University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-02-09
TO
A FRESHMAN
HILLSBURG. Feb. ,. 1909


Dear 81: 1 know it is exa>perating
70 have Freshman instructor coma
into the classroom and sit staring into
tbe space over your head for couple
Of minutes and then, with his gaze still
fixed on the cObwebs in the upper left.
hand corner of the room. proceed to call
YOUR attention to the remarkable skill
with which Burke arranged the material
of his speech on Cancellation, or to
rho economic causes OF the French
Revolution. 1t is like preaching soap
IN wild Indians. 1t doesn't soak in.
If YOU have an idea that you could
teach some of your classes better than
i being done. think for all You're
worth. but don't let anybody know it.
You are educating only one person;
look out for him and the other two
tbousand and some odd students there
will worry along somehow.
Don't be- afraid OF your own opinions.
Every original thought clears up More
-pac. than it occupies. And ii You
can put that thought into action. You
give it an individual stamp which no.
BODY can initiate. Speak il. however.
and YOU but bestow upon 1t all the
numberle,s heads and lry, and arms
Of misrepresentation. Your friends
will mi-Irlote You in Your defense,
thereby giving your enemir- leave to
SANDER YOU more etfectuallr III Your
,l,traction. Above all thing else. think
radically. act with moderation. and
speak con-ervativelv.
| wa, down at the store Saturday
afternoon while AIeck Barnes and sev-
eral Others We're there. l"-li,ve the
folk wrote YOU about sam Warner:
well. his Kid was taken by Aleck and
hi viii. To br raised. Th"y'r" about As
tit IT. couple of chimpanzee-. Wy. L
was up there one day while Warner was
sick and the Kid kept erwin" Tor his
dad until old lady Barnes must needs
up and give him Il spanking. But. as l
started tn -ay. after Barnes had lett
the store Mr. Toolev remarked. Il guess
in Il Year nr two Alcck'll think he's
bc"innin" to get even with the rest oI
the folks OF this district" You know
how he fought the tax to build new
schoolhouse. And | suppose it will give
him some satisfaction TO send the boy.
He i that Kind.
Somebody spoke about KILN" hogs
and We jumped from that To a Discus
sion Of the beef trust. rather an old
topic. ven may say. hut We live the
simple life mere. Even the Mi>>ourian
Is behind the times when it arrives.
We flayed the trust. hair. hide and all.
In comparison with the counts on which
We convicted il. the sins of the Stand
ard Oil would look like the d"in"- oi 4
benevolent association such a. Mr..
Rockefeller would have YOU believe it is.
We convicted the meat trust of selling
packers" for choice beef and ''canner,'
for veal Loaf
When nobody seemed To- have any
thin" more I" say. MIR. T"olry offered
something" new by saving that lots Of
ti-h We're bcin" caught through holes in
the lee on the lake down above Carin.
Of course We all wished for Il Mess and
talked about going after some. Mr..
Tooley continued. Il was talking 10
that fellow. Rogers. that peddle- fish
down there. and he says dog-fi>h are
just as good a> cats. He said that
about half the cat fish sold in Carlin
are dog-fi>h. He wa, tellin' me about
fellow at the hotel there couple o
weeks ago. He said that he was a
specialist on fish an could tell what
ever Kind he tasted. They asked him
what kind they Were feedn' him on an
he said catfish. 1t wasn't any such
thing. il WAS dog-fi>h an they told him
So
We all thought that was pretty good.
and Jim said he guessed that ii the man
couldn't tell the difference. he got his
moneys worth. started home soon
after that and Mr.. PAYNE went at the
same time. As We cam. out h, r.
marked to me that he couldn't "-cc
such difference between >ellin' dog
fish for cat an selling an ole. bull for
suckin' calf"
| must stop this or You wont" have
time I" read il. and | don't want u"
have You flunking on account OF nv
epi>t"larv garruity.
Your brother. BILL.
THE YALE PROM.