Through the school; the experiences of a mill boy in securing an education

Front matter

Class Book..

CopgM .

COPYRIGHT DEPOSffi

Preface

T

HESE forty chapters of absolutely real autobiography are intended to give the reader faith in American education and to reconstruct the human struggles and tests of character which attend the progress of the poor but ambitious lads through a formal education for life.

Chapter I Page

Fifteen Dollars and Sixty-five Cents Worth of International Travel. An Inspiring Reception in Front of Chief Pungo Memorial Hall 3

Chapter II

I Help a Real Poet to Sing his Hymn. My First Chance and How I

Succeeded with it

Chapter III

Thropper's Puff Tie. Sounds That Passed in the Night. The

Possible Advantages of Speaking Tubes. The Scroll of Divine

History. The Meditations of a Saint. How Thropper Lost his

Pious Reputation 36

| Chapter IV

Thundering Gymnastics. How to Keep on the Good Side of the Young Women with Scriptural Quotations. The Establishment of Friendship. Carrying Water for Beauty. How Music may be Something More than Music. The Wonderful, Austere Man that Thropper led me to 44

Chapter V

Pungo Hall's Occupants: Estes Who Planned to Take a Tent and Plant it in the Midst of The World's Sin; of The Little Man Who Fled from the Chiding s of a 'D.D.': of Calloused Hands and Showing How "Pa" Borden was Beaten by the Grass Widower with The Long Hair 58

Chapter VI

A Financial Pessimism Taken in Hand by Thropper and Shown in it's Real Light. A Turkish Rug that Smoked. A Poet in Search of Kerosene. The Wonderful Antics of an Ironing- Board. Economy at a Tub and Three Waiting for it After Brock's Bath. The Chemical Reduction of a Cauldron of Tomatoes into Something Sweet 67

Chapter VII

An Academic Ride in Five Carriages at Once. A Business Appeal Mixed in with the Order of Creation. How We Got Lost in a Discussion. Whether it is Best for a Man to Marry his First

[ix]

Page

Love. A Sleuth-Dean. A Queen's Birthday Supper with an Athletic Conclusion. Jerry Birch Stands up for Albion. How we Tamed him 80

Chapter VIII

The Doctrinal Temper of the University, and Thropper's Talk about it. Introduces the Select Board of the Pharisees. A Prayer-meeting Monopoly Combated by Independants. Jason on my Track and How it Came out 89

Chapter IX

My Trip into the Magic World of the Past. How Appreciation is sometimes Worth More than Money. Jason and his Coterie on Scent of Terrible Heresies. How God Takes Care of His Orators. How a Big Soul can go through Annoyances 102

Chapter X

The Magnitude of a Postage Stamp. Showing how Desperate the Thirst for Money made me. Brock's Rosy Nose and its Possibilities as a Fireplace. How Brock thought he was Fooling me and the Other Way About. The Barrow that Became our Enemy and how Brock Revenged himself on it 109

Chapter XI

How I Competed with Patrick Henry and was made Aware of a Waste of the Eighth Letter of the Alphabet. How I Condensed all my Studies into an Oration. How the Populace Greeted my Rehearsal. Striking the Top Pitch 119

Chapter XII

The Personnel of " The Clamorous Eight" and other Social Matters. The "Blepoes" and The " Boulomaies" Invite me into Fellowship with a Protest from Jason. Epics and Lyrics of Love. "Pa" Borden Speaks for the Benedicts on a Momentous Matter. How the Magic Tree Lured Some Unfaithful Ones from their Sworn Duty 126

Visions, Hysteria, Dogma, and Poor Lessons to the Front when the Revivalists Arrived. How Natural it Sounded when " Bird" Thurlow Asked a Flippant Question 151

Chapter XVII

My Presidential Pose and its Central Place in "The Record.** A Wistful Glance and Some Practical Plans towards Eastern Education. How the Little Sparrow Brought my Class Colors as I Gave the Class "Oration.*' Ends in a Fight .... 157

How, Though I was Ready for Service, I was Forestalled by a New

Trouble, and the very Interesting Plan Which Came Out of it . 276

Chapter XXXIII

Of \ji Village where Locomotive Whistles Sounded like Lingering Music: of the Esthetic Possibilities in a College Catalogue: of a Journey over the Hills to the College where we find, besides a Wonderful Array of Structures, a Large Room and the Junior with his Barnful of Furniture 282

Chapter XXXIV

My Wife Packs me off to College. The Senior and I Stop at a Rock for a Drink, Meet the Advance Guard of Students, Plunge into a Bedlam, and Witness the Labors of the Freshmen. The

[xii]

Page Finger-study of Quarles and my Apology Given to the Retired Medical Man who was Specializing in Hens 292

The Lost Parrot. Academic Burlesque. The Nervousness of the Final Minute. A Religious Outcropping in a Non-Pious Heart 379