Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-26
BY STEPHEN LEACOCK.


TOR the insertion Of such A col
l. umn we are convinced We
need Offer t,.1 no ap2 2,ss t., TO our bur
cultivated mind of the college
graduate cultivated. indeed. by the
wears Of diligent rolling, narrowing.
planting. and possibly blowing, at the
hands of his tutors and examiners
It is often found that the wheat Of
wisdom is not unmixed with the chaff
of childishness.
AS soon, then. as we had conceived
the idea Of a Children's Corner we
set about thinking what we could
put into 1t. We decided that the
very best thing we could have to
begin with would be lot OF letters
from our little friends who have grad
uated. treating Of some topic not too
them all a circular which we felt
sure would draw: we couched it in
the following COUGHING:
Dear Sir: Please write to the
editor OF the Children's Corner and
state your personal experience OF the
value OF a college education. Speak
freely Of yourself. but don't get de-
lirious over it. Limit yourself. II you
can. to a thousand words, and never
write to us again.
The results obtained from our cir
cular have been eminently satisfac.
tory: indeed we have received so
many bright little letters that we are
able to print only small proportion
NJ them. Here is our first example.
1t is from Little Charlie" aged 90
graduate with double first class in
English and meta physics. now doing
r,f ct
in sawmill:
Dear Mr.. t;ditor-I am glad you
are asking lot of college boys to
write to you. | think a college train
ing is great help. ! have found
English invaluable and use nothing
else must now close
The next is similar.
Dear Mr.. Editor graduated not
long ago and am only %. but l feel
very old. took archaeology and
| Sanskrit Our course of reading in
Sanskrit was the Vishnubuddayat,
part /. book /. page l. We also
scanned the first three lines and ex.
| amined the skins under the micro
| scope. l don't think anything could
have developed my mind quite in the
way that Sanskrit and Noah's Archie.
ology have.
Il owe lot to my teachers ana
mean to pay them hack some day.
Since / took my degree ! have got a
| Job opening gates at a railway cross
| ing and am doing well. as ! have
| Just the touch required When / get
a little colder may get job at a
toll,gate Teddy
So many thanks for your bright
| little letter, Teddy. and he sure not
| to let use hear from you from time to
| time.
! Here IL q writer who signs him.
self Rev. Willie Wristbands. aged 30;
Dear Mr.. Editor: l think col
lege education n a very valuable thing
and I wish l had had one instead OF
| taking a degree. I liked my college
| life so much, and I revered all my pro.
| fessors. I used to take exact notes
Of everything they told me, exactly as
l remembered it a week afterwards.
If need be, / could produce my notes
before a" (Hush. hush, Willie,
please don't talk Of anything 30 pain.
full as producing your notes. Surely.
my dear little boy, we have had trou.
bic enough).
| Here is a letter from an honor
| graduate in classics:
Dear Mr.. Editor: I took classics.
For my part, l think at least GER
tainly on the one hand that a college
education, especially indeed Greek,
develops the faculty Of thinking, writ
ing and quoting: on the other hand.
with less lack Of not saying nothing
than anything. A man with q full