College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

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Tile uiau was appaivntl} ' uf about t ' nrlv yrars of age, and had a hroad lirow and coiinuaiidiiig eyes. He passed oii, the crowd pressing aflci ' , and lln scene sliit ' lc(l : lint not liet ' oi ' c 1 saw in l ig Ivpc on a paper waxed hy a newsl)oy, Disaster averted; great financial panic pre enieil liy Pi ' esidcnt Koont . of tli; ' First Xalional JJank. And now appcai ' ccl a still stranger scene. I!(din ' c nic I saw a ci-owd of yellow, almond-eyed Obiuese, listening jiatiently to an earnest nnin with long, silvery locks falling about his sbonlders. Presi ' iilly I caught the fragment of a sentence, And now, fellow Cliinaiui ' n, 1 lia i ' an idea in cinliryo. The scene was again shifting, but the face of the spcal:ci-. with whicdi time had dealt wirh gentle liaiids, was loo familiar to pass niircc(mni .c(l ; il was I ' arson Iioacli. This time, T found myself gazing at what was apparently an operat ing room. On a table. nriMniided i nurses with whiti ' . drawn face-;, holding bandages, was the figure of :i man. () -er liim a- beul a tall man cjulli ' d in while, and holding in liis hand a brighl. glillci-inii instrnnu ' iit. Kapiilly. 1 saw the strange instrument flash back and forth, ami then the man si I ' aightcncd up, his haml upon llie patient ' s wrist. His face was partly tnrncil tnwai ' il me, and seeim-d strangely familiar. In a few second.s he nodded lo thi nui-es mid, striding toward the door, let in a woman. T saw him smile ami whispei ' a few words to the woman, who, seizing his hands, fell upon hei ' knees. Willi a smile, re- turned comi])lete recognilion, and 1 Iniew this successful surgeon was my old friend, Post .Sci ' i))l (liiliam. Once more thi ' curtain was drawn, ami the new scene was one of gentle (piietness. A chnr(di, surrounded by broad iields, green with the xiM ' dui ' e of s])ring, appeared. The trees were swaying gently in the breeze, and all the (piietness and jieace of a country Sahbath morning was s|)read hef ' i re me. The congregation was collecting bef ire the doors, ami in a few miiiiites a stout little man in clerical cloak a|ipeareil. AVith his face wreathed in smiles, he slowly passed toward the door, distributing on all sides ihe genial smile anil cordial handshake that only the country minister can hestow. . s he passed up the ste])S he lui ' iied till ' an iuslaul, and 1 I ' ecognized ihe features of one torinerly known as Sizer, D. T). The (dnirch disa|ipeare(l, but the )ieacef ' iilness of tlic scene renniincd. Tu the )(lace ot the (dini ' ch appeared a lieautifnl. ild-fa ' hioned lionsi ' , sel in a grove ot trees, ( ' (lining down the steps leadim; f rom the veranda appeared a tall, creel old licnlleman. lii hair plentifully --prinkhMl with gra ' . His broad shoiildei ' s had a soldierly set. and he mar(die(l with a firm, martial step lo where 31

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Ii:icl mil I. living in ;iii age of ri ' asdU and ciiliiililciiiiicut, limi cIkiscil In |irii|)liesy ilic t ' liUii-c uf ilic clcxcii (l iu ;lii V wari ' iiiis wIki. I ' l.r fun i- years, liail lialtlcil ai;aiust rill ' (il)stacl( ' s lliat Ix ' sct the ])atli in l iiiiwltMli;c ' . F(ir liiiiirs I had been sitliiii;-, |)i|ic in liaiid. ainly seckiiii: iiispii-ai ion Irdhi ihc ;-niiik llaiiu- nf a laiiip ami (he iinisiral iMHinMly ln ' iui; iMiacIcd liy my sli ' e])iiig bi ' d-i( ' llii v. On the inuiTdW, they said, the t ' niurc nf every Seninr nmsi lie known and rraiU 111 lie |inlilislicd in the woi ' ld. Thai is, williin I he lew hniii- remainini;. I was til lirini; ' inln use the nlisnlete eiisiuui nf Innkiin: iiiin the fninre. and felale the events iit the a|i|in laehi na yeai ' s. Seatiliii myself mi a lu ' iiidi ueai ' llie sialiie, I limk ii|i llie piMMem aiiain. Snrniniided liy seenery lliat had |ifii ' eii siieh a snni ' ee nf ins|ii ral inn In my prede- cessors, 1 wailed nna ailiiii:ly fur inspiralinn In reach my mind. Scenes nf m - (diildhnnd days, when 1 had invented elalinrale tali ' s In gel amnnd difK- ciillies with my teachers, snriivd hefore me, and 1 liegan In wnnder if my iniagi- nalinn were siitticieiitly fertile to swpe]i ]iasl the present difHciilty in like manner. 1 sunn saw. linwe ( ' r, the fntilily nf a mind merely liiiman tryini; In pictnre the future of a i;ron|i nf men cnni|insed nf all grades helween a nmdest, retiring Etheridge and a masterful wire-]inlling Douglas. (living it np in despair, I gazed blankly and ainly at tlie dark walls before me. ' ainl -, ilid 1 say No; for presently a drowsiness began to steal n er me. Indistinctly, I heard the elnck boniii iiiil, ()ne! -Two! ' Tis now tlif veiv witcliiiifj linii ' nl nij;lil. When churchyards yawn, and hell itself lircatlics imi ( ' (intafiion to this wurlil. ' I drowsily mnllered. The moonbeams began to grow dimmer, the chirpings of the insects, fainter and fainter, and presently 1 gave myself o -er to a track- less nniizp of weird flights of the mind. . sserting its jirophetic rights, my mind trampled down all barriers, threw aside lime as if by magic, tore aside the misty veil of the future, and I was permiiled for a brief s])ace to take a glimpse at exi ' Uls that were still to be. Rapidly, the scenes succeeded each other tis in a mn ing ]iicture show, and tlip world seemed a stage whereon every man must play his jtart. Out of the darkness snrronnding.nie ap])eared inysteriniisly a street crnwd ed with wildly excited men and wnmen, waxing bats ;ind handkerchiefs, all striving to gel as close as jmssible to ti man wlm was coming rajiidly down the .street, seemingly much ( inbarrassed. 30

