The San Francisco call., 1910-08-14


my hair. Sometimes 1 quarreled with
them, but generally I ran away.
Ralph teased me, too sometimes but
1t was in such a good natured way that
1 knew 1t was all In fun
Ralph had such merry eyes and such
funny turned up nose and such funny
curly hair that you had to laugh when
you looked at him. When he began to
talk you laughed more than ever; and
when he laughed, as he did nearly all
the time, you Just roared," he was so
funny
But when you looked down at his
feet you wanted to cry instead Of
laugh. or take him in your arms and
hold him tight.
For Ralph was a cripple, with poor,
twisted feet, and could not walk a step
without crutches.
He never gave you chance to look
down at his feet IL he could help it, for
he hated to be pitied.
"Tve got two hands, haven't II" he
would ask. "and a pretty good head |
guess, and whole lot of things. I'll
get along all right Milton was blind
that's lot worse-and Byron had
club foot, and ever so many Of those
big fellows had something like that
the matter with EN-"
He was just like his mother, [ guess.
There isn't trouble enough in the
world, all piled up together, to quench
Kittie MarshalPs brave, cheerful spirit.H
my mother always said
Ralphs father had taken him to ever
so many doctors, but none of them had
done him much good. At last, an oper-
alton was decided upon to straighten
the feet. and in consequence Ralph had
been out of school long time.
He had just come back and was
working hard to make up the time he
had lost when, one day. visitor came
into our room. We liked his looks at
once, he looked SO kind and strong and
helpful.
1t seems he was professor of mathe-
matics in an eastern college and an old
friend of Mr.. Williams, our teacher,
who said the professor had something
to say to us.
Il don't like stiff speeches. he said
in pleasant voice and with twinkle
in his eye that put me in mind of
Ralph; $50 we will get right down to
business.
II am especially fond of mathematics
and very much interested in the subject
as perhaps you know. Now, I've noticed
that great many boys and girls don't
like arithmetic, which-is the only kind
of mathematics you will have for
while, and l think the trouble is that
they don't work hard enough at it.
TN geography you have the maps and
pictures to help you, and you probably
know something interesting about the
natives Of country or the crops the
people raise, or something.
I'm history 1T is much the same
thing. Even in spelling you remember
how the word looked. and SO make
picture Of it in your mind.
These things are all pegs or nails
fn 10 n them from
getting away from you But In mathe-
matics you must depend upon the MEM
ory alone, and the memory, in order to
be the strong. reliable servant we want
it to be-and need 1t to be-must be
trained Just as acrobats are trained by
wise, systematic and constant exercise
after you get the first drudgery Of
arithmetic over you love 1t so you don't
need any whip or spur to keep you
going, but at first 1t Is hard work. Now
because your teacher is an old friend
of mine and am interested in his class,
and interested in boys and girls gener-
ally. have decided to offer priZe--a
$40 gold piece--for the boy or girl who
from now until vacation does the most
good. hard work In arithmetic.
You notice, I did not say the boy or
girl who passed the best examination.
1t is the hard work / want. This $40
Is whip to start you going after that,
IL you are the boys and girls l think
you are, you'll keep going of your
selves. l have not decided what to
call the prize The hard work prize
does not sound scholarly or classical
enough"
mot classical enough for this kind
of a classv / whispered to Ralph.
And that rascal OF boy snickered
right out and looked straight at me-
Bessie, the professor has the floor
now. Please try not to talk, at least
for few moments" said Mr.. Williams
with laugh.
That's all right" laughed the pro-
fessor. 1T shows plenty of energy
II 1t can only be applied in the right
direction"
1T never could be applied in the
diractfOn Of arithmefic" said IN NV