Morning journal and courier., 1893-06-23
"SHORT CUTSo AT HARVARD.
The Art of "Riding Ponies" DeveI-
oped to n High Degree.

lcTom tne Boston Glooe
There is "money string pulled at Har-
ward not little, but always in secret In
most of the language courses composition
work rune through the year. This is the
difficult part of the courses, sud the part
most dreaded by the fellow who prefers
reading the last novel, in company with
bis stubby clay pipe. So this condition of
affairs has led men carefully to work out
these compositions of Eoglish into other
languages during the year they take the
course, and at the end of the year sell
this composition work to scme fellow COM
ing after.
Some men who prefer riding ponies" to
walking, will pay exorbitaut prices for
these pony compositions Often two stu
dents get together and make up their
ponies in competition, or translation, have
them bound cheaply ssd make an i'm
mepss profit on their work, because they
have a scarcity value and many men will
pay 1t rather than do the work The in
teresting item Is. however. iha. these
"horses" las generally termed by Harvard
men) can never be advertised, or the col
lege authorities ''get on. )" and in such cares
It would go hard with the suthors
The authorities, doubtless, often know
that these exist, and the professors know
that such and such competition work Is en-
tirely too perfect, or that such translstIon
Is too free and easy, but to catch the Of
tenders and get hold of the pony" is g
different thing 81 can get German In less
that no time, !" suggested an embryo ms;he-
mstioian as he came out of that course q
few days ago. 1t Is en,icing to the lad who
has not yet learned what work 10 to be anle
to spend all the evening In having q good
time, and then next morning with only
ten minutes preparation. go to his German
or French recitation and make a good
round A recital. In his mind, that beats
funk" all to pieces, rsgardiess of the
means.
Not long ago there came to the writer's
notice trick prscticed In Latin examins-
tlon. In these EXAMINATIONS students are
often allowed to read the required sections
from their own books. Our subject had
been "ridipg" during the whole course, and
1t was necessary to ride" In examination,
liz he got out. So he carefully cuts the
leaves from his pony translation, and just
as carefully places them in between the
corresponding leaves of the text-cutting
them down 60 they will lot stick over the
edges of the text. So there appears to be
nothing unusual about his book, but, In
the examination, while his fellows are
"toiling upward In the night" he, In his
own Language, writes out q most elegant
TRANSLATION. He hands Ii In before the
time is up, and, to the great surprise of
bis fellows, who know he has not done
much work during the term, gets an A
Then there are men who get out abridg-
ments to college text books, and cell them
at QOOd nrn6t Thara a. ha
in this business and the suthors' names
often spPear on the pamphlets. In doing
this work large courses arc selected In
order that the sale will be large. Good ex-
amples are the abridgments OF John Stuart
Mile two volumes on Principles Of Polit-
ioal Economy" used by the economics /
course-s class of nearly 400.
A little pamphlet containing the main
points of each chspter of Mil is gotten up
in cheap form and sells for $1.25. Nearly
every member of the course gets one be
cause he thinks that summary will do him
as much good as what he can remember OF
two long tedious volumes.
Fine arts, course, Is smother good ex.
ample. A email pamphlet containing the
gist of lectures for one-hslf Of the year
goes to large number of this course Of
400 men for So.
Ali these ''short cut" helps are diecour
aged by professors and authorities, but moi
positively prohibited However this may
be, the cause thst first prompts their issut
Is the desire of some student to pay hil
college expenses.
Many who take accurate notes on I
course of lectures, afterwards have then
bound and cell them at a very high pric
to some one who would rather pay tn
price than take notes of his lectures
This is very remunerstive process, 70
the original author can have several type
written copies made at comparatively liitl
i mat