The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-11-13
A VaSSar Mathematician.
From MInsev,s Mapazjne.)


flowers. noble trees in stately rows,
and q plateau covered with grass
clipped till it looks like a broad ex-
psnse of green velvet. 1t means great,
cool looking stone buildings, and
shady walks from which one Tor two)
can get beautiful views of the wide
Hudson. 1t means a panorama of
mammas, matrons, and maidens in
the smartest of summer gowns escor-
ted by cadets in still smarter uni
forms. And mixed in with these, it
also means a number of grave and
reverened professors, and a dignifed
assortment of more or less elderly
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Representa-
tives in Congress, Governors, and so
forth-composing the board of
visitors.
A bugle sounds. The cadets scam
per away to barracks for the after
moons imprisonment. The grave
professors separate into two bodies,
each of which repairs to its respective
examination room. The board of
visitors, having concluded that the
wisest thing it can do is to repeat the
recommendations of similar boards
for the last twenty years, follows the
example of the professors.
The examinations are nearly over.
The second and first sections of the
graduating class are to be examined
this afternoon in military engineering
and the sport of kings Commonly
known as the art of war; and like
all other men, the members of the
board of visitors are interested in the
subject. Some of the women, OF
course, attend the examinations, but
they are comparatively few. AS a
rule, "the ladies who come up in
June" attend the examination of
their own Cadet only. 1t is just as
we'll. Each cadet has at least ten
young ladies who consider him their
own," and the examination rooms are
quite crowded.
The first and second sections of the
graduating class march with that long
cadet stride to the main examination
room, into which they file and take
seats with military precision. In the
first section are the star" members
of the class, the strong" men, as the
stern superintendent likes to call
them. He means strong mentally,
though many of them are strong physi-
cally, too.
To all outward appearances there
is little difference between the first
section and the second, but the trained
observer will open your eyes to the
distinction in minute. There is a
swagger and sauciness about the
second section that is lacking in the
harder working first Here are to be
found the smart men of the class who
are just trife lazy. Their instructor
will tell you that they are without
ambition and devoid of fear" In
other words, they have been studying
as little as possible, especially for the
past six months. They know that
they are practically sure to graduate,
that by no means can they work their
way into the first section, and that
their marks are so high that by no
possibility can any member OF the
third section scalp" them.
He of whom l write is member
of this second section. He is tall,
slim, black haired, and black eyed,
and there is the sparkle of good ma
ture, fun, and self confidence in the
black eyes. The professors will tell
you that he could have stood in the
"fves'' with a little effort but he
has not cared to make the effort.
Therefore they are inclined to be just
trihe angry with him, for they spend
their lives in trying to bring out the
best there is in every man who wears
the gray. In their hearts, however,
they like him immensely, for he is
honest. frank, and manly. He is the
most popular man in his class, and
though he has accumulated many de-
merits, he is the most soldierly man
in the corps of cadets. The sharp
eyed, brilliant president of the aca-
demic board, who looks so much like
Grant, and who has written his name
so high among the searchers in the
unknown fields Of mathematics,
thinks the world of him.
The majority of the cadets in the
two upper sections are decidedly ner-
vous, but he is GOODNESS itself. That
self-reliance of his has pulled him
through many a doubtful examina-
ton. He knows that there are many
subjects on which he has supreme
confidence in his luck. He is espec-
tally confident on this occasion, as
"she" is sitting in the very front row
of spectators, between her father and
mother.
There's Little Rosebud" !" he says
to himself. ''I'm simply bound to
get a showy subject. think it will
be the campaign of Austerlitz. Yes,
Pm sure of it. 1t would be just as
pleasant to get nice subject in math,
though. I'd like to show her what
real mathematics is"
She is what he calls her-a little
rosebud. At any rate, she is as pref
ty and sweet and modest as one. She
has just graduated at Vassar, and has
come down the river to see him grad
uate. They are to be married in a
month, with the hearty consent OF all
concerned and the deep interest OF all
who know. During his release from
quarters they have been taking the
usual walks that are sacred to those
who have plighted their troth. And
once or twice she has tried to say a
little something on the subject Of