richer hue, a sweeter flavor to English fruit. He who would have If he will throw such for himself, must plant as he would pluck. aside the temptations to indolence unfortunately scattered on all sides of him, every son of Yale may learn the richness of his noble English tongue, may eat of his own tree and be satisfied. T. B. D. The Mirror. SEOOND SERIES. No. I. "If there's a hole in a' your coats, A chiel's amang ye takin' notes, An' faith he'll prent it." In looking over the old Lits., I fell upon a series of papers in Vol. VI., attributed to Donald G. Mitchell, who was at the time of their issue one of the Editors. And in fact no one can fail to see in them the germ of that quiet strength, that unimpassioned power in pathos or satire, and that keen scanning analysis of character which are afterwards developed in the Reveries and the Lorgnette. I purpose in these papers to present, under the same heading, a second series of sketches of College characters; some, simply transcripts of those given in the former series; others, quite new ; portraitures, as it were, of animals of a later age. Do not, kind reader, anticipate an exhibition of fossil remains. I shall not, a la Cuvier, form a body from a bone, or paint a picture from a single feature only. None of the species, of which I shall present specimens, are yet extinct. They are none of those giant birds, whose tracks are found in the vallies of the Connecticut. What has been learned of those I shall bring before the reader has not been formed and fledged by the fancy from their "Footprints on the sands of Time." Nor is it the imagination of the reader, though I shall give only the outlines, which is expected to complete the picture; but merely the exercise of a moderate degree of common observation. In our College world, though it is a community unique and peculiar, there is represented, as well as of character, every variety of ability and ambition. It is not surprising that a College numbering nearly six hundred students, representing most of the States of the Union, and many of the provinces of the Continent, should represent also a vast variety of capacity and of purpose. It would be vain to attempt to locate the individuals that make the variety, to assign to each his respective quarter of the Continent. I am not speaking of preparation; and although the academies of New England, on the whole, have a higher grade of scholarship and send to the Universities more thorough students than those of New York, and the West, yet often the students of the two, at the close of the College course, find their polarity in this respect completely reversed. Thus also the world often reverses the College grade of scholarship. Henry Ward Beecher not long since, (the story is familiar,) met the valedictorian of his class, and exclaimed: Ah, the two extremes meet again!" "Yes," was the frank reply, "but they are reversed." 66 It is far from my purpose to depreciate scholarship. The manwho, while pursuing a course of study, sacrifices mere sociality in his search after science, is worthy of all honor. But he who for a mere "mark" cultivates mere memory; he who with no talent but a dogged persistance, for a paltry stand on a tutor's book, becomes simply a servile reciter, and repudiates all library privileges and society discipline, is, to say the least, scarcely worthy of commendation. The old lady who wrote to Prof. T., beseeching him to "prevent her son from getting the valedictory, for she had heard it was fatal,” was far more sensible than those who urge their "hopefuls" in spite of incapacity, to strive for that which they can never attain except at the price of health and perhaps of life. No doubt the system of instruction pursued in this College is more nearly perfect than that of any other in this country. A system which seeks the general good must expect to sacrifice one for the good of the many. It is a Christian principle. Nevertheless, I apprehend the necessity might be obviated. It is not hard study alone, but the want of variety which kills the student. If declamation, composition and recitation were placed on an equal footing; or, if the first two together counted as much on "stand" as the last alone, we should no longer hear of the loss of eye 46 sight, or the early death of the valedictorians. We should no longer hear of the world's reversing the decisions of College as to a man's fitness for the various pursuits and professions. If there were appointed a Professor of Rhetoric and Elocution, whose duty it should be to attend the meetings of the societies and mark the merit of the members in debate, and their other exercises; if the students were assured that their efforts in that direction were to "count," the Professor of Rhetoric would soon cease to say that he had not had a respectable Commencement exhibition since the introduction of Biennials; for the cause would be removed; and Yale would send out men who would immediately show themselves worthy of her reputation, men who, when thrown into the world, would strike on their feet like a cat!" Though now merit in composition counts here more than in any other College, and though for that reason many of the high appointment men are such as must win their way in the world, yet there are also many, and, may be, more of low appointment, who, though they are regarded in College as poor scholars, will show that they have spent their scholastic years in acquiring such scholarship as alone the world recognizes. Those who are conscious of capacity for speaking and writing, and come here to cultivate that capacity especially, when they find that the mere reciter is for the most part considered the scholar, are discouraged from any great exertion in the studies of the course and become content with a low stand. As a result of this, it is often that men of great natural capacity do not show their powers while in College; and on the other hand, men of inferior intellectual ability, but with physical endurance to sustain their ambition, often attain by dint of digging the height of some great appointment. And in many respects such men are commendable. It is only those who shut themselves out from society and all association, and are never seen out of their own or the recitation room, who are worthy of contempt. But the most amusing of all College characters is the self-conscious, that is, the self-conceited genius. He utterly contemns study, and never gives more than twenty minutes, or half an hour at most, to any lesson, yet always makes a rush in recitation. He never begins his essays until the morning they are to be read; and, if you chance to compliment him (he gives you many chances) upon the brilliancy or profundity of his composition, he assures you that he had not thought of the subject until just before the bell! Of course your eyes hang out and you look the personification of astonishment. "Will you take part in the prize debate?" you ask of him. "I don't know, I am undecided," says he. You are surprised; you know that he remained here through vacation, and had supposed that it was to prepare his speech. About twenty-four hours before the debate is to come off, he tells you that he has concluded to enter the lists. "I began to think of the question this morning," says he," and to-night I shall write out my argument." After the debate is over, if he has not taken the prize, you attribute it to the fact that he took no pains with his speech. If he happen to be successful by reason of the inferiority of the opposing speakers, or the prejudice or stupidity of the judges, you set him down as one of the "smartest fellows in College." Of course you do. Many a man has taken a "Townsend," and doubtless many a man will have taken a "Townsend," who did not decide to compete until the day the compositions were to be handed in! And many a man has failed to take one only because he took his essay to the Post Office for the Prof., " five minutes too late!" Castles in the Air. In that far land where sunshine liveth, To win Earth's springtime back again : All the bright gems my life hath numbered There gleam as set by angel hand; Vain hopes that through long years have slumbered |