Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-27
The Daily Story
THE TWO scHooLs-BY KATHLEEN ]. M cURDY.
Copyrighted 1sls by Associated Literary Bureau

nent to speak at commencement, but
did not avail himself of it. | found
that he had become one of those who
affect to despise learning. This class
of students has largely increased of
late. They go to college more as girls
go TO a finishing school, assuming that
university is small world with all
the struggles. triumphs. failures and
other features of the world they are
about to enter. and ii is we'll to have
some training for the larger field be-
fore entering it.
What do men in law case care
about oratory? They want evidence"
said Fred to me when l was arguing
the case with him. Since | could not
refute him held my tongue.
Having gone TO see Fred Sumner
graduate. l was obliged to be content
with seeing him elected a member of
the Creme de Ia Creme. the tiptop of
all the fraternities. He said himself
that he would rather have that cleo
ton than take the valedictory. He
stood well in his class. he said, and
that was all he cared for. These ideas
were new TO me, but since / knew
nothing about college life could form
no opinion of my own. though | admit
it struck me that if social prominence
iSAHe desideratum | could not see but
that Sumner was right. He had kept
IN the leading class of students aud
was altogether desirable. A valedic-
tory or a salutatory would not likely
have improved his status.
After a pleasant visit. delightful
evening at graduating dance at which
Fred filed my card with the most
prominent men of his class, including
Il multimillionaire, who seemed more
desirable than any of the honor men,
left for home. Fred begged me to give
him a reply to his suit before parting.
and would have made it then and in
the affirmative. but believed he would
appreciate it more from having to wait
for it. So, in order to let him feel that
he had a rival. said that I would
defer my answer till after the com
mencement at O. college. This had
the effect desired. Pm sure.
The exercises at our home college,
comprising not more than 400 stu
dents. was very different from the one
/ had just attended. | went to see
Johns mother as soon as l reached
home, and she told me that her son had
insisted upon her coming TO the college
to hear him speak at commencement.
She had so pinched her wardrobe that
she was obliged to tell him that she
had nothing fit to wear. John had re-
piled that. If she had nothing but
dress of gunny bags. still she must
come She did not wish TO go. for her
son would surely be ashamed of her
| attired in an old alpaca she had had
! for fifteen years and a hat that had
been out of fashion for a still longer
| period But John had put his foot
| down. and she dare not refuse.
! At the exercises | took n seat direct
" behind the old lady, being curious
I to see how she would act while John
| was speaking. When it came his turn
to deliver his grafton was struck
with a certain practical simplicity
| there was about it. His subject was.
"Why Do We Go to Colleges" 1t seem
ed to me that there was far more
| depth to what he said than to
what Sumner had said TO me on the
same subject The principal point he
| made was: I'VE must prepare to do
our best In the world by doing our
best in college. college career will
not in itself give us success, but it
| gives us better weapons with which to
! fight"
When John had finished his grafton
| he did something that won me to him
far more forcibly than anything he
had said. On receiving his diploma he
marched down the center aisle in full
view of every one present to where
his mother sat in her barbarous cos
tune and laid the sheepskin in her lap.
| Then. putting his arms around her
/ neck. he kissed her.
Most of those present knew the story
the act told-a story of pinch and
save story of devotion from a moth
er TO son and its final reward. II
was followed by a clapping of hands.
through which John walked back TO
his place looking as though he re-
/ allied the applause solely due 10 the
heroine. his old mother In her alpaca
dress and out of date hat.
considered that j as well as both
my SuilOiS was hpOb tue VI
the great world. and it behooved me
to choose between the two schools
they represented. My whole being
was suddenly turned to that represent
ed by John Ryerson. AT any rate. 1t
filled me with a sudden antipathy to
the other. The same evening after my
; return from the commencement exer.
cises at O. college / wrote Fred
Sumner an irrevocable refusal.
John Rycrson from that time grad
J ually became more and more to me.
] finally married bin. and 1t seems to
me that while I got nothing snowy
did get all that is really best in a man.
Nor is it the SNOWY attributes that
|. count in the long rnn My husband
has been able to give me and our chill.
dren all the comforts we need. and
J whenever he is spoken of by his feI-
low citizens it is. There's a man TO
tie to-
III Nav 81 in American