Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-05
His Grasp Of Mathematics.

When he taught mathematics ulo VI LIZ
seemed to fash with precision. 1t occurs
to many an "old boy that the principal
cared more for the languages than he
did for mathematics. Perhaps so, but the
memory of the writer is that mathematics
meant something when Charles B. Young
taught it-and not quite so much Wnen
any one else took a hand.
He taught boys how to write He MADE
them write good English on everyday sub
jects He stuck to the old-fashioned way
Of having compositions read every sec
ond Friday. Some of the boys got their
start In writing then and have written
their way to fame and glory. He taught
boys to speak pieces" On the alternate
FRIDAYS the old big room" would ring
with the oratory of the good ld-fasnloned
speeches from every corner Of the speak
Ing book world. He taught them to
speak gracefully and well. SonN OF the
boys who learned to speak on thal pat
form Friday afternoons are the finest
speakers in this city right now. Some Of
them are men whose words can sway an
audience or a jury in any direction; ana
all of them say that the old platform IN
the big room at Emerson started their
tongues q wagging.
a cake. It was as earnest competition
as ever was beheld. At commencement
times they spoke for medals, and the care
and training the boys would put IN TO
gain one OF those prizes was worthy OF
any cause.
Reminder Of Old Times.
At the smoker Of the University Club
one of the "old boys" produced The Elmer
Review of June and July, 1873. 1t
reproduced the commencement program
Of that year, made up entirely OF speech
making and character comedy by the
boys Some Of the names are worth
noticing Jennings W. Garrett. saluta-
torian of that year, became famous In
Virginia and in this city. II. Bergman,
one OF the most enthusiastic OF the old
boys now, was on the program for a
recitation. H. X. Willard and Gist Blair
were on the program. too. So was
Charles Perry and C. Ridenour and a
dozen other names we'll known in the life
Of the city today were in the list. So
it was practically with every commence
ment program ever issued by the school
In that old paper bylished by school
boys there is an article reprinted from
the National Intelligencer Of some date
in the sixties in which the statement is
made that the school gave a. training as
fine as that Of any school in the country.
The writer of the article was a severe
critic of schools, but gave Charles B.
Young unetinted praise. He told how the
school had struggled along quietly for
I'll the genuineness Of the principal be-
came known, and after that the limit Of
the school, 1875 boys, was reached at
every enrolment.
And" says the writer Of the article.
I'VE have never seen a nobler band Of
Boys in a schoolroom than is gathered
in this academy at the present time"
Further on he says: mo man accustOm
ed to observe schools, who has been In
this school half an hour. needs to be-
lI@I hrv% ~
of a master" x.
And there Is bit that caught the eve
of the man who wrote that article, and
which will make many an old boy smile
After telling of the remarkable drill In
Latin that one class received, he states:
TT has never been our good fortune to
see a brighter. sharper or more tntetli-
gent set of boys under the hands Of any
teacher, and we never saw boys more
Observation-Disclosures unmercifully-(this In
italics) handled, and yet they seem to
enjoy the business"
Twas No Royal Road.
Aye. Charles B. Young told boys for
fifty-four years that there was no royal
road to learning. The road he drove
them over was a harsh one, sometimes
a merciless one-an uphill one-but it
led into every highway and byway of
learning Through the pleasant places
and the easy stepping stones, through
the murk and muck Of the elements of
Greek and Latin and arithmetic, the road
ran 50 that any boy who did not see
every stone and stick on the way was
blind.
He used to toll nightly over his classes
and failure in class grieved him. He
would get his boys almost to the point
of understanding what he was driving at.
when some foolish one would spoil 1t all
with an inane and idiotic answer to a
question Then the dear old man" would
shake him head sorrowfully and say:
Poor old Sisyphus. He rolls the stone
up, up. up the hill. nearly killing him.
and when the stone gets almost to the
top-down 1t rolls again"
How many old boys remember hear
ing Charles B. Young say that?
Dinner in His Honor.