The Red Cloud chief., 1879-09-11

take in Agamemnon's education. He
bad been To q number of colleges, indeed,
but he had never completed his our>e
in any one. He had continually fallen
into some difficulty with the authorities
II was singular, for he Wa Of an ipquir.
ing mind, and had always tried 20 ind
out what would be expected Of him, but
had never hi, upon the right thing.
Solomon John thought the trouble
might be in what they called the elective
where you were IN choose what
study you would take. This had always
b~ewildered Agamemnon a good deal.
"And how was q Teller TO tell" Sol
John had asked, whether he
wanted to study q thing, before he tried
it2 II might turn out awful hard!"
Agamemnon had always been fond OF
reading from his childhood up. He vas
At his book all day long. Mrs. Peterkin
had imagined he would come out a gres,
scholar, because she could never get
him away from his books.
And So II was in his colleges; he was
always 10 be found in the library, read
ing and reading. But they were always
the wrong books.
For instance: the class were required
to prepare themselves on the Spartan
war. This turned Agsmemnon's a.ten-
ton to the Fenians, and to study the
subject, he read M on .'t'harles O'Mal-
ley" and Harry Lorrequer." and some
later novels Of the sort, which did not
help him on the subject required, and
vet took up all his time so that be found
himself quite untitled for any thing else
when the examination came. In con-
sequence, he was requested TO leave.
Agamemnon always missed in his
recitations. for the anne reason that
Elizabeth Eliza did not get on in school,
because he was always asked the ques-
tons he did not know. II seemed pro-
voking; il the professors had only ask
ed something else, But they always hit
upon the very things he had not studied
up.
Mrs. Peterkin felt this was encour-
aging, for AgamemnOn knew the things
they did not know in colleges. In col
leges, they were willing TO take for stu
dents only those who already knew GER
tain things. She thought Agamemnon
might be a professor in a college for
those students who didn't know those
things.
81 suppose these professors could
not have known a great DEAL" she add
ed, "or they would not have asked you
so many questions; they would have
told you something"
Agamemnon had left another college
on account of a mistake he had made
with some of his class mates. They had
taken Il great deal of trouble to bring
some wood from a distant wood-pile 10
make a bonfire with, under one Of the
professors windows. AgamemrOn had
felt it would be a compliment to the
professor.
II was with bonfires that heroes had
been greeted on their return from sue,
cessiul wars. In this way, beacon
lights had been kindled upon lofty
heights, that had inspired mariner.
seeking their homes after distant ad.
ventures. As he plodded back and for
ward, he imagined himself some hero
of antiquity. He was reading "Plu.
tarch's Lives with deep interest. This
had been recommended at a former col.
lege, and he vas 10Y taking it up in
the midst of his French curse. He
fancied, even, that some future Plutarcb
was growing up in Lynn, perhaps, who
would write of this night Of suffering
and glorify its heroes.
For himself, he took a severe cold and
suffered from chillblains, in consequence
of going back and forward through the
10 carrying the wood.
But the flames Of the bonfire caught
the blinds Of the Professors room, and
set fire to the building, and came near
burning up the whole institu-
ton. Agamemnon regretted the
result as much as his prede-
cessor, who gave him his name, mus.
have regretted that other bonfire on the
shores of Aulis, that deprived him of q
daughter.
The result for AgamemnOn was that
he was requested to leave, after having
been in the institution but a few months.
He left another collegein consequence
Of a misunderstanding about the hour
for morning prayers. He went every
day regularly at 10 O'Clock, but found,
afterward, that he should have gone at
half-past six. This hour seemed to him
and to Mrs. Peterkin unreasonable, at a
time of year when the sun was not up,
and he would have been obliged to go
to the expense Of candles.
AgamemnOn was always willing to
try another college, wherever he could
be admitted. He wanted TO attain
E,onloJpo bN~ar,r - MIGHT ho fn,,p1
But, after going to five, and leaving
each before the year was out, he gave.it
up.
He determined to lay out the money,
that would have been expended in a
collegiate education, in buying an en-
cyclopedia, the most complete that he
could find, and to spend his life in
studying it Systematically. He would
not content himself with merely reading
it, but he would study into each subject
as it came up. and perfect himself in
that subject. By the time, then, that he
had finished the encyclopedias, he should
have embraced all knowledge, and have
experienced much of il.
The family was much interested in
this plan of making practice of every
subject that came up.
He did not, of course, get On very fast
in this way. In the second column OF
the very first page, he met with A as a
note in music. This led him to the
study of music. He bought a flute, and
took some lessons, and attempted to &C.
company Elizabeth Eliza on the piano.
This, of course, distracted him from his
work on the encyclopedia. But he did
not wish to return to A until he felt per.
feet in music. This required a long
time.
Then in this same paragraph a refer
ence was made; in it he was requested
to see Keys" 1t was necessary, then,
to turn to "Keys." This was about the
time the family were moving, which we
have mentioned, when the difficult SUBJ
ject of keys anne up, that suggested to
him his own simple invention, and the
hope of getting a patent for it. This
led him astrsy, as inventions before have
done with master minds, so that he was
drawn aside from his regular study.
The family, however, were perfectly
satisfied with the career AgamemnOn
had chosen. It would help them all in
any path of life, il he should master the
en~clyclopedia in a thorough way.