the high sounding words a io-ycar old child might think it wonderful. But upon closer inspection into such ex pressions as "wealth, the mental rudder of man," and the farfetched comparisons between a college student and an in fant, our awe would speedily subside and we could but think that he, comparing very favorably with the said infant, needs 'power to write something besides fustian or keep his pen on the stand. When will our college papers learn that they are not pub ished to fill up so many columns am' pages, but to instruct and interest their readers? A paper is not so large, nor is an ordinary student's mental capacity so small that he is obliged to go hunting all over the world for old love ditties, adven tures of circus men, or s. s. stories in order to fill its columns. What we want is matter belonging to the 19th century and of intcrestto students. Some in order to avoid this extreme go to the other and fill every column with locals or jokes, inter esting only at that time and place. Why can wc not find the golden mean and not send out such weak representatives of our colleges? What is the matter with the poetical genius of the Varsi ty Has his best girl gone back on him? Has he received luns from his washerwoman? Or did he flunk in the last exam, that he should warble forth such plaintive mclo.1i..s? They have such a woebegone, heart smashing, tear drench ing passion that wc feel bound to offer condolence of some kind. What shall it be, a lump of taffy or a new tie? Fearing the change would be too sudden for his health wc offer more moderate soothing syrup: "Cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining, Thy fate is the common fate of all." The engrossing topic now is "examinations." Our e changes arc eloquently expatiating on the evils of the sys tern in such a manner as to threaten the safety of this drag on. O, that it were forever banished from poor, suffering hu manity! Our educational system has been in process of evolution for centuries. Gradually it has been pruned and changed un til now it has become the most practical system for develop ment ever attained. However, there are some relics of the past generation, which in future ages will be entirely abolish ed and forgotten. One of these is the cxamiuat on system. This is an unmitigated evil, retained from a narrow sense of conservatism throughout the majority of colleges. Its evil results arc widespread. It robs time from both professor and student. If wc could compute the titm. wasted in cramming, examining papers, grading etc., we should be shocked at its enormity. It is urged that a faithful student has no need of cramming. We have often heard of such but fail to sec them. Look at the goody-goody boy who says "I do not dread the exam." Sec if he don't look deceitful! Then look at him again about 2 o'clock in the morning and if you don't find him with his head bound up in cold water, study ing at the rate of 100 pages an hour you may know that he has his cuffs all fixed or a few well covered cards in his pock et. How many students are there who can with six or seven studies, themes, society work, etc, be prepared to pass an ex am on three months wo;k without any reviewing? The old custom was that final reviews should precede the examina tions. When we have eschewed the one, why not banish the other? The time spent in cramming is lost. It is not like a systematic review, which fixes in mind more clearly the im portant points, omitting the less prominent ones. In order to review a term's work in a day or two a very superficial glance is all that can be given to any of the subjects So all alike is recalled for the next day, but immediately afterwards forgotten. Of what profit is this? Only the consolation he can obtain from the highest marks. How few really consider for what we are striving in this mad race for 98 and 99! How much worry is spent on the thought of some one else recciv ing a higher mark, and if it were really known there is an immense amount of childish feeling over being excelled. Hence the no less conscientious students in order to attain success have no scruples about ponies, etc. Should this go on? What is the system compared to the temptation? If the university does not exert an entirely moral influence it does not come up to the required standaid. ' Examinations originated in order to test and grade the pu pil. A true test they are not. Why should they longer ex ist? From a thorough system of review they have degenerat ed into a system of cram which is most injurious to the mind, inducing superficial knowledge and forcing so much at once upon the mind that it is not trained but stupefied. Cannot some other system be substituted? Many students anticipating the examinations, pay little at- i-?4i W 'I it