Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

The youth of today, just getting out
of high schools and looking forward to
the great experience of self-help for a
college course, have historic precedents
of those who have labored hard to blaze
the trail for them. Congress is full OF
men who earned their own way in days
past when it was more difficult than
now to find opportunities. President
Hoover worked with Geological Survey
outfit during his college days. House
Leader Tilson earned his way through
Yale.
Zachariah Bridgen Harvard, 1857
is the first student on record in the
United States to attempt to earn his
way through college. He entered Harvard
College at the age of IA, and graduated
at Is. Charges against him on the
stewards books reveal that his college
bills included "commones and sizinges'
(board together with food and drink
ordered from the buttery), tuition,
"study-rente and breed" Groom and bed)
flyer and candell" fire and candlesJ
wood, etc." and charge for bringing
corn from Charlstown." Credit was
given him for silver, sugar, wheat "
'Malte," Indian" (corn), "hooge" and
"a bush Of parSnapes." On December
81, 1854, there was "geuen him by
ringinge the bell and waytinge-E1 Is
6d."-the first record of an American
students earning a portion of his ex-
penses In college by ringing the college
bell and by waiting on table in the COM
mons. AS a waiter he received lbs. Cd.
per quarter for three successive quar-
tiers, after which he was paid ION quar-
ter for scholarship lbs. 3D." and
credited "by his wages so shillinges and
scholarship f3 15s."
Money was scarce and hard to get in
colonial times. Wealth was reckoned
by the number of cattle a man owned
real estate, family plate and other ma
terial property or goods which could be
taken in trade in lieu of silver. The to-
tai cost of college education in 1858
ranged from ESQ Is. I'D. to f6l lis.
sad, or 500 to 5000 paid in silver and
groceries. Doubtless it would have been
an inspiring sight to have witnessed the
payment of term bills in the bursars
office.
Seventy years ago college student
who was reducing living expenses
boarded himself and made corn. which
cost about 25 cents peck, his chief ar
ticle of diet.
Not only is Washington a great edu-
cational center to which the youth
flock from all of the States to get COL
legiate education while they work, but
even in the high schools many stu
dents are earning their way The Fed
eral Bureau of Education, in a report
broadcast to the country after an en-
tensive study, calls attention that a
survey made at Central High School
here in 1926, to determine the number
of students actually employed, disclosed
that, out Of 5000 students enrolled, 230
boys and Is girls reported that they
were working during spare time. OF
the first-year students who were en-
ployed the average age was Is years
the majority of these students carried
newspapers, and earned on an average
OF AZ cents per hour for Is hours work
per week. OF the seniors who were
employed, the average age was 10 years.
They worked as statesmen, clerks at
soda fountains, newspaper employees,
musicians, office workers, auto me-
chanics, filling station attendants, NOV
ing picture operators, gymnasium in
structorS, collectors, pages, painters,
etc, and averaged 17Ea hours of en-
ployment per week at SO cents per hour,
thus earning about $10.50 per week.
Some of these workers were obliged to
work to remain in high school, while
others were saving for a college edu-
cation.
X X
And now it is proposed to take all
the laughs and applause out of the
Congressional Record Representative
Underhill, Republican, of Massachusetts
in serving notice on his colleagues that
he is going to object regularly to EEK
tension of remarks" which means in
serting in the Record speeches not de-
livered on the floor, in order to pre-
serve the historic integrity of the rec
ord OF proceedings, said he would like
to have eliminated the words Zap
plause)" and "Laughter)" which are
slipped in at the end of paragraphs to
give little color to the report.