St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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t i Some of Our Letters QRecewed by Dnife1 ent Students of the Collegej To AN EX og MAN MARCII QTH I9oI MY DEAR PARD I am under the impression that I have written to you once or tw1ce s1nce last September but our mutual friend W has informed me that you broke the sweet news to him that I owe you a letter and as I have never known you to tell a false hood I suppose I must be mistaken and that vou really have answered my last letter but for some reason or other Uncle Sam s employees 1n the postal service have failed to do their work and the letter has never reached me Then again I always did like to write to you You are such a good fellow and I have so many fond recollections of the many pleasant and profitable hours we have spent together at onvf lessons 07 the ollowznv day I often wonder whether you are keepmg up the good work th1s year not having the splendid influence of our class to guide vou and to keep you from going 3St1 ay As I sit here tonight my 1n1nd turns back to those good old days and memories thick and fast crowd in upon me I see many visions each one reminding me of different events that hap pened within the sacred precincts of old Pinkney Une that I see pla1ner than any other is a large table upon which is spread a cover of many colors but green predominating Around this table are a half dozen youths noble young men ' ' sw, f---- v- r-vw' --fi ,.l. , V- Q, ' ,ga , ' at St. Iohn's, you at one end of the table and I at the other, each digging away who have come to college to improve their opportunities, and are determined some day to make their mark in the busy world without. In the center of the table are a number of round, curious-looking discs of three colors, and in front of each youth are more of the round things, but, strange to tell, there are more in front of some than of others. In fact, one of the ambitious young' men has scarcely any, and there is an' unhappy, desperate expression onhis countenanceas he calmly says a fewi moments later that he will have to shy this pot. Among the rest fortune has strayed unceremoniously from one to the other, and occasion- ally one thinksthat he has darned tough luck when he sees to his sorrow a king full is not as good as four Sevens. ' A 221 ,f 4 f--3

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X' To William Devries, of St. John's Preparatory School. N nw Yomc CIDY, March 1, 1902. NIEIN LIEBER 'VILLUMZ , I haf yust heard id some veeks ago dot you vas py der schoolhouse in, making knowledge chump ub und bite you unterneath your forehead. Such is a goot idea to be so. Nuddings Villtdo a boy so much benefit as to pinch off a leedle knowledge und use id Ven he is a man, alretty. 1 Knowledge vould be easy to remember if dare yas nod placed in our prains a machinery to forget mit. I V unce a schoolteacher, chentlemans, handed me a large bunch uf knowledge, bud I yas careless mit id und id eggscaped. I know der teacher handed id to me, but vare 'dit id vent I doan'd know. 4 A ' Knowledge is like fortune, because id is alyays in a hurry yen id runs ub der front stebs und rings der door knob. If you vas slow mit obening. der door knowl- edge will ged an impatience und try to see if dare is someding doing next door. I haf heard id dot you yas also learning to' coax moosic ouid uf der bass drum. To me der bass drum is vun uf der sveetest instrumentalities in der vorld, mitt der eggsception uf a manpudding in a load uf coal. In my heart I haf alvays such a pidy for der bass drum because der moosic has to be. kicked ouid uf id. I dink der besd yay to ged der melody to flow from a bass drum isto be chentle, like der olt proferb yich says id, Der yorm yill turn yen der lane is trodded ubonf' I I A Id is der same mit a friend as id is mit der bass drum. Chentleness means more in der pocketbook. If you touch der friend chently you may get abouid zwei tollarsg if you soak him you ged arrested. ' Dot is der philosophicals uf life: Easy touches lead to Easy Street. I am glat dot you yas learning knowledge und also der bass dru1n. Der knowledge vill pud bumps on der topknot part uf your face und der bass drum vill make muckles on your arm. . - You know der beautiful poeticals vich vas yunce wrote abouid der bass drum, vare id says id, T ouch der drum lightly, my fair Louisa I Shookespeare' wrote dem luffiy vords, und he vas vun uf der besd bass drum- mists der yorld has efer vitnessed. I Please tolt your teacher for me dot if he cannod beat knowledge into your head to beat id into der drum, und Ven der drum,graduations you can took id home. i ' ' ' Ven fou come J f New York I vill vish fou to la f me a bass-drum solo, 3 3 5 P 3 . perhabs. Ve haf a nice policeman und maybe I can borrow his beat for you. 223 'Z-r