Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-26
Il PUT MY HANDKERCHIEF TO MY EYES.

] PUT MY HANDKERCHIEF TO MY EYES.
though l was child to him, he was a
good deal to me-a tall, handsome, in
tellectual boy-and l would have given
q year of my life for n single word or
even look indicating his slightest inter
est in me.
When Alan was graduated at college
he was made assistant professor of
English literature at his alma mater.
The university was coed institution,
and when became twenty l entered
for degree My brother Tom had
gone far away. and Professor Broad
well. who was just entering upon his
duties as an instructor, was not aware
that there was such person as myself
among the students. ! did not make
myself known to him. and | had so
changed that he did not recognize me.
When my class reached a point where
we were required to write essays we
handed them in for inspection ana cor
rection to him. If there was a facility
for anything in my dull brain 1t was
for scribbing. At school my compost
tons always received the highest
mark. When l wrote my first essay as
a college student | took especial pains
with it-pains in two ways, the one to
treat my subject as well as possible,
the other to make lot of errors in the
construction of sentences In eXplana-
ton of this ! will say that students
go to college for different purposes.
Usually they go to get an education.
20 II I
for the purpose of ensnaring Professor
Broadwell. By making the substance
of my essay good | would attract his
attention. BY putting in a great many
errors l was likely to have them point
ed out to NE by the professor
few days after handing in my pro-
duction l was asked to remain after
lecture, and when the class had gone
out went up to the professors desk.
He took up my essay and said to me:
Miss Brown, you have gift for
writing, and it is pity that your edu-
cation in grammar and construction of
sentences should be so deficient"
He opened my manuscript. and it
was a sight to behold. There were in
Vulnerable scratches. pothooks. P's
with the tops turned the wrong way-to
mark new ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS inter
lined here and there with little TRAN
giles under them. Indeed, the whole es-
say looked as If daddy longlegs had
waded through a pool Of ink, then
strolled over the paper.
zone of the first rules of rhetoric"
the professor went on. lis that the
opening paragraph should be pointed
and rot too long. 1t should catch the
attention OF the reader and direct it
toward what is to follow. | would d.
vide your first paragraph here" And
| he put the tip of his pencil on one of
bis P's with the wrong side foremost.
II also observe" he continued. that
In a number of instances you have
ended a sentence with a proposition.
which Is unadvisable. ] would recon-
| mend you TO learn the difference be
tween 'shalf and will. You have in
variably used them Incorrectly"
Il can't"
''Oh. yes. you can. It's very simple
when you once catch the idea"
He went on to explain il to me. using
the familiar illustration of the man in
| the water who intended to shout No
one will save me; | shall drown" but
| said instead No one shall save me:
| ! will drown" Then be gave me the
! grammatical rule for it all. and when
be had finished. if | were drowning
and should act in accordance with my
understanding of his explanation.
would certainly forbid any one TO help
me. But ! didn't tell him So ! simply
looked as If it were all clear to NE.