Shorter College - Argo Yearbook (Rome, GA)

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Then as they passed out with sorrowing countenances, even a prejudiced observer would have admitted the gross cruelty of the teacher in asking each the one question she happened not to know. A noble class and noted for self-denial ! One of our number, a soft-hearted girl, when a mosquito inserted his cruel beak in her tender hand, exclaimed : I don ' t want to kill you, but I must — in the interest of science. Self-denying? Yes, indeed. I need only cite a few instances to convince the Republic of this virtue. One day — long may its memory live ! — the Geology Class waited until five pencils were sharpened before beginning to take down a lecture inflicted by one who ' ' did not know and never could know and could not understand, that we are thirteen geniuses. Five pencils, at three minutes per pencil, substract from sixty minutes of lecture at fifty words per minute. Blessed be blunted pencils ! Then another self-denying member has the happy faculty of leading on a teacher to talk by asking suggestive questions. Most kind member, willing to pretend ignorance for our sakes ! And the watcher of the clock from the back row whispers glad tidings of five minutes gone. We have had difficulties to overcome. Great obstacles barred our progress, and tried our patience. Almost every day one of us is judged not to know the subject in hand because we can not correctly answer questions about it. Often they are heard to affirm, immediately after another has given a satisfactory answer, That is what I meant An instance of this kind occurred one day when one of our number was asked, What is an earthquake? Why, it is the earth quaking, you know. Obviously true, and yet the questioner passed the question. Vanity, that loathsome trait, is entirely absent from our Class. The constant glances toward our mirrors are misleading. We hold that nothing is more untidy than a smeared mirror and so constantly examine them to be sure of their cleanliness. 15

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This I hold to be the chief office of History, to rescue virtuous actions from the oblivion to which a want of records would consign them. — Tacitus. AY my humble effort rescue from oblivion the actions of the noble Class of 1900, and if there be any that are not noble, may these be consigned to oblivion. It is my task to recount the deeds of the Senior Class, which first existed on the thirteenth day of Septem- ber, 1899. Ah, that was a momentous occasion. Few of us but prophesied marvelous achievements for our class, for did it not contain thirteen girls, each of whom knew herself to be a genius ? Geniuses for what ? you ask. Ask the Prophet what we shall do — to-morrow ? Well I remember that first time the Class assembled for recitation. How intellectual, how wise they appeared, and how kind of them to humble themselves to be taught by a mere human man ! 14

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We take thought for our clothes for the sake of others. We use the curling-tongs to keep them from rusting. The Class of 1900 were never known to complain of holidays. We have too much regard for the feelings of others ; and on certain occasions when we were excused from recitation, we bore it bravely ; not one dissenting voice was raised. The history of this Class is a story of war — war against our own indolence, against time, pleasure, dreaming and sometimes even against sleep. And yet the story of this year ' s war may be told as briefly as that of Caesar ' s, We came, we saw, we conquered. Often weary and dis- couraged, we were tempted to retreat and return to the luxurious idleness of our native courts , but faith, hope and love renewed our courage, lent us strength, led us on to victory. A. R . 16