Las Vegas optic., 1912-04-24
In COMPETITION FOR "a
"a .~ THE OPTICS CUP

tOoay Ine Optic publishes two o
the essays written by students Of tn
Normal University and which hav'
been entered in competition for Tit
Optic prize. According to the con
ditions of the contest essays writer
in the regular English course Of tn.
Normal University are selected b,
members Of the faculty for competi
tion- These are published in The
Optic. When all have been published
the JUDGES make their decision. On
commeneement day the winning es-
say is announced and the writer IS
presented silver loving cup offered
by The Optic. Following are the first
two essays submitted:
Too Much Of Good Thing
When woman devotes all the pow
er of her energy and thought to her
business,-when she thinks and talks
and dreams Of nothing else,-the
business will suffer, (instead of pros
peri by such constant devotion. The
best rest one can have is change-for
the mind as well as for the body.
have in mind a woman who
exactly illustrated my point. She is
about forty years old, and she has
taught school for the last twenty
years of her life. Her dress is al
ways neat. but never severe, yet she
has her clothes so stiffly starched.
that they are as uninviting as boards.
HeT face. has become lined and hard
with worry, and she is sually too
busy to SOP for a word Of encour-
agementsto her pupils.
From the time she gets up in the
morning. until eleven o'clock at night
she merely eats and does things con-
nected with her school and her work.
When she comes down to breakfast,
(she lives with her sister, who has
heard the trials of that school every
day for twenty years,) her clothes
are fresh as flower petals, but her
face wears the worried expression
which she wore to bed the night be-
fore.
She drinks two cups Of the strong
est coffee, before setting out to
school where she arrives at eight
o'clock. To the children her one
subject of conversation is her native
state, Iowa. They have heard of it
so often. that they know almost as
muhc about 1t as she does, and they
always know which story in its his
+ory she is about to tell when she
begins. If they are talking about the
french and Indian wars she says:
Eyes, children, it is famous, but .
ot nearly so heroic as certain warl |,
ought in Iowa. Why. the Indians !,
illed thirteen hundred settlers in
wo years." When she gets started !,
othing will stop her-if the school :
lrnt down she would probably be ],
'und in the ashes, still talking.
She teaches everything, music, :,
awing. penmanship. algebra, :,
ough it is only the seventh grade.
hen at night she keeps the whole A
ON till six. carrecting the mistakes 4
ey have made during the day.
When she goes home at night she y
IS two more cups Of coffee with 3,
T supper, and then she goes up to r.
T room, not to rest but to correct ~
sheaf of papers she has collected \,
ring the day. :,
In vacation she is little different
Q reads pedagogical books all day h.
king about school--her school-in n,
cry spare moment and drinking
I'M four<@4s cups of coffee a day. 10
you - hat she is old before
TIM she is always threat DC
ed wig ous breakdown that
voice become didactic and Fl
manner .. of one who has not
slightest doubt but that Shakes
ire might wall c+t,dv Es,,f~1sz4> -