The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-03
Commencement Essays.

AS teacher we aimed to eliminate
conventionalisms and commonplace
from the compositions of pupils, and to
encourage originality, freedom and ra-
ciness in youthful thinking and writing.
AS editor, at this commencement sea-
son and in educational discussions, we
have deplored the apparently ineradi-
cable tendency of boys and girls, of
young men and women, to select in
felictous subjects for their essays, and
to adopt unnatural methods of treatment
and stilted, hackneyed style of phrase
ology. Lucy Elliot Keller, in the Chris
tan Union, has so pointedly and so hap
PLY criticised this fault of youthful
scholarship that we can not forbear re-
producing in full what she has to say
and we adiure the youthful essayists to
heed her friendly words:
"Have you written your essay? 1 can
not decide on even a subject. The thought
of it has spoiled my Easter vacation" /"
have no subject either, but have an OPEN
ing sentence for which I am trying to find
head and a body. / know all about the
despair OF that prince who went around
hunting foot to fit his adored glass slipper"
Such was the lively conversation going on
in the seat before me. At Oberln the two
pretty girls hurried out of the car and fell
into the arms Of a dozen other pretty girls.
Then l remembered a promise One hot
evening of last June 1 had left this same
train to spend the night with some relatives.
Visions cold q frnp
dust, and An early retirement to my cham
Der danced blissfully before my eyes; but
as l ate my supper the youngest boy broke
out gleefully: We have something nice
for you ht-commencementl" and
then as il to top my joy, " it is the biggest
class that we have ever had!" The Older
children looked at me anxiously. Evil
IDENTIFY it was great occasion to them, but
they would forego it rather than leave me at
home alone. So made prompt inquiries
with'an interest that hid my disappointment
AT an early hour we started off, " For the
hall will be crowded: we must go early to
get seats" Four miserable hours we sat
there; and with eyes swimming and brain
whirling, promised that if the Lord would
preserve me until another June / would
utter protest. Oh, my sweet girl graduates,
If you only knew the virtue of brevity-how
it compensates for mediocrity and sheds
luster on merritt If you only knew those
laudable old rules in the rhetoric-to cut
out your adjectives and adverbs, to avoid
redundant expressions, to stop when you
have reached the climax Then, if you
could be little funny sometimes; if you
could appreciate how we long to relax our
faces in a smile; if you could scold us less
and coddle us more; if you could quote less
from Dante and Homer and Virgil, whom
we do not understand, and give us a ia
miliar line from Longfellow or Mother
Goose-oh, if you only could, girls Then,
if you would not refer to childhood as if it
lay in the dim past-it is only yesterday to
us old fogies; If you would revolt less
against society's conventionalities if you
would kindly forget to draw a moral; if
you would dwell less on the dangers of
money-we crude listeners all long for ii !;
ifyou would accept the United States govern
ment as tits; oh, if you only would would
endow your school, girls, / would build an
alcove to your library, and fill its shelves
with lasting delight, and would carve upon
the lntes:
Books and Girls, born
To make life less difficult"