The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-28
EVENING STORY
The Sophomore Joke.
BY JANE OSBORN.

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
question who is the most popular
professor in college?" was not so east
~ dismissed. There we're several
possible candidate, but no one stood
in the light of a decided majority.
Then one of the students got up in
flourish cried: 81 propose Prof.
Reginald Raymond as the most popu-
lar member of the faculty." And amid
deafening peals of laughter from the
members of the class a dozen shouts
of Second the motionI" rose. and
then '-Aye." AYE" till the presi-
dents gavel had to bring order.
1t was regarded as a capital joke
an uproariously funny joke. Perhaps
no one in the world understands 1he
richness of this particular sort of hui
NOR SO well as young American un-
| dergraduate, and sophomore at that
But from the sophomore point of view
1t was something very much to be
laughed at-that the professor who,
because of certain traits of absent
minded ness. ina ,tention, 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 Pro-
lessor Raymond. every member of the
class appreciated the joke.
RrYt R1Ifh
tary of the class. and. as the only Of
ficer of her sex in the class, generally
agreed to be. the most popular girl in
! its 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 student
in the first row who had proposed the
jest.
| What was the matter, Ruth?" one
OF The girls asked her after class
meeting. you looked daggers at
Steve. Did you want some one else to
get the vote? Every one'n 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 little
philosophy into our unphilosophic
heads. 1t isn't his fault If college fac
Iulties are still obtuse enough to think
that philosophy ought to be a COM
fpulsory sophomore subject. is it? And
I it isn't his fault III he's absent-mind-
ed. and likes violet neckties. and il
his eyes are SO sensitive that he has to
! have the shades drawn in his class
! room, is it?''
You know yourself he's frightful
tcrab, Ruth" was her companions
Il conclusion. ''Really. fors my part, ]
i think it is a beautiful joke. I'm just
crazy for tomorrow's philosophy lee
ture to see how mad he Is about it,
4 But the next morning surprise was
4 in store for the sophomore class. Nat
: urally enough. Professor. Raymond
4 had heard of sthe polling. for even
Il absent minded professors usually dc
take lively interest in matters of thai
1 sort. Instead of showing his annoy.
4 ance, he appeared in the classroom
with an unwonted smile upon his face
/ With that began the second joke. or
joke of all.
| The poor crab doesn't know he il
being kiddedi" whispered one sopho.
more in the front row to another, and
after class there were groups of stu.
dents still explaining to each othe,
1
now that poor Reggie believed he
actually was the most popular man II
college. That became the STANDING
joke of the campus. Mothers ant
fathers and younger sisters and broth
ers when they came to visit their stu
dents. had the shambling, near-sightet
/ professor, who always wore a viole
necktie. pointed ort as the deludet
creature who really thought he wa
popular with the students. and ever
staid members of the faculty had
little fun with each other at poor Reg
maids expense.
! 1t was known that in faculty gath
erings reference was sometimes mad
to our popular professor" and OIL
-. such occasions Professor Raymond al
ways beamed his utter satisfaction
much to the amusement of the othel
, members of the faculty.
Ruth still saw no joke in the situa
! ton. In fact, the very serenity of tn,
professor made her feel the insult tina
her class had heaped upon him tn,
more. 1t was in pity then. and in al
effort to show her classmates that sh
did not Join them in their practica
= Joking, that she made 1t a point t.
finger occasionally after class. on som,
excuse or other. to talk to him. Sh,
: wanted the students to see 1t. and sh
t felt actual pleasure sometimes in hav
a ling him overtake her on the campus
4 take long walks with him thru tn,
| roads that led of into the country.
! Just imagine how mortified h
Will feel when he finds out that it ha
been just a Joke" Ruth told her class
mates on one of the last occasion whel
! she reproved them for their thought
tlessness. and she was only assured b
E the thoughtless ones that reggie wa
too dense ever to find out"
From those long walks develope
II friendship. and from friendship de
pendence. aRd then love. and befor
l. sDring had come Ruth and Professo
| RAYMOND were engaged, and whe
e college opened the next year. the
! were married and nicely establishe
Q in one of the new brick terraced littl
u cottages on the campus. with an. ever
I ing 'at home" to the students ever
week. and special suppers and teas o
frequent occasions to the class I