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XEbeme IReaber's Ipevsonal Experience
-
Recalling Incidents That Hamidappened During His Term of Service
Tho Thonio Reader brightened up as
the reporter touched hla weak Hpot. In
roquoBtlng him to tell something of his
own experiences (hiring his long
Bervlce In tho English department. The
eyes thnt had stared moodily out of tho
window, while the reporter wnn at
tempting to drain him of news facts,
now lit up with a light that betrayed
an Inner feeling of satisfaction and
gratification His heel slipping down
from the window-sill where he had
stubbornly placed It, Htrtick the floor
with a bouncing whack, and folding his
arms and assuming a contemplative ex
pression, be settled down to work.
"Some curious pieces of work have
come to my notice," be said, "since I
have been connected with tho English
department, and' all tho freaks of writ
ing and grammar Imaginable hnvo
paBBCd under my surveillance. Some
phase of every stylo In existence I
might say In some shape or other has
wandered Into my observation, and
some highly amusing Incidents a few
of which I am able to recall.
"I remember once when 'My Idea of
a Gentleman' was assigned as a gen
eral Bubject, and most of the class took
n serious view of It. Hut there were
a few that didn't. One of them went
through a long process of vl.uallzatlon
culminating In a climax which proved
the gentleman In question to be a
trump walking down tho railroad' track
with his bundle suspended over his
shoulder on the end of a stick.
"Anothor young literatus went at the
subject something after this order:
'My landlord Is a gentleman; that I'd
have you know. He room's across the
hall from me and always does bis best
to please. When he comes upstairs at
night, ho takes off his shoes so as not
to disturb me. Sometimes on cold
nights ho takes and heats a flatiron
and fetching it Into my room he wraps
It up In a blanket and tucks It under
tho bed-clothes at the foot of tho bed,
so that my feet wouldn't get cold.
"Upsoy, upsey," he says, and when he
gets through ho apologizes for disturb
ing me. When I don't get up in time
for breakfast he fetches it up to me,
and then takes my socks down and
warms them at tho grate. I told him
once that my room was cold, and he
put In another radiator. And he
wouldn't take uny rent, when I asked
him to. If ho wasn't a gentleman, what
was he?'
"I am quite sure that this young
genius had a correct conception of a
gentleman in his mind. But I hardly
think his landlord was a gomiine
character. However, he was not quite
ns erratic as tho student who wrote:
i think a gentleman Is a man with
good manners. The kind of a man who
would lay down and let himself be
kicked and their get up and apologize
for taking up your time. Tho kind of
a man who would lend a frleful a quar
ter to get his dinner with and then go
off to the free lunch counter, himself.
Not tho klndi that dresses in ' fine
clothes, plays smash and goes In tho
hole to every business man In town.
He b realty all the- ladles' hearts and
has every old fool woman in town
doting on him. He gets married and
settles down, generally as a clerk In a
dry goods storo or an apprentice In
some paint shop.'
"This student evidently believed in
the negativo process In showing what
a gentleman ought to bo like. How
ever, ho was altogether loo ranibllng
and I couldn't give him full credit for
some excellent Ideas.
"Upon one occasion tho class was di
rected to write about some pleasure
trip they had taken at some time dur
- lng their lives. One of the class wrote
an aCcount of Mb grandmother's funeral
but whether this was Intentional or
not I am unable to -state. Ho may
have misunderstood tho Bubject. Upon
anothor occasion one of the Freshmen
students wrote an unbiased and Impar
tial account of hl& visit to his mother
at tho Insane asylum.
"Some experiences that I have had
with students tried me quite sorely.
Some of the students who Indulgedkher papers, She constantly haunted my
their young fancies with poor literary
effect would come to me with com
plaints of unjust criticism, accusing
me of marking them" wrong, When they
'just knew' that they were right. Some
of these were so ambitious In their
them
to be taught something new.
"I used to find myself overwhelmed
with work at times. I remember bov
oral times when I allowed tho papers
to accumulate and had to Bit up all
night to Btralghten things out. One
time I was rushed pretty near to death,
and I finally concluded that In order to
get through I would have to cut the
reading short. And so, as I recognized
all the names and the grade of work
each was In the habit of doing, I grad
ed tho balance of tho papers accord
ing to the reputation of tho writers. In
this way I made Bhort work of my task,
and secured an opportunity for some
much needed sleep. Just before retir
ing, however, I noticed one of tho pa
pers lying on the floor, and picked' It
up. I was bo Bleepy, howevor, that I
couldn't keep my eyes open, and as tho
name seamed good' to me, I didn't
take tlmo to ovon open tho paper. I
simply wrote: 'This is a charming lit
tle sketch, but I think some of the
points might have been brought out
stronger.' I marked It A plus and let
It go. Two days later the English
teacher came up to my desk with a
broad smile on bis face. I looked at
him Inquiringly, but be simply handed
mo this sketch. I unfolded the manu
script and as my ejes fell on what It
contained I was simply horror stricken.
It contained a problem in trigonometry
all worked out, and this was the charm
ing little sketch. The boy had got his
papers mixed, and of course I was a
long-suffering victim of my own lazi
ness. "I remember another Incident, when
the class was required to write on tho
subject of 'Style,' and of course they
were expected to express their own
views ou the styles of leading authors,
and the individual elements entering
In. One paper on this subject struck
me as being decidedly peculiar. It
ran something like this:
" 'Stylo Is tho way a person fixes
up. Lots of people try to put It on
when they ain't got It. Money and lots
of it is essential to style, and If people
ain't got any and try to put It on, they
always look cheap, lots of people do
anyhow that have got money, because
their looks are against them. Rich
people sometimes send clear over to
) Paris to get ciotnes mauo up, just be
cause It comes from there and 1s made
by a Frenchman. Some people put on
too much style and they generally
bust up. I guess this Is all I know on
this subject.'
