Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-08-03
After Graduation
lorIgInai.l

when I first saw AiaFsuAit nAn,lis'N'
.aa inst been graduated from the
.n,,narv. he from college. He had led
~ class from start to finish, and his
@.r,ily vas very proud of him. | re
-.an,ber the old fashioned watch key
wore. the badge Of an 'honor" so
80 and It was more TO me than the
,.s,ora,ion Of the Legion OF Honor TO
rrsneh girl or the yictoria cross to
english girl. But what was my
s0,,oht during those long evenings late
!. lime or carly IN July when he sim
u,ki me out from among the other girls
az walks after tea and seldom would
a.yee with any one else during our
.,,bertngs after nightfall. He seemed
,,eilned 10 talk with me as TO his choice
:, vocation; but, confess. none of
,ns professions seemed to me TO be ex-
arad enough for him unless he was to
hacou,e a bishop. and this was not In
his line. lie was rather calculated, |
thought. to invent a new system of
nbjloSophy. as Herbert Spencer had
done
That same spring John Sisson came
bone from a small institute where
they taught engineering or mechanical
drawing or something like that. 1t
was understood that he had barely
serapcd through. and, the institution
No, being known to us girls. taking the
two together. we did not place very
high estimate on John or his education.
The truth IL that we were az an age
when education is everything. and peo-
nile were at that time education mad.
The point seemed to be to educate and
LET the boy use his education as best
he could when he got it. John and
had been brought up together. and now
that we were grown he seemed in
clined to be very attentive, But why
should accept the attentions Of one
who had been graduated low on the
scale In an unknown Institution when
| could have those of one who had
been graduated first In the oldest uni
gersity in the land?
Five years passed. Marshall King
man had received the appointment of
assistant professor In his alma mater,
but, whether IL was because he had not
the faculty of imparting his knowl-
edge. or did not think he was getting
on fast enough. he soon resigned It to
embrace good opportunity TO go into
business. John Sisson had managed
10 pick up some knowledge of civil en-
cheering. though 1t was said lie had
failed to take his diploma. The truth
Is John, from the time he was ia
school, was infatuated with an out
1oor life and was better satisfied with
building culvert or henhouse on
his fathers place than In study. He
was always called crack Drained from
certain impossible suggestions he
would make with reference 10 ways OF
doing things He went 10 the far west,
and the next we heard of him he was
back with view to securing capital
to invest In Wild scheme for draining
a lake or a marsh or something of the
sort. OF course no one would listen
to him, and he went west again, Two
or three years after this he was back
again, but this time as quite an inn
portant parsonage, for he had done his
draining. securing the funds by an is
sue of stocks or bonds. or something on
paper. and the property had become
very valuable. | ought not TO say
what he came for, but my story com
pels me TO admit that he came for me.
Had he come year or two earlier
doubt IL ! should have listened 10
him. | am practical woman and ad-
init that In the choice OF husband
would always recommend girl to con-
slider intrinsic worth. am not roman
tic and see no sense In u girl choosing
A man who gives no promise. | had
long looked up to Marshall Kingman
and the wonders he would do. lie
made n mistake by going into business,
Those who took him in, expecting he
would I'LL n certain department TO their
profit, found to their cost that he had
10 head for an administrative position.
The friend who had given him the
opportunity told him one day that what
he was trying 10 do was beneath his
requirements and recommended him
TO leave business and find something
bearer the lines ON which he had been
educated. When Marshall came to me
and told me this, thinking. as he did,
that the man had paid him compli-
ment, the poor fellows deficiencies
came out plainly to me. He had shown
In his tutorship that he had not the
faculty for imparting knowledge to
others. Now II was evident that he had
not the faculty for using II in practi-
cal field could not advise him; |
could only sympathize with him. He
wrote several books after this, but they
were not on practical subjects and were
not largely read. He is now doing
hack work for publishing house.
Being practical woman, | could not
but listen to John Sisson, who pleaded
Ills eause-very deferentially and mod
rstiy. He said that what he was about
III =.