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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1887)
THE H&SPEkiA AT. -a t i thought, and sublime fancy place him high in the ranks of our English poets. Shelley lived at a time when conventionalism and ignorance still retained their hold upon England. His passionate na ture caused him to exaggerate the corruption in the social and political life ol England. He saw in the lives of those about him nothing genuine; all was sham and hypocrisy. At school, in society, even in the church, fashion ruled; vice and prej udice abounded everywhere. His individuality of genius lor bade acquiescence in the customs of his day. The cardinal characteristic of his nature was antagonism to all shams and conventions. He loved liberty; he loathed intolerance. His sincerity made him despise the falsity of the world. But he had no faculty for compromise; he had no perception of the blended truths and falsehoods, through which the mind of man must win its way into clearness and knowledge. All customs seemed wrong to him: and in his aspiration for an ideal he would have levelled the present customs with the ground, and built anew on their ruins. Baneful and beneficial alike must perish. His audacity hurled defiance at the tyranny and in justice of the times. Those who, even today, arc slaves to the petty tyrants 'ashionamTcustom, cannot appreciate the great soul of Shel ley. He was too true to pretend, too brave to fear. He did not hesitate to denounce wrong, though all England opposed him. "Love," he argued, isllfe law of the universe; by it should men be governed, rather than by enslavement and ty ranny. He demanded intellectual freedom, and revolted against the harsh rules that governed the education of youth. Because he thought there was no truth in society he left it; because he imagined that the church had forsaken the paths of purity and justice, he forsook it. Yet his rebellion was -not agaiast social relations, nor religion. It was the protest of one true heart against social and national hypocrisy; it was knowledge against ignorance and superstition; it was liberty against despotism. Can you say that Shelley was not right? Shelley's life was indissolubly joined to his poetry, so that it was impossible to contemplate the one without the other. Many attempts have been made to write a consistent life of him, but until recently, in vain. As well might one try to fol low a wild bird. Hewaslearnedryet an irregular student; his heart -was full of sympathy, but he abjured society: he was erratic, yet we constantly find him contradicting hiswild the ories by his life. He was no atheist. He opposed the church, but not relig ion. The church was corrupted with vice, greed, and tyranny hidden beneath the garb of so-called righteousness. It was the outgrowth of the mediaeval church, the church that burnt and tortured saints. Shelley saw its corruption and in tolerance, and fearlessly attacked its wickedness. But he could not be an atheist. His mind could not conceive of a universe without god. All seemed pervaded by that supreme Being. His religion was love love in all the relations of life, in friendship and in philanthropy. He breathed this gentle spirit into his poetry. Amidst bold imagery and profusion of beautiful language, we see a sublime conception of God. In delivery Miss White was excellent, the thought being made distinct by her clear, well-trained voice. After the withdrawal of the judges, Miss Clara Cramphurn presented the "Death of Hypatia" with a great deal of feeling and dra matic power. Strong in every passage, Miss Cramphorn rose to'thc fullest appreciatioaof the pathos and grandeur in the real death passage, and gave a reality and power to the nar ration which even its warmest admirers had as yet, failed to, see. After Miss Chamberlain had exquisitely sung "Thou .art mine all," the decision of the judges, Mrs. H. H. Wilson, and Messrs. N. Z. Snell and S. D. Cox, was announced, awarding first priac to Cora E. White and second to Roscoe Pound. COMPETITIVE 11RIM.S. The competitive drills ot Tuesday, exhibited better training than ever before and the large number of spectators testified to the fact that interest in this department is increasing. The successful competitors were as follows: Infantry: Flag, won by company B. Sword and belt, awarded to Capt. Webber. Gold medal for best individual drill, F. II. Woods, Co. A; silver medal, second best, Chas. Newcomer, Co. B. Artillery: Guidon, awarded to Co. B detachment. GolJ medal for best individual drill, J. U. Schofield of Co. A; sil vcr medal next best, Harry Hicks, Co. B. COMMENCEMENT CONCERT. The department of music gave its annual concert in the chapel, Tuesday evening, June 14th. Under the able direction of Miss Cochran good work has been done dur ing the past year which was well shown by the excellent pro gtam presented. COMMENCEMENT DAY. At 9:45a. m., Wednesday, June 15th, the cadet band, headed a procession of students to the Opera House, where had already assembled a large audience. After the invoca tion the University Chorus sang the "Soldier's Chorus" from Faust. The Senior representatives of the different courses had elected their own representatives as speakers on the pro gram, as there were too many to permit all to speak. Mr. Paul Clark, of the Literary course, presented AMERICAN ARISTOCRACY. The ink is slowly fading out from the parchment on which was written the declaration of independence. But long be fore it becomes illegible-the idea of that document will have been forgotten; its mighty underlying principles will be no longer recognized. Men may be created equal, but they do not continue so one hour after they .are placed in the quicken ing tide of modern life. We are livjng in the midst of an ar istocracy more potent than any in aristocratic Europe. The aristocracy that is now exerting a mighty influence upon Am erican society is one of wealth. The characteristic of our peo ple is the love of money. He who possesses it is an auto crat. It is the only introduction needed into society. It is true that men are continually rising from poverty to riches, thus doing away to a certain extent with the danger of a per petual aristocracy. But is it not true that fewer and fewer are rising each year? Is not the influence of the man of money increasing steadily as the years roll on? JThe accumulation of wealth is becoming hereditary. Can we not find a clue to the labor troubles in thii system of aristocracy? In Europe the condition of the laborer is better today than it has ever been before. In America labor has has not been advanced or made more respectable than it was a century ago. We hear a great deal about the conflict hctwecn labor and capital, but this conflict will never cease so long as wealth is worshipped, as long as money will buy social standing and political privi leges. Perhaps no people are free from some class of aristoc racy. This is to be deplored for it is difficult to conceive of any claims.that one class of people have over another The seed has been sown, and has sprung up into a vigorous. plant which will soon burst into full bloom. It is our duty to use every endeavor to 'counteract this, If we must live "under a system of caste, ilet itbe one that has more of a foundation of right and justice, and is less fraught with danger to thejgov- sU&lJTMIIJ&LJttlSiJBWn'I'n-'l J-fltT'11 1 'onnTiflTnir-riTinrinnr