Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-06-29

company with his stubby clay pipe
So this condition of affairs has led me-
carefully to Work out these compost
tons of English into other language
during the year they take the course
and at the end of the year sell thi
composition work to some fellow com
ing after
Some men who prefer riding ponies
to wa king, will pay exorbitant price
for those pony compositions. Offer
two students get together and max,
lponles in composition, or translation
heave them bound cheaply and make
an immense profit on their work. be
cause they have a scarcity value and
many men will pay it rather than do
the work. The interesting item is, how
ever, that these horses las generally
termed By Harvard mem can never be
advertised. or the college authorities
will get on and in such cases ii
would go hard with the authors.
| The authorities, doubtless, often know
| that these exist, and the professors
know that such and such composition
work is entirely 10 perfect, or that
such translation is too free and easy.
but to catch the offenders and get
hold of the pony" is a different thing.
L can get German in less than no
time suggested an embryo mathema
tician as he came out of that course
a few days ago. And everybody knew
what he meant. 1t is entici1lg to the
lad who has not yet learned what
work is to be able to spend all the
evening in having good time. and
then next morning with only 10 min
uteS preparation, go to his German or
French recitation and make a good
recitation. In his mind, that beats a
funk all to pieces, regardless of the
means.
Not long ago there came to the writ
er's notice trick practiced in Latin
examination. In these examinations
students are often allowed to read from
their text books. One subject had been
riding during the whole course, and
1t was necessary to ride in eXamina-
ton, if he got out. SO he carefully
cuts the leaves from his pony transla-
ton, and just as carefully places them
in between the corresponding leaves
Of the text cutting them down so they
VIII not 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 uight,' he, in
his own language, writes out a most
elegant translation. He hands it
in before the time is up, and, to the
great surprise of his fellows, who
know he has not done much work dur
ing the term, gets an A.
Then there are men who get out
abridgements to college text books,
and sell them at I good profit. There
needs be no secrecy in this business
and the authors names often appear
on the pamphlets. In doing this work
large courses are selected in order that
the sale will be large. Good examples
are the abridgments of John Stuart
Milfs two volumes on ''Prnciples of
Political Economy" used by the econo-
mics |. course-a class of nearly 400
A little pamphlet containing the
main points of each chapter of Mill's
is gotten up in cheap form and sells
for $1.25. Nearly every member of the
course gets one because he thinks
that summary will do him as much
good as what he can remember Of two
long tedious volumes.
Fine arts, 3 course, is another good
example. A small pamphlet contain
ing the gist of lectures for half of
the year, goes to a large number of
this course of 400 men for So.
All these short CUT helps are dis
couraged by professors and authorities,
but not positively prohibited. However
TINS may be, the cause that first
prompts their issue is the desire of
some student to pay his college ex-
penSeS.
Many who take accurate notes on a
course of lectures, afterwards have
them bound and sell them at a very
high price to some one who would
rather pay the price than take notes
Of his lectures. This is very remrn
erative process, for the original author
can have several typewriter copies
made at comparatively little cost.