Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-05-23
BAROKO.


- l..
The Professor Of Mathematics taught
logic TO . few Of tho girls at the acad-
emy--the older girls, who were going
IN for many examinations. His real
name was Brandon, but none Of the
students called him Professor Brandon
except TO bis face. Even.logical girls
viii invent nicknames. They called
him Baroko. and 1t was considered .
good joke by the initiated to say that
Baroko was In his worst mood. Nearly
eli the teachers at the academy were
honored with new titles, flattering or
unflattering, and generally containing
some reference to their particular
branches Of instruction. The science
master, Mr.. Madison, had been called
Sirius till some especially intelligent
member Of the class that dealt with
ecliptics, parsllaxes, and the like dis
covered that Sirius vas the dog-star. 1t
was felt that nothing less than con-
stellation or planet would do for Mr..
Madison, he was SO universally popu-
lar: so from Sirius his name passed TO
Arcturus, or, sentimentally, the bright
one. or even "Ths Archangel." The
amount Of alteration that was lavished
on Arcturus was incalculable but
luckily he was . modest young fellow
enough. and it did not turn his head.
The girls could never understand
Why Arcturus hsd anything to do with
Bsfoko. They were excellent friends,
though Bsroko was as generally disliked
As Arcturus was admired. He looked toe
old perhaps--though be was ten or III
teen years younger than he looked-to
be fascinating. But q worse drawback
Was that. though no never got vexed,
he was given to making the most bitter
remarks in the coolest, blandest OF
tones. A master who wishes to be
unpopular cannot do better than keep
his temper and be sarcastic. One
polished sentence does more to make
his pupils hate him than dozen ebulli-
tons of wrath. They feel that the
method is not just, that there is trickery
about II, that it is heartless and cold
blooded. 1t Is impossible to pay it
back in its own coin. Abuse they can
understand, direct reproaches they can
understand, and be sorry and wish to
do better, in order to please the person
who has right to reproach; but about
sarcasm there is something deadly and
lurking that battles, maddens, and hard
ems them. 1t may scare them into obe-
dience, but it destroys faith and conf
dence, and the obedience will be half
hearted.
Sarcasm Is too keen weapon to be
used onslight occasion. Professor Bran
don had forgotten this. 1t is true that
his habit Of always speaking satirically,
after the style Of many popular critics,
sprapg from carelessness rather than
from any ingrained cynicism or harsh
ness of mood but, then, the Logical
girls did not know this. 1t is with the
logical girls that We have to do. They
we're not extremely sensitive for the
most part, and much Of Baroko's re-
fined satire glided over their heads,
only giving them vague feeling of dis
comfort, for which they hated him.
So far as learning went the logical
girls were very advanced. They knew
Q little about states, q little about
anatomy-they were always knowing
and forgetting again the difference be-
tween the cerebrum and the cerebellum.
They could tell the date at which
Xerxes or some one crossed the Helles.
pont-that is, if they had recently got
it Up. 1t was the same, as regarded
the majority of the class, with
their other sttainments. They knew
Latin, and had been constituting the first
book Of Virgil ever since anybody could
remember, for when they came to the
end they had always forgotten the be-
ginning, and turned back again to make
sure Of it. Nevertheless, they were
very advanced girls, and were going in,
some of them, for the Higher Local
Exam. This only required them to
take one group at q time; they could
get it up in one year, and in the next
forget it and get up another.
1t was an exceptional class. There
was only one backward girl in it; and
she was not stupid, but logic seemed to
turn her brain. 1t was Molly Drum
mond. She was bright enough at mu-
sic and drawing and history and litera-
ture, and could even write bad verses
in the albums Of the other girls. Her
arithmetic, truly, was q failure; she
owned, in fact, frankly enough to the
arithmetic master, who was not Pro-
lessor Brandon, that the other girls al
WAYS did her sums for her ; but she
considered it . sufficient expiation O.
this offence that she did their essays fol
them. The morality Of the ayeragt
schoolgirl is hszy. Would she do the
sums by herself for once! Yes, GER
tainly Molly would do anything she
was asked to do-and she did. They
were wrong, all of them. They were
more than wrong; they were ridiculous
Evidently the girl-seyenteen, too =
did not know her multiplication.table
As for logic, she had as clear head
for it as any one when she chose. But
she did not choose. She disliked the
logical girls, whose virtues afflicted hel
with too painful q sense Of contrast
and she consoled herself with the re
Election that she could outstrip them i
IL she liked; also, that she dressed
more tastefully, and was prettier thar
any of them, except Alicia Hargreayes
Alicia was nineteen, tall and dark, ant
handsome, with q fine figure, and eye
glasses-gold ones. Nearly all the logi
cal girls wore eyeglasses, except thos'
who wore spectacles and they wer'
subject most of them to headaches anC
neuralgia. Molly was exceptional il
having excellent sight and health and I
fresh color. She was not beautiful, bu
her face was very charming, with it
laughing yet earnest dark-gray eyes
Her figure was 1.-the and rounded, an
shewalked we'll and seemed to dance b.
instinct. Altogether winning girl, wit
woman's power Of passion and Of syn
patty, and 8 greater favorite with tn
teachers, 10 spite Of her idleness, tina
Alicia, who was first in everything
Alicia was really intellectual, an