The Press., 1918-11-21
The Sophomore Joke < CAD 7 By JANE OSBORN
 Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa. pev Syndicate.)

At the sophomore class ballOting
 after the students had rather easily
 disposed of such questions as "WhO is
 the prettiest girl in the class" "WhO
 is the best football player?" What is
 your favorite cOlor?" and "What is the
 height of your ambition ?" the question
 "WhO is the most popular professor in
 cOllege?" was not so easily dismissed.
 There were several possible candi-
 dates, but no one stood In the light of
 a decided majority. Then one of the
 students got up in class meeting and
 with gracious flourish cried: "I pro-
 pose Prof. Reginald Raymond as the
 most popular member of the faculty"
 And amid deafening peals of laugh
 ter from the members of the class a
 dozen shouts of "SecOnd the motion"
 arose, and then "Aye" "Aye" till
 the presidents gavel had to bring
 order.
 It was regarded as a capital joke
 an uprOariOusly funny joke. Perhaps
 no one in the world understands the
 richness of this particular sort of hu-
 mOr so we'll as young American
 undergraduate, and a sophomore at
 that. But from the sophomore point
 of view it was something very much to
 be laughed at-that the professor who,
 because of certain traits of absent
 mindedness, inattentiOn, preOccupation
 and unSOciablenesS, actually was the
 most unpopular man in the faculty,
 should have this fact gently brought
 home to him by seeing his name blaz-
 Oned forth in college yearbook and periodical, and announced before all the world at class day, and whispered about by professors and professors wives, as the "most popular man on the faculty"
 Apparently, from the peals of laugh ter that accompanied the casting of the unanimous ballot in favor of Professor Raymond, every member of the class appreciated the joke.
 But when Ruth Rodney, the secre- tary of the class, and, as the only off, cer of her sex in the class, generally agreed to be the most popular girl in it's number. rose to read the result of the ballOting and came to the vote that mentioned Professor Raymond, there was a look of bitter resentment in her expression, and from beneath her lowered eyes she shot a look that was not one of kindness at the stu dent ill the front row who had pro, posed the jest,
 "What was the matter, Ruth?" one of the girls asked her after class meet n Did you want some one else to get the vote? Every One'll know it's a joke. Say, won't Reggie snort when he hears of it?"
 "Of course Professor Raymond will !, be offended" said Ruth shortly. But I don't see that there is anything so funny about that. After all, he hasn't done anything so very dreadful to our class, except to try and din a little philosophy into our unsOphisticated heads. It isn't his fault if college faculties are still obtuse enough to think that philosophy ought to be compulsory sophomore subject, is 1t? And it isn't his fault If he's absent and likes violet neckties, and 1t his eyes are so sensitive that he has to have the shades drawn in his class room, Is it2"
 You know yourself he's a ftightful crab, Ruth," was her companions con- clusion. Really, for my part I think 1t is beautiful joke. I'm just crazy for tomOrrow's philosophy lecture to see how mad he Is about it."
 But the next morning surprise was In store for the sophomore class. Nat lrally enough, Professor Raymond had heard of the polling, for even absent minded professors usually do take lively interest in matters of that sort. Instead of showing his annoyance, he in his classroom with an lnwonted smile upon his face. With hat began the second joke, or, as the students soon thought, the best joke of Ill.
 "The poor crab doesn't know he is 1 Deing kidded!" whispered one sopho- nOre in the front row to another, and , lfter class there were groups of stu l Tents still explaining to each other low intensely funny the situation was, low that poor Reggie believed he ctually was the most popular man in $ Ollege. That became the standing 4 oke of the campus. Mothers and V athers and younger sisters and broth f IFS, when they came to visit their stu S ents, had the shambling, near-sightrd " rOfessOr, who always wore violet n ecktie, pointed out as the deluded V reature who really thought he was 8 Opular with the students, and even n Eaid members of the faculty had n tile fun with each other at poor Regi- aids expense. o Ruth still saw no joke in the situa- ts on. In fact, the very serenity of the sl made her feel the insult that W er class had heaped upon him the O1 ore. It was in pity then, and in an III fort to show her classmates that she b. d not join them in their practical ot klng' that she made it a point to al nger occasionally after class, on some Icuse or other, to talk to him. She eC anted the students to see it, and she al 1t actual pleasure sometimes in hay di g him OVertake her on the campus, w ke long walks with him through the pC ads that led off into the country. lit Just imagine how mortified he will co el when he finds out that it has been st a joke Ruth told her classmates al one Of the last occasions when she tn proved them for their thOughtless- stl ss, and she was Only assured by the sis Ougntless Ohes hat Reggie was too Fr nse o find out" tu It was known that in faculty gather. ss reference was sometimes made to UT popular professor" and on such casiOns Professor Raymond always amed his utter satisfaction, much to amusement of the other members the faculty. From those long walks develOned .