The Tomahawk., 1919-12-18

- paper Synd1cate)
'"Say, Ferdie!"
my dear, I wish you would not call
me tFerdie.' don't mind it myself,
but I don't want any of the students
to get on to It. First thing, they'll be
calling me Uncle Ferdie,' or some
thing like that" f,f
swell, then-Ferdinand."
''That sounds lot BETTER" and the
professor put his gold-rimmed spec
tacles back on his well-shapen nose
and went on with his reading. -
what I was going to say is this
when are we going to be marriedT
Ferdinand closed his book without
putting in bookmark, most unusual
event in his well-ordered life; took OF
his spectacles, shut his mouth tight
and looked at Betty. zs>s -.,- -
q To be sure, he and his young Isecre--
tary were engaged. He had fallen in
love with her when she was student
in college. and keeping the fact OF his
love for her a secret, had convinced
her that she wanted to specialize In
economics" and, having guided her
through year of postgraduate work
in that science, he had then convinced
the faculty that he needed an assistant
and that Betty was the assistant he
needed. Then he proposed; and Betty.
who had been very much in love with
the good7looking young professor all
along, accepted. Betty had been his
assistant for two years and, though at
first they spoke often of the time when
they would be married, they had
hardly spoken of it within the past few
months. " - y
~ So this came as a surprise, and the
professor took some time to consider
before he answered. 1t seemed to
him a Slightly unfeminine question to
ask, though he was an avowed believ-
er in equal privilege for the sexes,
spoke at ali the. feminist meetings and
was looked upon as champion OF the
.co-eds in the university.
EN:"Of course, Eli have to get my book
finished. That will take several
months. With that on our hands we
would, hardly want to think about it."
Ferdinand was deeply interested in
this book of his, which was study of
strikes in ancient Egypt. He consid-
cred that it would be really valuable
contribution not only to Egyptology
but to the cause of labor in general.
It seemed to his academic mind that
the present labor agitator would have
SO much more! power behind him.
would be able to further his cause so
much more convincingly If he had the
precedent Of ancient Egypt. If he
could assure the capitalist that the
engineers of the pryamids had had to
make concessions to organized labor
what boon it would be-: But in order
to undertake this work Ferdinand had
had to delve deeply into hieroglyphics
and had had to spend hours in. con.
ference with the department of Egyp-
tology at the university.
'sThe labor situation is growing
more insistent every day." he went on
to explain, ''and 1 must have my book
with the publishers before the year is
over. 1t would never do to pause now.
And then after that was thinking of
spending my summer in one of the in
dustries that is likely to 60 on strike,
so that 1 can give my actual bodily
support to, a strike. I want, to feel
that / have been in strike-that l
have ,rebelled against capital, that
T." ..v i 81 .-f--. Us. E..
= "Well, you can strike If you want
to. but l can't say that I'll have any
sympathy for you If you get your
nose broken, Ferdie-Ferdinand dear.
I'm not SO sure that striking is the way
that labor ought to go about 1t. l
am not so sure that the strikers are al
ways In the right. 49,. 49,.
To the enthusiastic Ferdinand this
was rank heresy. Though he had hard.
" dared openly to espouse the cause
Of labor in his courses Of economics In
the university. he had hoped that the
result of those courses always had
been to create prejudice in favor of
labor and against capital in the minds
Of his students-this in spite of the
fact that the university in question
owed it's existence, and he owed q
rather generous compensation, to the
benefa ctions of certain liberal cap
italist. There was something Of the
fanatic in Ferdinand. - (=z-ss..
"There is no other way to get what
you want but to strike for it." an
nounced he. ''To attempt diploma cy,
to wheedIe. to comprom,se-those are
the methods of insincerity. and labor
Is always sincere. If you believe you
are in the right. II you know you
are-why accept less than You want?
why not fight for it, Nothing has
ever been gained without some sort of
Agbting. Every great advance in this
world has always been made by meth
DDS that are analogous to those of the
strikers" :"
Nov .,,shongh Betty had heard all
Garage Floor Space.