THE HESPERIAN.
UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA.
Vol. XVIII.
LINCOLN NEBRASKA, DECEMBER is, i888:
No. VI.
THE HESPERIAN
(HESPERIAN STUDENT.)
Issued semi-monthly by the HnsrERlAN Publishing Associ
ation, of the University of Nebraska.
C. F. ANSLEY, Editor-in-Chief.
ASSOCIATES:
G. V. GERWIG, '8g.
O. V. FIFER, '89. -T.
S. ALLEN, '89.
H. PETERSON, '90.
E. P. BROWN, 9i.
D. D. Forsyth.
business managers:
Literary.
Sketches.
- Comment.
Local.
- Exchange.
E. R. Holmes.
terxis of subscription:
One copy, per college year, .... $1.00
One copy, one college term 35
Single copy, 10
advertising rates on application.
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 HESPERiAN,Univcrsity
of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
EDITORIAL NOTES.
Among the newspapers, it seems to be popular
just now to criticise college journalism. This pleases
us, for we know that we need it. The more the
better. We already owe thanks for many suggested
improvements, whether we have adopted tl.em or
not. The proverbial perfection of newspaper liter
ature prevents our replying in kind.
Among the students, the general opinion seems to
be that the term just at a close has been the most
prosperous that the University has seen for years. In
every way progress is apparent; and the progress has
been limited only by the range of present possibili
ties. Of course we cannot go at a bound from where
we are to where we ought to be; but we are climbing
steadily, and at no snail's pace.
It should be remembered that it rests largely with
the students and the alumni to decide whether or not
the Alma Mater is to be the educational center of
the West. The faculty and the people of the state
are doing their duty. Let us see that we do ours.
If we glance over the list of alumni and observe
the present stndents and what they are doing, we
shall see that a powerful silent influence is at work
for the best. As a body, they exemplify the work
of the University in a satisfactory manner, to say
the least, B"ut there is no reason why silent influ
ence should be all that we give. A few words
rightly spoken now and then may accomplish more
than we look forj and they will certainly do nd
harm. By the united work of us all, it is possible"
to bring a thousand students to the University two
years from now. This is hardly to be expected, yet
it is possible. The work is far less than what we
owe; and by doing it we shall receive the gratitude
both of the University and the students we cause to
attend. Let each of us see that what lies in his
own power is done.
With the close of the term ends the present
management of The Hesperian. We have no cus
tom made tears to shed over the occasion, and
neither do we congratulate ourselves upon it. The
work has been pleasant and congenial, but it has
been work none the less. We have tried to do our
duty by the paper and the students. We have done
as well as we could under the circumstances to pub
lish a paper that would not altogether disgrace the
institution and the part of it we represent. If we
have not succeeded, we hope it will be charged to
want of ability or of time, rather than to any lack of
good will.
The end of a work is the best place to put the
preface, if etymology can be forgotten. The time
to judge a plan is after it has been tried. Possibly
we may now safely occupy a small amount of space
in -telling what we have tried to do and what we
have tried not to do.
It seemed that our sphere did not include enlight
ening the world or adding to the sum of knowledge.
Nor even did it seem necessary or practicable to
attempt to supply the students with the best of prose
and verse. But we have tried to mirror student life
at the University of Nebraska. This is not a
remarkably lofty aim, we admit; but we think that if
The Hesperian ever comes to do this successfully,
it will be doing enough. Student life in general is
peculiar enough; and at the University of Nebraska,
it is probably even nore peculiar than usual. This
life is not represented in books, magazines or news
papers: and instead of striving to be humble imi
tators of any of these, we have wished rather to
