The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-11
EVENING STORY
Lessons Out of School.
BY GERALD ST. ETIENNE

/ LoSSOMS OUL OI SClOOIs
| BY GERALD ST. ETIENNE.
! The stay on the farm movement
carried no appeal to John Peters. Not
that John disliked farm life, but his
/ soul craved for something bigger and
better. Education to him was the
most wonderful thing in life. Gradu-
ating from the country school with the
highest marks in the county had been
his first intimation that there were big
things in store for him in the educa-
tional world and he had gone to high
school in the city with big aims stored
up in his heart.
| 1t was in the first term he had dis
covered how different country people
were from city people. Gradually it
had dawned upon him that there were
little colloquialisms in his speech that
the city pupils lacked, and straightway
he had set to work correcting him
self.
Twenty-one found John back on the
farm for the vacation season, but
ready to break into university the
next year. The two years he had
| been teaching had only made his long
ing for more education stronger. Up
to this time John had confined his
corrections in speech and deportment
to himself. but apparently the teach
ing bug had got into his veins, for ne
had not been at home many weeks
before he was correcting every MEM
ber of the family. .
''See here, John Peters," his father
had declared, at last worn out by the
everlasting corrections, 'ff this farm
and the manners of US that is on it
60, hi
toned notions, then you know what
you can do. All can see is that edu-
cation has made DUN fool of you,
and the time is come when you will
have to make choice between us ana
it. If you are willing to settle down
here. this big farm that requires twen-
ty-four hands to work it and nets me
an income something over $4,000
year, is half yours now and all yours
when l get too told to take an inter-
est in it. If not, you had better leave
now
him to teach school seven long years
more before he had the coveted SUM
to complete his education, but he
stuck to it admirably. At the end of
the seventh year he decided that he
could manage his way thru university.
Every vacation since the one which
had ended in his leaving home he had
worked in the city but now the long
ing for the big outdoors came over
him. Somehow he found his way up
in the lumber camps and his services
were engaged as time keeper.
John had met ignorance in his day,
but never such ignorance as he found
among those lumberjacks. Why, he
was about the only man there that
could speak a correct sentence of
English. If it had not been for Jean
his existence would have been un-
bearable. But in her he found a
companion worth having. Seeing that
Jean was the daughter of the super
intendent of the camp, it is only to be
expected that she was different from
the others. That is why John took
such a. liking to her.
Something should be done to inn
prove the education of the men here"
John confided to Jean one night when
they were out on the lake in her canoe:
81 wonder if they would attend
school"
why not try them and see?" she
suggested. II was reading novel to-
day about a sky pilot that worked
wonders in a lumber camp"
MY dear girl, you don't read novels,
do you?" John asked, mingling of
surprise and horror in his tone.
why, certainly" she answered in
wonder. Don't you?"
II read nothing but the classics"
he told her proudly You don't know
what you are missing"
"Oh, 1 don't know she smiled,
"the very name classics wearies me
out here-they are SO heavy, SO hard
to wade thru
'"Fhey are wonderful" he tried TO
assure her. Let me go over some of
them with you"
please don't" she pleaded.
Nevertheless, from that day John
started to work out plans to make
Jean acquainted with the classics
49,
nings, before the big camp fires when
the nights were chill, he managed to
make some reference to them or tell
her parts of some of his favorite pieces