Johnstown High School - Spectator Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

Page 6 text:

e toe. 0 0 0 0 0 Professor of Wonderland (Reprinted trom Coronet Magazine) by Carol Lynn Gilmer Charles Dodgson wrote many scholarly tomes, but his gay nonsense made him immortal Alice Liddell (The original Alice in Wonderland) NE DAY ABOUT MIDWAY in the last century, a handsomely bound copy of a new children's book, Alice's Adven- ture's in Wonderland, was presented to Queen Victoria's youngest daughter, the Princess Beatrice. It came with the com pliments of the author, Lewis Carroll, a name virtually unknown in British liter- ary circles. The Princess, however, was enchanted with the gay nonsense, the bright fan- tasy, the sunny warmth of the book, and her distinguished mother was no less en- thusiastic. In fact, the Queen was so de- lighted she asked that copies of the au- thor's other works be sent to her. To her amazement, she received a collection of scholarly treatises on algebra, geometry and trigonometry! Thus it was that Queen Victoria learn- ed of one of the greatest curiosities of literary history. For the man who, as Lewis Carroll, has given hours of happi- ness to many generations of young readers, was in private life Charles Lut- widge Dodgson, a grave and learned professor of mathematics at Oxford University. Even today, it is hard to believe that the creator of the pompous White Rab- bit, the tearful Mock Turtle and the mad Mad Hatter could also have pro- duced such works as An Elementary Treatise on Determinants. But the thought of the serious professor as a fanciful story-teller did not surprise his best friends—the children for whom he wrote. And only in their company did Charles Dodgson become Lewis Carroll. The contrast between these two per- sonalities was startling. The shy, for- mal bachelor who taught at Oxford in no way resembled the gay, lightheart- ed individual who originated the Alice stories. Dodgson was precise, almost to the point of eccentricity, in routine activ- ities. For example, if he were going on a train trip, he would calculate to the last penny each item of expense and arrange to have the exact change for every tip, cab fare and meal. Please note: The Art Department otters their apologies to John Tenniel, illustrator ot Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.