The courier., 1898-05-07
THE UNIVERSITY VOLUNTEERS


Of the state university Of Nebraska is
well set up intelligent body of sol
diers. As they marched into chapel
Monday morning to receive the fare
wells Of the faculty they were greeted
with the fervid whOle-souled cheering
that only hundreds Of warm hearted.
loyal college boys greet their class.
mates with. The clear eyes, the wind
tanned faces and the stalwart forms,
50 straight and supple Of these Ne
braska youngsters speak well for the
state of their birth and their alma ma
ter. When state is able to reply to
call for troops with volunteers such as
these, there is no reason for pessimism.
Though the conviction that they are
too good material for southern fever
and Spanish bullets was strength
ened by the actual sight of them.
The common soldiers in the regular
army are men lacking in intelligence
and that peculiar new born spirit Of
the cOnquerOrs we call Amerlcanism.
They enlisted for various reasons
among which the lack of ability to
earn living any other way was most
common. That they never expected
to fight the number of desertiOns
among the regulars is proof enough.
But these university volunteers are
young enough to possess ideals they
are ready to fight for. They are en-
thusiasts in whom failure has not yet
destroyed the power to accomplish
whatever they dare to attempt. A
few months of marching and camp
life will dim their eagerness, perhaps,
but they are the sort the best soldiers
are made of since the days of the first
war. No woman can look upon them
without prayer and a Tightening of
the heart.
In the few affectiOnate half-humor-
Gus words of farewell and advice
which the Chancellor, Regent Morrill,,
Prof Edgren, Prof. Nicholson and
Lieutenant StOtsenburg addressed to
the volunteers, there was the ten
derness of veterans except, in the
lieutenant's case, Of regret for their
their own lost youth. Chancellor Nc
Leans blessing and farewell showed
plainly his appreciation Of the great
ness of the gift. Regent Morrill, was
at his best. He eenlisted himself when
he was only nineteen and his sound
advice was received with unmiStable
sounds of appreciation. He told them
to protect their young bodies from
disease, to stick to army ratiOns and
to leave green apples alone, to obey
their superior officers, to be cheerful
and to remember the girls they left
behind them. Prof. Edgren was
soldier in the civil war. He said that
he came to this country to fight be-
cause he loved freedom and adventure
but he realized that the young men
before him were going from a love of
country as well as freedom and he
adjured them to return either with
their shield or upon it. Prof. NichOl-
son heartily gave the boys his blessing.
Lieutenant StOtsenburg took an un-
business like view of the
situation. He advised the boys to
leave the university behind them,
whereas the Others begged them to
that their alma matters
eyes were upon them expectantly and
He told them that the
hospital was very different institu-
ton from what it was in the civil war
and advised them to seek it instantly
on the approach of sickness. All the
difference between the civilians and
the citizens view Of war was apparent ,
in the lieutenant's tacit disapproval
Of quite so much emotion. Neverthe-
less the benedictiOn was pronounced
and the volunteers were asked to
stand i'm a line in Delian hall in order {
hat their country might take leave Of