The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-05-02
BILLY poDp.s IDEA.

The Lesson Taught by Dream to Boy
Who Had . Good Mind Not to Try to
Learn.
at certainly seems cruel for parents
to insist on their boys going to school
when the day is fine for game of ball,
kite-hying, sailing, coasting, or build
ing snow forts. At such times, every
boy ought to be allowed to enjoy him.
self, and then on stormy days. unless,
of course, the weather was such that it
would be disagreeable for HIM to go out
of doors. he would be willing to go to
school"
Billy Dodd had some such idea as
that, as he afterwards told me, on a
certain day when the chestnuts were
just ready to drop into the cap of any
fellow who could get under the trees,
and when his mother obliged him to go
to school instead of allowing him to go
into the woods. Billy thought that he
was particularly ill-used boy, and he
could not understand why it was neces-
sary to go to school at all. OF course
he wanted to know how to read and
write, and that was all he thought
it was necessary for him to know.
"What goods grammar, an history,
an all them kind of things?" he asked
himself, as he walked slowly and un-
willingly toward the school-house.
"What do l want with nouns in any
case, or what difference does it make to
me which one governs in sentencep
Conjunctions can govern the whole
grammar for all care, an when get
to be man won't need to know such
things. What's history got to do with
Teller, I'd like to know? guess it
wouldn't hurt me very much if didn't
know who discovered America, or if !
couldn't tell jest to minute when the
English surrendered at Yorktown. I'm
jest good mind never to try to learn
another thing"
Billy was close beside the brook as he
thought this, and the babbling of the
water seemed to say so plainly that his
view of the case was the correct one
that he sat down on the grass regard
less of the fact that he ought to be in
school.
Then. feeling particularly indolent,
and lulled by the murmur of the waters,
he fell asleep, and probably, one of the
water-sprites came and sat on his eye
lid, for straightway he began to dream.
1t seemed to him that he had suddenly
become a man without having been
troubled any further about school. He
was about to purchase some land on
which to build house, and the owner
told him that the lot contained three
acres and seven-tenths, which he could
have at the rate of one hundred and
ninety-eight dollars per acre. Now
Billy had certain sum of money, and
was wholly at loss to know whether it
was sufficient to pay for the land. He
knew that it was a very simple matter
for the boys in school to multiply, di-
vide and subtract; but he had grown
up without any knowledge of such
things, and even at that early moment
in his career he began to be sorry that
he had not learned a trifie more. Then
he was obliged to ask the owner of the
land how much the sum total would be,
and some little girls who were standing
near by began to laugh, while he dis
tinctly heard one of them say: Ibid
you ever hear of such thingP A big
man don't know how to multiply one
hundred and ninety-eight by three and
seven-tenthsr'
He walked away quietly, feeling very
much ashamed, and concluded that he
had rather not have any house than be
laughed at by children because he had
been so foolish when a boy as not to
study at school. But he was obliged to
display his ignorance very shortly after
wards, for it became necessary for him
to know how far he was from the near
est hotel Meeting two boys, either one
of them smaller than he was when he
ceased to go to school, he asked the
question, and was told that he would be
obliged to walk three furlongs.
Now Billy had general idea as to
the length of a mile, but, owing to the
fact that he had never learned the table
of surveyors measure, he was wholly
at loss regarding the length of a
furlong. 1t was absolutely necessary
that he should know the exact distance
to the hotel, and as he asked the boys
to explain themselves, since he knew
nothing about furlong, he saw them
laughing at .,im because of his ig-
nOrance.
AS he walked on towards the hotel,
he begun to understand that he had
made a great mistake when he was
boy in not having studied harder; but
it was too late then, and he continued
his journey, wishing very heartily that
1t was the fashion for men to go to
school.
When heIarrived at the hotel, and be-
fore he had time to transact any bust
ness, he heard some gentlemen talking
on political matters, during which they
often referred to the capital of the State.
1t was impossible for Billy to restrain
his curiosity, and, as he asked the
gentlemen which city was the capital,
he was covered with confusion at see-
ing the entire party laugh at him; while
a how said very imnudeuflv. al oa1aSa