Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-01-21
Billy AtwoOd's
Degree
1t Was at Least
!. HOnora5ly Earned
By DWIGHT NORWOOD
By DWIGHT NORWOOD


Billy said John Atwood to his son,
81 have something Of great importance
to say to you before your departure for
college. You are going to receive what
l have always regretted not having re-
ceiyed myself-a university education.
1t depends upon you whether you take
advantage of this great benefit l am
going to give you or throw 1t away.
If l were in your place l would study
hard in order that l might take an In
fuential stand in the world. / would
eschew everything but my books, try
to take all the prizes
Father" the boy broke III, I'm 60
ing to college to please you. I'd rather
go into a machine shop and amuse
myself with tools than worry over
books. never could learn anything
by studying hard to do it; l must do
it. And when I've done it once l can
do it again and the second time better
than the first and go on improving on
what l have done. However, l doubt
If a college education will hurt me,
and If l can get through honorably I'll
do so. but / won't go through by doing
what ! hear so many ~do-passing ex-
aminations by illegitimate means"
You needn't resort to illegitimate
means If you'll give your time and at
tention to your studies"
well, goodby. father. I'll do the
best / can"
William Atwood while a freshman
strove to please his father by attend
ing to his studies. But when he came
to the examinations at the end Of the
first year he ran up against certain
subjects upon which he must be exam
ined that he had no taste for and upon
which he was as stupid as any Ounce.
There was small chance of his passing
an examination in any of them. He
had been picked out for one of the
mainstays of the college in its athletic
contests, and the college did not wish
to lose him. Some of @e best students
in his class offered surreptitiously to
help him with his examination papers,
but since he was obliged to sign a
statement that he had not received
such help he declined the offer. They
argued that receiving such help was a
common practice among the students,
but they did not move Billy. How
ever, he was such a favorite with the
professors that those passing on his
examination papers gave him the bene-
fit of suBdry doubts and cleared him
by a small fraction.
When the spring opened Billy was
| called upon for twirler of the univer-
sity baseball team and Won largely by
his own efforts the championship for
his college for that season. Again the
faculty treated his examination papers
elastically and scraped him through the
final examination for the year.
Billy was as successful at football
as at twirling. He was a husky fell
low and as spry rs husky. When In
November the game between his col
lege and its principal rival was play
ed a run he made-celebrated at the
time-won the championship for his
team, and he was carried off the field
with the usual eclat. Again he vas
tided over his exams by the professors,
for he resolutely refused to be helped
by his classmates.
After this it became an axiom-a self
evident ~truth-among both faculty and
students that Billy Atwood must, by
hook or by crook, be boosted through
college. 1t didn't make any difference
to Billy how it was done provided he
was not called upon to sign a false
statement. The faculty were interest
ed in keeping a man who by winning
he a. atI1oAl. woo 1@%wo Nd
ing attention to the college, and. the
students were interested in the glory
attending the winning of the games.
And so it was that in one way or an
other Billy. like a waterlogged scow
in a shallow stream. replete with OBJ
structions. was floated on till he ap-
preached the final examinations for his
degree. His father went on to see him
graduate, arriving the day after the
exams had been finished. Crossing the
campus, he met the president, who the
moment he saw him rushed forward.
seized his hand and exclaimed:
We've got him through"
"Who?"
Your SOL. The examiners in meta
physics declared they couldn't possibly
pass him Oh that subject. called for
the papers, found an ambiguous an
swer to a question. interpreted it ia
vorably and made the mark three hun
dredths above the minimum. We're
all delighted"
Mr.. Atwood tried to look pleased, but
failed. He left the president much
disappointed that Billy had barely
scraped through college. He inquired
of a student he met who was the vale
dictorian of the graduating class and
was surprised to receive for answer
bill Atwood" Upon expressing his
establishment the young man added.
"Oh, | was thinking of the man who
won the game for us the other day."
"Great hcavenS!' muttered Bills IA
kL1u asCon - 10 %11A H. 1oII.-- ~.