Barn
o
THE II E S P E RIAN.
EXH
MISCELLANY.
Now that some active steps have been taken toward fitting
up the gymnasium, more interest should be taken in the ath
letic association this term and not wait until the spring term
is hall over before anything is done.
Salvation army captain (to stranger): Are you a Chris
tian?
Stranger: No, I vas a shtudent.
Salvation army captain: Are you a worker in the vineyard
of the Lord?
Stranger: No, I have got a job attending school at Doanc
College.
The students should put a scheme on foot to erect a flag
pole on the campus and get a flag to be used on field day,
during dress parade, etc Possibly a scheme of some kind
might be discovered to work Uncle Sam for a flag for the mil
itary department under conditions that would make it avail
able fur student gala days, liy all means the stars ami stripes
should be floated on the campus of every great educational
institution in the country.
In imitating the custom of observing class day in this in
stitution the Juniors are but following the example of the
other great universities of the country. Many of the Seniors,
Sophomores and Freshman have been heard remarking to the
cftcct that the Juniors were rattier previous in celebrating
class day. Heretofore nothing has ever been done in this line
and the Juniors feel confident of the ability to successfully in
troduce this pleasing custom. This custom should be kept
up in future years, and thus another pleasant feature added to
our university life.
The literary and classical students who have been con
gratulating each other on their apparent "snap" in not being
required to take a year of military science two hours a week
had better not crow until they arc safely out of the woods.
Recent well authenticated rumors have been circulating to
the effect that the war department officials will soon issue an
order which will decide this question. The chances arc that
the new order will provide for a course in military science of
four hours a week and that the male students of all the de
partments will be compelled to take this course in order to
graduate. Let us hope that the number ol hours will remain
as at present even il all the students will be included in the
new order. Four hours a week is too much time to spend on
such a study in an institution like this one.
The efforts at this stage in the campaign to rouse any in
tercst in the fight for the prohibitory amendment have so far
it seems signally failed. A series of meetings was recently
held in Lincoln in which Hon. Richard Trevellick was the
principal attraction. Other meetings have been held in oilier
parts of Nebraska and if we may judge from reports none
have caused much enthusiasm. About the only person now
a days who cares enough about the result of the vote on this
question to attend these meetings is the dyed-in-the wool
prohibitionist whose notions in regard to prohibition arc so
eternally fixed that but little good is derived from these early
speeches. It seems to us that if the money and energy ex
peuded now were reserved until along about September and
then all the prohibition orators available turned loose for a
two months' campaign, by far grcatsr results would be
effected.
While we do not like to pose as a kicker yet the person
who kicks Is generally the one who accomplishes his object.
Our attention has been colled by many of the students to the
icgulalion of the steam healers in the main building. For
instance, at 8:30 a student enters a class room. It is very
comfortable. At 9:30 he goes into some other class room.
Here the professor may not have the steam turned on at all
nnd the room is cold to the person fiesh from a warm room.
At 10:30 a warm room may be entered, and so on throughout
the day. The effect of this irregularity is very dangerous to
the health of the student body. Had colds arc inevitable.
Many of the students are almost continually suffering from
colds in the head, or catarrh, or something of that nature,
and we venture to say that it is this irregularity in the tem
perature of the class rooms that is responsible for it. The
faculty should attend to this matter. Let some uniform tern
pcraturc be adopted and an attempt be made to keep the
rooms nt about the same degree of warmth. The health of
the students is at stake.
Whenever any man becomes president, governor, mem
ber of congress, judge of the supiemc court, or in any way
prominent in public life, you can always find men who occupy
stations in life all the way from digging sewers up to peanut
venders who "used to go to school with "him when he was a
boy, etc." This man has pushed his way to the front and
distinguished himself. It is the old law of the survival of the
fittest. Hut an illustration of this which grows rather weari
some nt times is this same spirit of the sewer digger and the
peanut vender which prompts a fraternity man to boast that
there are six, eight, or a dozen of members of his fraternity
in congress or in high station. The idea that a college stud
ent, who is supposed to have a little brains and a few ideas,
will resort to the means of the sewer digger or peanut vender
in order to impress you with the importance of himself or his
fraternity is a sublime spectacle. Those men did not get to
the front simply because they were members of any particular
fraternity. A man might belong to all the fraternities this
side of the river of death and then never get to congress, or
even be elected to cemetery ttustcc if he didn't have brains
and ability to back him.
The manner ol the disposal of the University appropria
tions is a subject worthy of the consideration of every student.
Some action should be taken looking to a better and more
satisfactory way of disposing of this fund as it accumulates.
At present our institution is entirely at the mercy of the leg
islature. The action of the last legislature in withholding a
part of our available funds illustrates the injustice ol the pres
ent s) stein. The idea that a clique of men, such as the sen
ate combine ol last session, some of the leaders of which
were the most disreputable politicians in the state, arc given
the right to say what salaries our professors and instructors
shall lcccive is disgraceful. Lincoln is fortunate in being
blessed with so many state institutions; but in the fact that so
many state institutions arc located here lies the great diffi
culty. The jealousy of rival towns is too blind to sec the folly
of crippling these institutions. Narrow-minded men are
elected to the legislature. They fall a ready prey into the
hands of the shrewd politician who is attempting to make a
record for economy. These unprincipled men do not s,op at
not providing sufficiently large appropriations to care for the
insane, the feeble minded, the blind, and the penitentiary
convicts, but lay their unholy hands on the greatest educa
tional institution in the state. The funds accruing1 from the
lease of University lands and the tax on all the propeity in
I the state which go to make up the University fund cannot be
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