t "
wq.'
8
THE HESPERIAN,
-v vvr t"
P-
y
INTER-COLLEGIATE FIELD DA Y.
A long felt want rm ong the colleges and universities of
Nebraska has this year been supplied by the introduction of
an intcr-collcgiatc field day. There exists, of course, a spirit
of rivalry in each college on the local field day, but this feel
ing is not shown to so great a degree when one is among his
own associates as it is when the students of the different col
leges meet to try their skill in athletic sports, For this rcas
on those participating will train themselves as much as pos
sible, and even though they do not win first place they, per
haps, develop themselves physically so that they win in
strength what thcyj lose in glory. While great benefit is
derived physically, wc must not overlook the social enjoy
ment. The students arc brought closer together. They
become acquainted and their horizon of learning is broad
ened by their intercourse with students from different parts of
c country.
Nebraska's first intcr-collcgiatc field day was held at the
ball park, Saturday, June 7. The colleges represented were
the State University, Doanc College, Wcslcyan University,
Christian University. The number of prizes given was twenty-nine,
of which the State University captured fourteen;
Doanc came in second with twelve; Wcslcyan won three,
while the Christian University merely aided the others in se
curing the prizes. The expectations of the students of Doanc
college were very high, for, in Mr. Dean, they had an all
round athlete to represent them. These expectations were
tcalizcd for Mr. Dean won eleven of the twelve prizes carried
off "by them. Although the students of the Wcslcyan and
Christian Univcisitics were not very successful in winning
prizes they showed considerable ability and will probably do
some good work at our next field day.
Considerable interest was manifested by outsiders as
shown by the attendance, which was quite large. A number
of carriages were on the ground, and had a large part of the
audience who were not contestants in any of the sports re
mained in their proper places, in the grand stand, instead of
crowding around and bothering the judges and participants
the grand stand would have been filled almost to its utmost
capacity.
The first intcr-collegiatc field day was a very successful
affair. It is to be hoped that the interest in athletic
sports will not lag and that next year the field day exercises
will be moic successful, if possible, than they have been this
year.
CAMP LAIRD.
Once more the cadets have undergone the rigorous dis
cipilinc of camp life. Wc have been to war and have re
turned with colors flying. Thursday, May 29, the battalion,
one hundred strong, marched to the Union depot and took
the B. & M. train for Hastings; after distributing samples of
the University yell at the villages upon the road wc finally
disembarked at Hastings. The fast enemy wc met was a
troop of redcoats. We met them we were vanquished.
They were a youthful drum corps. They marched through the
streets of the city at the head of the column and insisted upon
seventeen inches as a maximum step. Wc marched behind, a
distance of four blocks. This was too much to endure the
battalion was completely demoralized. Arrived at the park,
ranks were broken, and each cadet in the manner best suited
to his tastes, proceeded to take formal possession of Camp
Laird, and informal possession of as many aimfulls of straw as
he could secure.
It has been customary to have a rain storm each year dur
ing the spring encampment, but everything at Hastings was to
be upon a grand scale, so wc had half a dozen showers and
one really inconvenient wind storm. One thing partic
ularly inconvenient about this wind storm was the circum
stance that several of the boys were spending the night, in
voluntarily in the guard tent, and in the absence of the own
ers several tents were blown down.
Friday afternoon wc proceeded to the city and after the
usual long, tiresome delay attended upon the foimationof a
mixed parade, the mingled host took up its march to the ccm
ctary. After rendering appropriate honors to the graves of
the fallen soldiers, the line of march was directed towards the
opera house; arrived in town, the battalion biokc ranks and
each cadet followed the dictates of his own will in amusing
himself during the remainder of the day. A game of ball
between the U. ofN. and the Outing club of Hastings was
the principal attraction; wc went and saw a prodigy in the
umpire line. Verhaps he had bet on Hastings, it may be he
was running for congress in that district, possibly he was loo
prejudiced to make a fair decision: wc will not analyze mo
tives, wc merely wish to remark that it has been our misfor
tune to witness such systematically rank decisions. In jus
tice to the Outing club wc will state that incidentally wc wit
nessed some very good nail playing, and upon the following
day the U. of N. was fairly beaten. The scores were: May
30, Hastings 10, U. of N. iMay 31, Hastings 14, U. of N. 7.
Rain, wind, ball games, and lack of wood, straw and ice
soon put the boys in a condition to wonder why -we went to
Hastings. $150 in cash, plenty of -straw, and wood or coal
delivered nt camp, two iountains, a beautiful park for a camp
ground: these were the templing baits held before us to se
cure our presence at Hastings. The $150 dwindled down
somewhat, straw iherc was, two scanty loads for thirty-five
tents; wood, yes there was wood, someone had laid out a
twenty acre plot in city lots and had driven nice, large, white
posts down at the corners. He can have it rc-survcyed now
wc wont be in Hastings again. Ice? well, hardly! Fountains!
Alas! wc came too late; yet we believe wc can say honestly
that there have been fountains.in that park. When wc stood
and gazed enraptured upon a demolished cement basin half
full of mud, with two stubby pieces of gas pipe sticking up in
the center were wc not justified in believing that our eyes be
held the ruins of a once fair and bubbling fountain? Wc be
lieve we were so justified. This question only troubles us:
In ages past, before the hand of Time was laid heavily upon
that fountain, did each of those pieces of gas pipe represent
a separate and distinct fountain, or was there only one? This
wc fear, must go down to posterity as an unsolved problem.
'Every cloud has a silver lining." Saturday evening it
was announced to the several companies that the young la
dies of the city would be pleased to lcccivc the membcis of
the battalion at Gcrmania Halle from eight to twelve. Wc
went. The program was conversation and dancing. Neces
sarily informal on account of the short time available for ar
rangements, it was one of the most enjoyable parties wc have
ever attended; certainly, by far the greatest and most appre
ciated honor the battalion has ever received while in camp.
Thanks to the generosity of our commandant, the reins of
discipline were relaxed and we were allowed the full enjoy
ment of the evening. The young men of Hastings were not
unpleasantly numerous. One of them explained their ab
sence by the remark, "Wc arc supposed to be dead;" right
well did they play their part and to them also our thanks
arc due. Wc arc not vain enough to think that it was at all
necessary for them to "play dead," but it was sometimes
I decidedly convenient. This was the real beginning of the
.