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nil lllc hiwii six ln lv hills were I ' n il irkiiii;. He |iii|;c l. ilic n . Mini |ircscii1- ly tlicy turnicil in iwn lines, t ' liciiii: ciicli nihrr. Knisin;; hi- i-;iiic, ilic I ' M uciith- iiiiiii called dill in rinuinti Idiies. • ' lli hi miiii ' d i ' ei---( ' liaryc ! :in l lliere was a ina l scranihh ' . .Iiisi llien. a earriap- lilled willi lonrists ]iassed. and i ii: ' avd llie driver sa, -, ■ ' ' I ' lial is ( ' dl.inel ( ' liarles ' l ' a |(ir, the hern uf I he Anierieaii- Jajiancse War. Darkness succeeded the sniisliine nf this scene, and |)resently I tuiiii l my- self iiaziii; ai a r(Miin tilled with liiisy IddkiiiL;- men seat( d at hiiiii ' I ' dws id ' desks, whih- ii|idii a I ' dslniin at the n|i|)ci ' end id ' the vdnni was an uhl niiiii. itii a sliar]! t;i]i dn hi- desk, he called t ' nr urder. and I iv ' tilizecl lliiil I was Indkillg at the Aniericaii leuislat ixc liixly. rre-eiilly. a tiunve ard e. and a In ' eathless silence seemed Id tall d er the riiiini. men leaniiii: fdrward in catch the tieiy diit- lilirst df eliii|iicncc that t ' dlliwcd. At IciiL ' th the c ralur timk his scat amid i;reat a])])laiise. An enthusiastic iicmher, scaii d mi ili: ' d|)|iiisite side df ilie htill fi-din the Senaliir whd had sjuikeii, iiim)ied td hi- feet, and shdiited, I wish tn cast lay vote jiiililicly fur the Wtiriicr Tarifl liill. d ahly defciii|;M| liy Seiiatnr Dim-las. Once mure the scene shifted, tiiid I was oji .im: iiji til a ;real stuiie Imild- iiiii ' , d -er the imiiii I ' litrauce id ' wdiidi a- ilie it. ' ii. ' Scivnce liall. A iiiiiii- ber of yiiiina ' men were loiteriiii; almiii the ddnr. iidtedidnks |irdtriidini; f I ' diii their pockets. Presently, 1 heard the ivpni ' t id ' an e ]i|dsii n. and tilmnst immedia ' ely a small man a]i]ieared, and une remarked. ■ I ' l-dfe-Mir Freeman is iiniudiy to- day; his electric batteries Avon ' t work. The interior of the Imildini: imw aii]i:ared, and ilnwii the Imni corridor I ciiiild see elalioriitely tittcil up laliorafories. ly arteiili:n wa atlrticted liy the sjnitterinii ' d ' a straiiiic little machine in a room, over the door of which was the sian, Agrictiltnral Laliorafory. The niachin; ' continued its little eX]ilo- sions nninterrnjifed, and presently 1 saw a tiny little man siitina in a nearliy chair ajijjarently fast asleep. Suddenly, the scene seemed to come nearer and I recognized in the red-faced little man the scientist of the Clas.s of ' W. Tommy Etheridge. ( )nce mure the ciirttiin of dai-kness fell, and wd ' eii li ' jht aaain returned, ad the jieace and li; ' aiity of the country had relnrned. Peace ' e-. Iml not tor long, liid ' ore me was a Imilding, iinmisfakahly a scdiool. aiMiind wdiicdi a aroiip of merry children ]ilayed. Soon, the.peacefnlness of the scene was rudely shat- tered liv a tight, and ;i stmit gentleman apiieareil. staff in hand. 1 he crowd dispersed, and I s:iw the stafl ' de-ceiid aL ' ain and again upon the two clllpl■it , who presentl - In-oke away, and louk to their lieeU. 1 smiled a- reminiscences Z2