The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-10-23
QUOTATIONS FOR THE COMET.
Tie College student Riding on
the Rail.
BY UNCLE REUBEN.

BY UNCLE REUBEN.
Now is the time of year when GER
class of the genus homo inics!s the
railroad trains ON their way back to
college, and sing into the cals Of the
other passengers their songs on scien-
tiiic subjects, utterly unconscious (9
of course that their conversation is
being heard by any except themselves
A college student on II railroad train
is phenomena not visible every day
in the year. He belongs i'll Il cata-
logue of human beings all by himself
He knows too much to be put down
on the same list with other people.
He won't tolerate it. He is an insu-
tuition separate and distinct from the
balance of mankind. He is Il learned
indvidual-deeply learned too-oh
railroad train. That is where we are
looking at him now.
Did you ever notice one, or TWO, OF
three, or more OF them on tram ana
catch snatches of their conversation?
You are forced to hear some OF 1t ana
be apprised of the fact that they
abound in knowledge. They will talk
it so you can hear it. You can't heip
yourself
Two drummers may sit Immediately
in front of you, and talk for hours
intcntly on matters in their line ol
business, yet do it in such way
that your attention Will not De
ARE stcd unless you will it.
Two politicians may discuss politics
warmly Immediately behind you, ana
YOU never be disturbed. Two women
lust across the aisle from you may as
nose of the fashions of the day, and
then dissect the character of Mrs. so
and-so. and tell one another all about
WHY Mrs. Hardrun-poor thing has
such hard time in the world, nnd sun
YOU never notice them. All these
things may go on around you ana you
f may still hold communion with your
own thoughts, and be un' onscious OF
. what these parties are talking about
but when two students, seated III lhe
onnositc end of the car open up, theh
if Won have ears to hear you are com
pelIed to hear. Their bearing TOWARD
the other passengers, their tone o.
voice. their walk, topics of CONVERSE
tion. and manner in every respect, Tel
that they are aloOf in their feelings
from all the rest on board. Ihey E'lF
wise, and walk wise, and look wise
, You will hear them talk on big SUB
q iects, but you will not fail to notlc'
how lightly each is touched. In thi
respect they are like butterfly, l'tlh'
= from flower to flower. Above th
a rattle of the train and voices OF tn
t other passengers you will catch TIM
comment made in the tone of one WI
L nossesses much wisdom about til
:. vivid scintellations emitted from
burning substance when plunged Ill
y vessel of Oxygen gas, the intense hea
= i of the oxy-hydrogen flame, the splel
D." dor of the calcium light, with I'll
u uwhvs and whereforesn of each. IL
imagines you never heard OF the oNS
hydrogen flame and its llttle ploN
~ ~ pipe, and that you are being pierce
u through and through with eXclami
ton points at the wisdom there Is FIJI
t. ing in that railroad car.
IL Pretty soon you will hear soheIhil
ID about the geocentric and the helloceI
It. tr,c narallax, then small snatch
2 perihelion; next he is talking cle
n tricity and tampering with the lie.
+. den jar, and so forth and 80 on II
r. train stops awhile at some small low
lg where circus bills III attractive colo
IT. are nasted over all the houses; th
s. onens the way, and our student at u
,ff SIGHT of the picture Of the rhlhocero
he deviIfish sea horses and all the mlgh
re monsters of the deep, skips OIL III
of tbe fields of natural history WIN u
st fantastic nimblcness and grace oi
'rt elephant, twisting his jaw bones oV
ks tbcir technical names, ana sllhSl
H. o,,t latin which Julius Caesar could
SS understand. Soon the tram Is liy''
est through deep cut. Then con
lst geological comments on the dirt
imagines he sees all sorts OF mar
and signs-ripple marks, rill mari
mud cracks, fern marks, Nc, &c, a
knows the age of every clod 10 WIN
he is disposed to give his aItehtl'
IT. After awhile you will hear one ot lh'
lrn oet off something about polarlzali
see Of light. You won't catch but
ate suggestion on this interesting freak
'et- nature. however, although the III
Idy who uttered it preserves his Sefell
ear all the same as if the "gct or ha'l
una disturbed his mental equilibrium
our fine least. Now, one of them W'','U
r to drirk of water. See him walk a."
He tbo aisle What an intellectual IT"
ele- dts ON his brow, what classic &c
'ort nression of the lips, what me'su
ern steps; his shoulders have Ine III,
Iectual stoop, his much learning
ON, WEIGHED heavily on him and bent
10 form lust slightly. Indeed, he m">
and has the every air of SOLID III
Or He imagines that all eyes are on !
lnsl INST and that everybody i'm the car Is "
,ent dering "who is that"
he'd A college student is grand
GERS wonderful piece of organism-on
ARK road train going back to college
terry see him. or to hear him desean'
,usi- sparsely, letting out the smatterlnl
Ings has in the various college brahene'