"Yes, Indeed;" ho said In reply to the
reporter's question, "I have had a great
many call on me on purpose to roast
me. So many students, In fact, have
such high opinions of their literary
abilities, that any sort of a correction,
no matter how evident or legitimate,
comes as a severe blow to their pride.
Ono day I was busy with my papers
when a self-contained youth of about
eighteen years of age stalked In and
demanded an explanation.
" 'There ain't no Bense,' he said, in
markin' a feller's paper up like this
Just because a few grammatical errors
slips in. I'm pretty dead certain I
can use as good grammar as most any
body, and I don't want no wise guy
jumpin' on my paper "with red Ink.
After a feller stays homo from the
show and cuts a date with his girl, It
makes him feel llko a four-cent piece
when some blamed, kitin' tight wad of
a reader butts In and knocks his wrlt
ln's silly. Evon If I don't get things
straight sometimes, ain't you got sense
enough to see what I mean? If you
ain't then let some one correct my
themes who has. It would probably
cause you a blame lot of sufferln' any
how, to treat feller decent.'
"I confess that I felt severely cen
sured by this appeal to my finer feel
ings and I was often annoyed after
wards by his Importunities. And there
was a girl whom I remember In par
ticular. She wrote torrlby silly stuff,
which she evidently thought was pol
ished literary style, and I found plenty
of opportunities to use tho red ink on
olllce, until I rew sadly tired of her.
" 'Why isn't, this clear?' or 'Why is
this overdrawn,' sho would come in and
Bay, and If I tried to explain She would
regard mo critically, Just as if. I was
tryi., to coavlnc her of a faUchood.
bigotry, that It was hard for
She never was satisfied with my ex1
planatlonB, and always wont away feel
ing grieved. One day she sent In along
with her theme, a special note, the
contents of which ran something like
this:
" i have tried and tried and tried to
write the way you tell me to. You
seem to think poorly of my Btyle, but
It Is the kind that Mrs. Southworth
uses In her writings. 1 don't think that
you intend to mark me unfairly, but
I don't believe that you understand me
I don't think for a moment that you
would deliberately mark me down, and
since It doesn't do me any good to talk
to you, I'm not going to bother you
any more and you can go ahead and do
just as you please.'
"I certainly admired her spirit of
self- sacrifice, but she never showed
any signs of improvement, and she
finally changed to another division and
to a new reader.
"Tills work Is a great deal liko any
other. You can get used to It and may
enjoy It, if you don't allow It to get
piled up on you. If It ever does then
it Is a burden to get everything In a
strnlghtened condition . The supply Is
always constant and It Is to one's best
Interests to keep up to date. Some
times I get behind, and then I have a
genuine cause for regret. There is
something of an education to be ac
quired from reading the work, and not
ing how poIntB are brought out and
what corrections to make. But if you
haven't patience and perseverance, and
lots of both, I would advise you never
to become a tbem reader. For if
you haven't these qualities your work
will In nowise be a pleasure to you,
but a burden grievious and even Intolerable."
A Rare Treat.
One of the strongest attractions of
the year has been booked for the big
men's meeting to be held at tho Oliver
theatre Sunday afternoon at -1 o'clock,
when Mr. Alton Packard, .ao famous
impersonator and cartoonist, will de
liver a lecture illustrated with crayon
sketches. Mr. Packard has occupied
the lecture platform for several years,
and haB been unusually successful In
his line of work. He comes with the
highest recommendations, and will
have something of special Interest to
college men. Prof. Wilbur F. Starr,
formerly of tho University School of
Music and leader of the University
Glee club during tho past season, will
furnish the music. All men are ex
tended a very hearty Invitation to at
tend. Y. M. C. A. Afternoon Meeting.
Owing to the fact that the University
and city Y. M. C. A. societies are joint
ly Interested In the big men's meetings
which are to be held In tho Oliver
theatre each Sunday afternoon during
the winter tho Sunday afiernoon meet
ings at the University will bo discon
tinued. In order that University men
may actively engage in that work with
tho city association. Tho first moot
ing will be held there Sunday after
noon nt 1 o'clock, when Mr. Alton
Packard, the famous Impersonator and
cartoonist will deliver a crayon lec
ture. College men are extended a spe
cial Invitation to take advantage of
this rare treat.
Chapin Pros., Florists, 127 So. 13th.
I HERE'S WHERE WE LIVE' I
WHITING'S LATEST AND NEW j
CREATIONS IN &
1 PAPE'TRIES 1
2 HARRY PORTER 125 So. 12th S
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COLUMBIA NATIONAL BANK
of Lincoln, Nebraska!
CAPITAL - $100,000.00.
OFFICERS
John B. Wright, Prti. J. H. Weicott. Vlce-Pre
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COMPANY
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SEE THE
REVIEW PRESS
ABOUT YOUR
Printing
Phone 384
li:51 N Street,
Lincoln
rST&5YST5ST?TBTb-ToT3r8Yi
Call at 1134 O St.
OR TELEPHONE 812
For ail Kinds of
Commercial and Society Printing
Griff ln-GroorPrintlng':Co
J9-9-9-9'i
WE ARE SHOWING
1 Stylish Shoes j
The celebrated Han
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W. L. uouglaa makes
for men. Hanan and
Sorosis Shoes for
Women. Swedish
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Nono genuine unless
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Swedish."
ii Perkins &
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Sheldon Go. w
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1129 O St.
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