Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-17
!: LOOKER.ON IN IOWA /;
Observation-Disclosures

Grinnell, Sept. 17.-The return of
the students to Iowa College last week
| was as usual an interesting affair, es-
pecially at the railroad depot when
those incoming trains came to stand
still The sweet girl Ito be) graduates
INDUCED in the usual unsanitary
amount of kissing. They came in
shoals, bare-headed and bare armed,
to the depot to meet their room and
classmates Of former terms, and to
give warm welcome, when properly
introduced, to all newcomers. AS for
the boys, their feelings found vent in
the college yell, and the usual rough
and tumble sort of how are you? That
both boys and girls literally walked
over other alighting foot passengers
is small item. We were all young
once What was more in evidence OF
college opening was the pile of trunks
on the platforms. The baggage room
would not hold one-tenth of them
They were piled along the PLATFORM
both on the Iowa Central side as we'll
as on the Rock Island platform,
hundred feet. Baggage wagons cannot
haul them the same night, so numerous
are the students and boarding places.
Assuming that each student has one
trunk and one only, the delivery OF
say 800 trunks in a town that has for
ty-five miles of sidewalks is quite
Job, and suggests that such an lnva-
sion of strangers permanently added 10
the population means much to the bus
mess of the town.
On previous occasions the writer has
v,nn1t1ior nrOc1pHinR. ana
this year it was again in evil
dence, so that now it can
he made a matter of record, and in
CURED into. Why is it that when a
decision is reached to send Mary away
to college, that father always goes
with her to pick out nice boarding
place, pay tuition, etc. but John Henry
takes his mother along on the same
errand. They were here the other
day. And here's another noticeable
depot platform matter. Even sup
CRITICAL observer not critical critic
like the writer, can tell at glance
whether Mary is here for her first
term or not. John Henry can swag-
ger and put both hands in his side
pockets, can even wear a little cap,
leather belt. turn up his trousers and
smoke pipe, but we know its the
first time he was ever away from home
to college. Worse than all John Henry
knows that we know it. Grinnell doesn't
put on much style, only one million
aire lives there, and only f1fty-thre
Grinnell automobiles scare the farmers
horses, but Grinnell in addition to book
knowledge absorbed in a four years
college course, takes Mary in hand and
in year or two, she hardly knows
herself. Whereas she was on arrival
a stranger in strange land, only safe
under fathers escort on arrival in a
year from that time she thinks she
self possession that comes to Mary in
a year or more of college life is only
euualed by her changed manner of
dress and conversation John Henry's
father is a banker in NeXtown John
Henry's some pumpkins at home, but
it takes year or more before John
Henry asserts himself at Grinnell.
If he does so far forget him
self as to remember he's the
bankers son at Nextown. certain and
sure grief awaits him. Everybody at
Grinnell knows Mary and John Henry.
If you happen to be at the Grinnell
depot next year, when college opens
you'll see them get off the cars.
90
But 1t takes old Oxford in old Eng
gland to change an Iowa boy into "a
blarsted Hinglishman." The Rhodes
scholarship prizes were intended by
the author of them, to bring together
bright, intelligent, young men from all
over the world, to have them rub
against one another and knock the
spots off Of all, and polish each into
a finished, educated gentleman. But
environment has been too much for
our Iowa representative. He's lately
been back on visit. And he's got
1T bad. Jaw but its beastly weather
here He doesn't know it, but he oc-
casionally drops an "h." Its raining In