w
THE HESPERIAN.
Diligent inquiry from him failed to reveal anything about her.
He had entirely overlooked her in the throng of pretty co eds
which is always to be found in that hall. I was disappointed.
I went to bed. I could not sleep. My thoughts were of her,
the one unknown to me. I resolved to meet her if it look
all winter. I changed Sabbath schools every Sunday in my
search for the fair damsel who had captivated my heart. At
last I found her. I became a member of a class. I went to
church both morning and evening, to Sabbath school, to
young people's meeting, prayer-meeting, and all the other
meetings, led on by the hope that I might get one sweet
glance from her. At last my heart's desire has been grati
fied. A young people's society social furnished the occasion.
I met her, and such a meeting. Where before all was anxi
cty, now all was happiness. Wc found a pleasant corner
unmolested. I had a time that night. I am today a happy
Freshman. I intend, if her mamma docs not object, to make
our acquaintance a pleasant one. Watch for us. "There arc
only a few of us left." From a Freshman's Diary.
It is strange that so many college students arc so selfish in
praising the institutions which they attend. I have heard stud
ents from Doanc, from Bcllcvue, and even from the new Wcs
leyan contend that those institutions were superior to the
State University. During my recent trip to the coast I had
occasion to visit the University of Washington and the Uni
versity of California. While inquiring as to where I might
find a friend of mine who was attending school at the Uni
versity of Washington, I took occasion to ask a student some
general questions about their school. He tried to make me
believe that it was the best institution of the kind on the
coast. At Berkeley, I was impressed by a student with the
fact that their school was the best in the country. And so it
goes everywhere. It is all wrong. Students should b
taught to appreciate the advantage and superiority of other
colleges and not attempt to belittle them. The University of
Nebraska ranks high with other colleges, but wc do not" pre
sume to say that because of this our students should attempt
to create the impression that it is the only institution in the
country that amounts to anything. It is the same foolish idea
that prompts many students taking different courses to at
tempt to read all the other courses out of existence. Learn
to recognize the merit in all the courses and give each college
credit for what it is doing.
Now that the year 1890 has finally opened up and the
festive politician has begun laying wires for the important of
fices to be filled at the coming state election, it is time for the
students to bestir themselves. The greatest need here at
present is a library building. More room is absolutely nc
ccssary. The work cannot be properly carried on unless
more room is provided. Let us go to work now for a library
building and work until our demand is satisfied by the next
legislature. And let us work for an appropriation sufficiently
large to erect at least one respectable building on our camp
us. Let us work for a building that will be a thing of beauty
from an artistic point of view. Wc have at present four
buildings on our campus in which the work of instruction is
carried on. Such buildings! They arc large and commodi
ous, to be sure, but from the outside, and judged from an ar
tistic view, they are very poor. The new library building
should be one in which ample provision ought to be made for
a library of 1 00,000 volumes, besides providing room for an
art gallery and reading room. In the art department of the
University and in the departments of Greek and Latin, we
have a nucleus for an art collection. Provision should be
made for this. While Wisconsin and Minnesota universities
arc spending such vast sums for new libraiy biddings Nebraska
should not be in the rear. By the time the next university
appropriation is available it will have reached a much larger
amount than ever before, owing to the failure to secure all
the university fund last winter. Let us go to work now to
secure it and insist that a sum sufficiently large be appropri
ated to build us a library building that will be a piide to our
state and University. Work for this when you go home.
Make the acquaintance of prospective legislators from your
districts, and use your influence and that of your friends to
awaken them on this question. Do not leave this for some
one else. The united efforts of the students can produce
wonderful results in this line.
The fraternity clement in our institution seems to consid
er that the open literary societies arc here to be used as a
field in which they can work for converts. Accordingly they
follow out some such plan as this: A student enters the pre
paratory department of the University. He may be from the
country or from some small town. In most cases the boys are
backward about making acquaintances; and when it comes to
meeting young ladies it is possible for a long time to get them
to even look at a co-ed. Gradually this feeling is worn away
and by the encouragement of the older society members these
boys begin a social development. They learn how to carry
themselves in the presence of ladies, they learn the requisite
qualities of a gentleman and they strive to attain them.
Along with this, and the most important factor in drawing
hem out, is the society program and the debating club.
Through these mediums they acquire a literary training; they
learn how to express their opinions clearly on subjects under
discussion and in this way arc taught a feeling of individual
ity. Through these great mediums the social and literary ad
vantages of the open society, our prep or even Freshman
gradually develops into a cultured young man. To be sure, it
is not the culture of the most fashionable society if, indeed,
ihcir affectation may be called culture. But it is a culture
and a spirit which teaches a man to recognize true worthwhen
he sec it; to extend the hand of friendship to the newjtudent
whether he dresses as finely as some other or not; that teaches
him a broad and liberal feeling of charity to all who deserve
sympathy or aid in any matter.
But when our student has been thus developed and his
good qualities brought out by the open society, the fraternity
clement steps in and claims him. He is treated in royal
style by those who scorned him when he entered the institu
tion. The glorious principle of right and justice which should
be the corner stone of every secret society can never be hon
estly claimed by the fraternity. But 111 place of this they fol
low a policy of dishonor, a policy which shows that the fra
ternity clement have no right to the respect of the represent
atives of the literary societies. It is true wc may have
friends in fraternities. If we have let us endeavor to con
vince them to cease that unholy policy. As barbarians wc are
perfectly willing to discuss this question with the fraternity
people. But they will never discuss it in public. The only
way they will talk to a new student is to take him ofT in pri
vate, stuff him with a lot of stock fraternity arguments, prob
ably one half of which are lics,and insist that he promise not
to mention to anybody what they told him. Then they will
hang around him until they get him and prevent if possible a
single barb from speaking to him on the question. Many of
the dear frats who borrow this issue of The Hesperian and
read this article cannot deny that this is exactly the way they
were raked in. They never heard the barb side of the ques-
?
Bo
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