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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1888)
8 THE HESPERIAN EXCHANGE BRIC-A-BRAC Student Lift, for January, is an exceedingly tiresome sheet. The January Sintpsonicn for solid literary merit compares very favorably with any we have received. The University Courier, formerly one of our brightest and most enterprising exchanges, has sadly degenerated. Wc must compliment the Cresttnt upon its neat appear ance. Can't you put some backbone into your literary matter? The December number of the Washburn Arey indicates that that paper possesses considerable of the right kind of en terprise. The IVesleyan speaks a good word for us. Thanks. Wc are sorry wc cannot, at present, return the compliment, but we will carefully watch lor an opportunity. TttR Hesperian is reminded by an exchange editor that it prints too much local matter. Dear sir with our compli mentsthis publication is issued in the interest of the students of the U. of N. Wc are always open to sincere criticism, but you should know, without being reminded by us, that your opinion of what interests you is a very small concern of ours. The last OttiJent devotes a couple of pages to a thrilling discussion of the question concerning whether Alexander the Great was a Greek or a barbarian. Aside from several un kind cuts which the author has dealt the King's English wc find no special fault with the article itself. Hut to us it is a sure indication of intellectual verdancy to sec a man ex patiite on the glory and grandeur of ancient Greece and Rome, Candidly we must say that we were surprised to receive a number of the Laserentum, which we can conscientiously com pliment. Very little of the matter printed by any of our ex changes is worth reading, but wc notice in the above men tioned paper a very neat letter, supposed to have been writ ten by a greenhorn. Some of its editorial paragraphs also exhibited more than the ordinary amount of intelligence shown by writers of college editorials. There is a very cheeky and noisy little sheet printed clown at Topeka. Only by courtesy can wc speak of it as a college paper. We hare looked it through very carefully once or twice we are sorry to say and do not blame the students of Washburn College for refusing to support it. Nevertheless it "yaups" away at the K. S. U. in its imbecile way, as though it were enjoying life to the fullest extent. We sug gest that it be choked off and sent home to its mamma. It is a source of some pleasure to us to note that the Mes sathorea for January is a little belter than usual. Hut there is a certain flavor of mustiness about its literary articles that pains us. We suggest that rericles be given a rest. The article under the caption "The Raven" betrays an astonish ing ignorance concerning that poem and its author. Send us a self directed envelope and a stamp, and we'll get one of our preps to mail you some reliable information about "The Raven" and its place in literature. The professors of the Kansas State Agricultural College arc issuing a paper which they call the Industrialist. For just what purpose they go to so much trouble is a conundrum. It was always our belief that if profs wish to remain sur rounded by a halo of respect and reverence in the minds of students they had better not show what they can do in the way of editing a college paper. Perhaps the Manhattan students cannot get up a belter paper, but wc have some curiosity to see them try; for the JnJus triatitt as now managed is of no particular account to anybody. In other words, while it is very good in its way, the way is an exceedingly poor one. An exchange fears that the spirit of criticism in colleges is becoming a chronic disorder and will soon develop into com plete pessimism. The questions most naturally arising from such a statement are: Can we wonder at it? Do not the visible fruits of our college life demand it? It is quite true that college days are our happiest and best. Hut it is also tree perhaps from that very fact that college woik is made naaalural and artificial. A college man lives in the midst of books and theories. His essays treat almost universally of tfcisgs and aaen of a distant time and another life. His ora tioac deal only with the "ifs" and "whens" of the dreamer's fancies. He cannot be practical. When he graduates he feels Bswch as Monte Cristo did when he exclaimed thai the world was his. Two years later he has learned that he don't know as much as a Freshman. The moral is, perhaps, that we should beg'n work at the other end of the curriculum. The Volatile for January is a genuine surprise. Hcing of the west ourselves, wc take the greatest pleasure in com plimenting this waif of the cow country upon its general ex cellence. Dear girls, you of the Monthly wc mean although you take exception to lcing paternally addressed, wc think that wc know the reason why; when you arc older you will ap preciate our reason, though wc do not print it here. Wc are glad you have no 'bums." Wc arc also glad you feel no sign of premature decay. Hut the latter feeling does not necessarily appear as one of the symptoms of big-head. Wc would like to !top here, but your vague ideas concerning the relative site of your paper need bracing up. Any printer will tell you that Thk Hesperian contains twice as much reading matter each month, lacking only one column, as the Monthly, This entirely ignores the question of quality, for which you should be devoutly thankful. You should appre ciate the gallantry of the chivalrous gentleman of the Rainbler. If criticism were made to take place of the "twaddle" in his own exchange column he might rise alwc the position of a mere toady to a lot of tolerably bright girls. The Ctmus calls us a chronic kicker and suggests that wc leave out our "Direct Pointers." If wc possessed those im material and ethereal attributes which characterize that sheet, wc might listen to us suggestion. Hut, friend, being entirely a creature ol this earth, and receiving to cents a line for that matter, wc prefer to continue printing it, although we will probably some day sec the mistake wc make in not act ing upon your advice. Yes, wc are a kicker. Wc believe that it is one of our first duties to kick, and contin ic kicking, on such miserable little sheets as the one from Jamestown College. Its editorial beard consists of eight men no, loys, -and it is issued once a month. With all this opportunity to make a good paper, its last number is ocr half reprint. Not content with that it shoves in nearly two columns of the rankest, rockiest ol all the rotten chestnuts now afloat. Now, dear boys, wc arc wasting considerable space on you, but it is from friendly motives. Don't say "kicker" to your letters when you print so much rot yourscll. Hracc up and goto woik, ana you may yet emerge irom your present insignm cant position. In the last University Review wc noticed a short defense of the men who were executed in Chicago on the 1 1 th of No vember. We cannot repress a word on the subject. It is too common a thing nowadays to undertake a defense of men who have died in a bad cause. The men referred to are called reovlutionists and arc compared in a perfectly serious way to Socrates of old and to John Brown. Wc believe this to be a thoughtless comparison. Of course everybody knows of the various social movements now in progress, and of the very decided way in which they are leing favored by the best thinkers of the age. But to our mind it is in the high est degree absurd to think for a moment of classing the Chi cago "anarchists" with social reformers. No man can do it who knows anything of the evidence produced by the prose cution at their trial. It is astonishing that men should rise up to defend or justify such unblushing advocates of law breaking, violence and murder. The first duty any man owes to himself or to society is to he a law abiding citizen. It was the boast of these worthless characters that they owed alleg iance to no government or society. The truth is that they did not, nor could not, represent the principles of social reform let alone the cause of the laboring classes. All but one were foreign born. They came to the only free land on earth, and, just because they could do so unmolested, preached the abolition of property rights, marriage laws and religious beliefs. These institutions may not accord with an ideal state of society, but violence is not necessary to reform and improve them. The only principles which Spies and Parsons did represent are those of ignorance, inebriety and profli gacy. Their struggle was not to attain an4deal state of so ciety; it was the contest of shiftless idleness and reckless hoodiumism against law, older, industry and the restraints that prevent liberty from meaning unbridled license. The laws of the United States may not grant enough lilcrty to American citizens, but, w ithout being at ?U conservative, wc can conscientiously advise the blatant foreign "anarchists" who can't be satisfied with them to go lo some place where they can be content. In the future world in which they may find themselves possibly it will not lie so easy to emigrate ai. it is here. r t y