THE HESPERIAN.
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has never
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Let us pre-
It will take
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uusinuss men ot uwcwi nwaasmciai am. uur visit
ors should be shown all theS1its while here. Every
student who feels any loyality to the university should
take a personal interest in this matter. Let us make
up a subscription of several hundred dollars and do
things up in style. Everybody rustle and do some
thing.
t i
N important session of the local oratorical associa
gEv tion was held Monday March 3. A constitution
and by-laws were adopted. By the new arrangement
any student in the university may enter the contest.
The limit is fixed at ten, however, who may really go
through and appear on the class. If more than ten
enter the ten receiving the highest marks on thought
and composition arc to appear as contestants on
delivery. The others have nothing further to do
with the contest. There are to be three judges on
composition and thoujjSMJMd three others on delivery.
The new way hassslKad vantages over the old.
Some dissatisfaction is heard because the clause mak
ing membership kt an open ttssnury society necessary
for eligbility to enter the coolest was left out. That
would have made it neceaawrjrssfDr tltt fraternity peo
ple to contime their PlliiiiiMHi aocM? If they ever
expected any of their mhmmt to go on the eoatert.
It seems to us that the chmse in (paction should bmnt
been inserted. But then some of tike frat people here
would leave the impression that the reason a Univer-"
sity man didn't win in the state contest la&t year was
because no frats took part in the contest. Oratorical
glory is too small game for fraternity people here.
They prefer something more important the offices
in some of the classes for instance.
jlTJITE a little comment has been heard on the
action of the electric light company management
in discharging the university students who were so
ably doing the real work and furnishing light for the
citizens of Lincoln. The reason assigned for this
wholesale dismissal was that they were not running
the electric light works as a charitable institution for
the state university students. No objection was made
whatever to the way the boys were doing the work.
In fact since the new crew have taken charge of
things much dissatisfaction has been expressed because
of the quality of the work done. Not a charitable
institution for the support of students! This is
refreshing indeed. As a piece genuine littleness this
action is hard to equal. The students do not ask to
be considered as subjects of public charity. It is true
we recieve consideration from the business men in
the way of voluntary reductions on books, etc., at
times, but this new use of the term charity is indeed
a strange one. Many of the students are able by work
ing while in school to save money they already have;
this will serve them them when they leave the Uni
versity, Very few are actually dependent on pres
ent employment to keep them in school. A few are.
It is surely no crime. A young man or woman who
fights life's battle in this way and by patience and
struggling succeeds in securing a college education is
far more worthy the honor and respect of the world
than the distinguished gentlemen who were instrumen
tal in letting the boys out. It is to be supposed that
board of trade members would do every
thing in their power to encourage an institution
which will benefit Lincoln more in time than any
other two state institutions located here. This looks
like encouragement.
The students spend annually in the city of Lin
coln almost S 100,000. This, in addition to the
amount appropriated by the legislature makes the
grand total expended at present by the state and the
students combined reach nearly $200,000 per annum.
Our university is gaining a reputation. We hare
here several professors whose services have been bid
for by prominent eastern colleges and who are doing
much to ma& this a great university. If our institu
tion is to be made popular with the people of the state
and a liberal policy fastened which will mean larger ap
propriations from the legislature how can business men
hopee to encourage this by refusing to aid-in the way
of employment young men who have pluck and energy
enough to work their way through school. It is to be
hoped that such action as this does not meet with
the approbation of the citizens of Lincoln. Such
action as this if made a public matter throughout the
state would undoubted work by much harm to the
University in promoting a feeling of antagonism
toward Lincoln.
LITERARY.
The January number or the Are?o Review contains a sym
posium on "Candour in English Fiction." The writers arc
noticeably of one opinion, that the English fiction of the
present is insipid and not true to life, owing to the prudery of
subject which restricts the choice of subject and wiodc of
presentation to that which is pleasant and agreeable, how
ever unreal; while, with rare inconsistency, the daily press
revels unrcbuked in the most offensive details of all sorts of
crime. That is, in everyday life men want the truth; in fic
tion what the public demands is merely the gloss of truth. In
thus criticising the taste of the public, to which the author of
fiction must defer, these writers, needless to say, do not go to
the extreme of justifying licentiousness of description. They
hold that what is desired in fiction is truth to human nature
and faithful presentation of the realities of human life. Any
thing less than this is necessarily devoid of interest. They
y
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