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THE HESPERIAN.
neglect lessons or society occasionally for the sake
of he paper. Don't elect a man because he is prom
inent in society tor class politics, nor because he has
not had an office lately. Elect those who have the
making of newspaper men in them; those who have
shown that they have the ability to write in a crisp,
vigorous style. By all means elect at least two men
who have a "nose for news," and who can write a
neat "two-iner" without bringing in a stock phrase.
Do not wait until the election meeting and then
nominate the first man your eye falls on. Each so
ciety knows how many men are to come from within
itself. Look wound, weigh, compare, and put your
best men on trie paper. The Hesperian can be
made a far greater power for good than it ever has
been, if the right men are chosen for the new board.
tions, no labored arguments, to prove the superiority
in methods, instructors and apparatus. State facts
as they are; they can not be controverted. Astudent's
love for his alma mater, together with the interest
every Nebraska citizen should feel in having the
youth of the state educated to the best advantage,
should be sufficient to induce the students to make
the slight effort necessary to write a few letters to their
home papers during the year. Besides, there will be
a personal benefit which will repay all such effort.
We hope at least a few of our readers will so appreci
ate the advantages of the plan proposed as to put it
into practice immediately.
JVERY student of the University of Nebraska
has, at times, been struck with the ignorance of
the majority of the people of the state in regard to
the University. The progress of the institution has
been far more rapid than the spread of information
concerning it. Everything, then, that tends to bet
ter acquaint the people of Nebraska with the high
standing and superior advantages of the University
should be encouraged. Our exchange editor recently
mentioned a plan which it would be well to carry out
to its fullest extent. This is that the students be cor
respondents of the country press at their various
homes. They will thus be able to keep the public
informed of important changes or improvements in
the University, and they will reach the class which
should supply most students. There is enough of
interest in and about the University to enable any
discreet student with even small literary ability to get
up several interesting and instructive letters dining
the year. It is largely through lack of information
as to the relative merits of the State University and
the little denominational schools that the latter are
supported at the expense of the former, and the young
people of our state receive a narrow, partial, or old
fashioned education instead of a broad education, up
with the spirit and knowledge of the times. The
denominational schools have an active and aggressive
gcnt in every minister. When it becomes known
that a young man intends to go away to school he is
met at every corner by a minister urging his particular
school as the best in the state. Strong and well
grounded, indeed, must be the faith of the young
man in the State University if it resists the incessant
pleading and arguing of these agents. But let the
people of the state once be fully informedvas to what
the University of Nebraska is, and the nmber of
students won by the smaller schools will be mater
ially lessened. The University needs no exaggera
OMETIMES we are told that the day )f
speaking is past, that it is now necessary only
to write in order to put your views before the people.
True, the opportunities for reaching the public mind
by written communications have largely increased
in number, and the necessity of knowing how to
write was ncver-so great. But we deny that public
speaking is out of date. If it were only for the op
portunities given at the bar. in the pulpit, and in the
legislative halls, oratory would yet be a power in the
land. But these opportunities for its use are few in
number compared with the others that exist. In the
countless conventions and meetings of all kinds of or
ganizations the ready, forcible speaker has a wide field
and constant opportunity for the use of his talents in
a way to benefit his fellow-men. The next quarter of
a century is" to be one of great reforms and radical
changes in government and society. No such period
has yet been passed in the world's history without the
appearance of great orators who were a host in them
selves, nor do we think tl c world has yet outgrown
the influence of the personality, the voice of man, ex
pressing his inmost convictions. If the young men
of the country are to have effective training in public
speaking they must secure it in youth, during their
school days. In college therefore should ample pro
vision be made for practice in public speaking, both
impromptu and of prepared articles. In this line is
seen one of the great superiorities of the open literary
society ovej the secret fraternites. Even if the frater
nity really docs do literary work, and the chapters
here nave not seemed over-active in the matter, there
can be no real practice in public speaking. Practice
in anything must be as near the real thing as possible.
Almost any one can tell his thoughts to a fnendj few
find difficulty in speaking plainly and forcibly to a
group of intimates; but to speak to an audience of
mingled friends and strangers is a totally different
operation. The opportunity to do this is given in the
literary society and is not possible in the fraternity
of eight to fifteen numbers, with its secret sessions.
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