Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-11-25
Undergraduates and Literature.


An instructor ~ Englisi. literature a.,
luits tpi!cH" wanted to tina ont hpH
much his IiupitS. ami prr~ImanIy tn,
3V'raH" UNDERGRADUATE. knew about
standard English authors ana th-ir
works. 80 without giving notice ~ hl.
Intention. y" prepared this list of gues-
lions ami examined his class in 1t.
i. Name siN plays pf Shakespeare ari
w" novels ny Scott.
- Who is ihe author pf .Paradis.
Lost. IA" 'rickwick Papers thc 'Bglow
King, Ahon Ben .Adh-D
- ~ What bopk does ,arh VI the iut-
wing characters Drcur. Mrrderai. Iagy.
R"'ky SharU. hing AKrippa Mnn-hana .
8 Name oH" w.Ts each ~ "a ordSRur b
oNriy'r. RH~kin. Matthew Ar:oid uaa
Browning
Perhaps The question AZ ta King .Agrlp-
pa Mas scarcely :Hir blFt ~" other qIes-
tiuHs dr" unrNc"pttrnal. Ih" rTnrulu4.-
~"Tc II men and u three seniors
~ JuIiurs. nlnr s0phumyT,s. twY fr--a-
men IN" isn"rancr ~ knowledge di>-
played nav be- esteemed that III Ill. - ufni.
undergrad J1to body Fifteen ouitu fatl.-
tN" ~ SC"tts s novels but ngly tWu. w
senior thd "a sophomore. couldn't name
siN az Shakespeare" plays This was
comforting although it doesn't prove THAI
Every body had heard - Nr Milton hfl
thrr" dion KNOW wh' ~r"t" IN" Pick
wick Papers. And seven uldu know VIII l
wrutr tn "IdyllS OF th- King In.s
last fact i~ rather depressing buty trlr
could Same the author ot "Aho4 E-r
Adh"m. but perhaps this has b..cpIu- 81
common Az 10 be entitled ~ the priyIleE, y
~ anonymity. pnc would think Eu uw,ver
that tn" 81 h1ul readers and srvakcts
would nay" made II ana its writer tanA-
lar, ana II Is continually IrniuE up it.
newspapers
The Tufts Investigation seems w cor-
roboratv thrs.. who sadly fear that BID,
reading II waning. Twenty-Five students
kncw rot pf Mordecai. 4nd " bc,
k..T - t.Fr r44 -lf tr-h
have th'v read Would Benjamin and
~" SILVER tIi. Goliath uf Gath. Gideon.
even Sampson. wv UEJr"S W. their world
md that Young memory and that inHLI-
nation IN which tn"r" Is no procession IL
m" Ola Testament heroes ana hcru!r.s
are poor indeed. Twenty students Were
routed IN AEripIa. thr same number rs
lag"- BOYS that were BOYS Wh-n Edwin
Booth ~aS in his prim" knew laro ANA
hisS~d him perhaps. from tnc top gallery
~ Boston Theatre. Eut Shakespeare .-
played OUT in these accomplished times
They drc stlil faithful to HiIvItu.
in MaSsa chuScttS ana All INT seven ~ IN
class were acquainted with Mime h4-
TT l3 Becky SHARP was q stranger Hap
~ r. They have pleasure III store iu-
them. Vanity Fair is no book for w.
glnn"rs anyway Wait till SOU come tu
'n year. Twenty -four knew no Work oi
Matthew Aruold'S. Is no work az Car.yIc'S
M hut "lght could name POEM ot
Much exact miSinformatirn was olsen
gagged. Becky Sharp was found in
Dickens the Vicar II Wakefield. anI
Sherlock HulmcS As usual Matthew
Arnold Was confused with Sir Edwin
'Sartor Resartus and "ldylls ~ tn.
King wcrr ascrihcd to Ruskiu Adam
Bcde to Cooper "tbnu Ben Adh"m 70
kiTlins and t. Carlyle. IN" .Fi,kwick
Papers To Thack,ry. tEr "Bigiow Pl-
pers To Addison. Dickens. Irving. Btyard
Taylor. ThaCkery. Icnnyson. Like tnc.r
brethren At Harvard ana Wili9ms thr
TUFTS UndcrsIaduattS seen. 10 have "a
mighty small stock Of English literature
The blame Will be laid On the schools
but II belongs to parents. They might
at least introduce their children II TIE
Bible. and Lambs "fal"s from Shake
pcare is. perhaps. as interesting as most
of the herd of Children's books ui tn,
present. But We don't expect people u
read Tennyson. They have Edwin Mark
ham; and ThackoTy and Dickens pale he
fore the fiery EcniIs OF Cainr ana Corei-
H. The Tufts instructor is not sliftcicnti.
modern in his ideas,