THE HESPERIAN.
UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA.
W
w
Vol. XVIII.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, NOVEMBER i, 1888.
No. III.
THE HESPERIAN
(HESPERIAN STUDENT.)
Issued semi-monthly by the Hesperian Publishing Associ
ation, of the University of Nebraska.
C. F. ANSLEY, Editor-in-Chief.
ASSOCIATES:
G. V. GERWIG, 'So. -
O. V. FIFER, '89. -
T. S. ALLEN, So. -
H. PETERSON, '90.
W. V. ROBERTSON, '89. -
liusiNcss Managers, -
- Literary.
Miscellany.
- Comment.
Local.
- Exchange.
D. D. Forsyth
E. R. Holmes.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION:
One copy, per college year, .... $1.00
One copy, one college term 35
Single copy, 10
advertising rates on aitlication.
ALUMNI AND EX-STUDENTS.
Special endeavor will be made to make The Hesperian
interesting to former students. Please send us your sub
scriptions. Address all communications to The HESPERlAN.University
of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
EDITORIAL NOTES.
There are some commonplace and even senseless
things that must be done and said, we suppose, in
order to make life liveable. When a man returns
from a trip, all his friends must ask him if he "has
got back;" and we insist upon telling our acquaint
ances that the day is warm or cold, pleasant or disa
greeable, as the case may be, when really it is an
insult to their intelligence to presume that they are
not aware of these facts.
But even commonplaces may be carried too far;
and it occurs to us that "cheering" Jn the literary so
cieties is in danger of passing its1 proper boundary.
It is worth no small amount of work to win the heart
felt thanks of an intelligent audience, and it isexhil
erating to receive these thanks when one can be sure
that they are sincere. But, with us, cheers and
thanks have degenerated into a meaningless formal
ity. Every performance must be cheered, and the
noise is frequently the loudest for the poorest speaker,
"just ;o encourage him." Appreciation on the part
of the audience is and should be the aim of everyone
who appears before a literary society; and the reward
should be given if the result is attained, and under
no other circumstances.
Ajjain, our critics are not appointed or elected for
the purpose of dealing out meaningless and indis
criminate praise. If the society is for individual im
provement, it is the duty of the critic to suggest the
ways. It it would aid in making the criticism more
distinct, we suggest that the report be postponed
until after recess, when the members are alone and
the non-student friends of the performers have gone
their ways. The critic's chair should invariably be
rilled by one of the ablest and most discriminating
members of the society.
It may be impossible to have good, permanent
walks in the campus until the new buildings are com
pleted; but it is certainly an imposition i o expect
students to walk through mud over the tops of their
rubbers in order to reach the buildings. It would
not bankrupt the University to have a few loads of
gravel or cinders drawn to make temporary crossings
from the east and south, at least; or even crossings of
one plank's breadth would much inipiove the
existing condition. After the new buildings are
completed the very first expenditure should be for
durable walks of some description. We need a li
brary building and a boiler house; but it seems decid
edly penny wise and pound foolish to be so free with
tens of thousands, and yet to hesitate year after year
over the little sum that would enable us to reach the
University with a presentable appearance and in a
state of mind that would not disgrace our religious
and philosophical training. -
There are two classes of students who go through
college and do not receive the full benefit from their
opportunities. One of these classes is composed of
the over-conscientious students who arc determined
to lose not one moment of their time, who spend
every day and night in digging, and who begin to
"cram" a week before every examination. Now it
is impossible for one small head to contain the sum
total of all knowledge, and it is also impossible to
absorb more than a certain amount of truth in a cer
tain time. If more is attempted, the result will be
that some truths are forgotten in order to give place
to others, or that the mind will come into a state of
confusion, or that the mental or bodily health -arill
