The Denver Jewish news., 1921-09-28

registrat tion was over. Sarah Miriam
settled down to take stock of her en-
vironment. The dormitory seemed full
of freshmen, whose chief aim in life
apparently was to make sorority" OF
get a bid to dance" Since neither
of these exalted ambitions interested
Sarah Miriam she was scarcely aware
of the surchnrged social atmosphere.
The Bitter-Sweets.
Il like Rossetti, don't you?" she
asked a sophomore who was studying
the history of English literature.
Are they bitter-sweet?" came the
interested rejoinder.
Once n group of girls asked her to
come to their room to spend the even
ing She found them playing cards
when she entered.
Here's a place for You, Sarah Mi
riam," they called.
Il don't play cards, but I'll sit here
and visit with you"
The conversation consisted of n dis
cussion Of the private and personal life
of their fcllow-students and neighbors.
"why. don't You know about herr
She went to the city with Jack VI. and
they were seen at the same hotcl!'
Yes, and don't yoa know that Pro
fcssor A. makes love to Professor BIS
wife,"
Sarah Miriam got mp to go. Her
sailcr had taught her that gossips and
slandcrers were n loathsome abomina-
ton She felt as though she needed n
,piritual bath. She did feel better after
4 cold plunge and she suddenly under
stood why the Essences had believed in
frequent ablntions as n means Of spiri-
.ual publication.
What seemed strangcst of all TO her
;encc of intellectual Interest. In her
,athcr's house she had listened to long
discussions on philosophy, history, polit
ical affairs. Here il seemed a disgrace
o know anything: it was a species of
bad form. Even this only amused her.
1t was only after she began to know
students and faculty more intimately
hat she realized how artificial and in
,incerc all this dreamed-of environ
nent really was. She longed for the
implicitly of her home and the genuine
She became sick of teas where nobody
aid anything and to which nobody
'eally wanted to go. and she could moi
understand an intelligent community
which tolerated them.
One afternoon she was on the point
# going home. She was suffering from
complication of -naseea~ at her sur
'oundings and acute nostalgia. She
wished to remIin because of her class
Dom lectures. They were stimulating
md profitable. She had been fortunate
securing the heads of departments
'or most of her courses; her scholar
ship record had given her privileges not
isually accorded freshman. But she
vas too young and too much interested
IN tnc WOflu about ileT 10 become u
mere grind and hermit. She sat de
iberating what TO do. Yes. Emerson
vas right" she mused ''he must have
felt just as i feel now. we are parlor
soldiers"
She took down her copy of Emerson,
md smiled as She thought of what these
people would say TO freshman's read
ing Emerson voluntarily. After spend
ing the afternoon with Self-Reliance
and the Over-SOul, Sarah Miriam
laughed at Mrs. Blumenstock's won
lerful environment" laughed at herself
md her highly coored day dreams. and
laughed ut these little parlor soldiers.
Later Sarah Miriam found friends
who We're not afraid to discuss philo-
sophy and who We're in no danger of
confusing the pre- -Raphaclites with a
new confection, but this was only after
many months of silent laughter at the
a. IL,