University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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to look upward, remembering- the fastening- which hang-s over- head, like the sword of Damocles, threatening- momentary destruction. Whereupon, a transformation is effected which certainl} ' savors of the unusual and unnatural. The small dog that persued his way so sedateh ' a moment since across the ground below — lo ! there he is in the pane above you, scamp- ering head downward, with his feet pointing- upward, and to all appearances traveling- over a firmament of green grass and dusty road, in which the roots of trees spread out amaz- ing-ly, and A-arious other strang-e phenomena occur that were surely never seen in the heavens befor.e ! A motley company of dog-s follow this first, all with tong-ues lolling, not down but up, and with waving tails erected with a vast show of happiness, not up but down ! Close on the heels of the wrong- headed animals, comes a man in haste, treading this strange, unearthl3 ' -looking road, which is undoubtedly above his head. The puzzle of the ancient wise men who disputed the assertion that the earth was round, for the reason that, in such case, the dwellers on the lower side must walk head downward and with their feet in the air, now shows itself yet the more unan- swerable when the marvel is really seen in operation. The strangeness of the procedure is not lessened, but vastly increas- ed when it is actually brought from theory to observation. But there is scarcel} ' time for wonderment over the first ap- parition of dangling heads and upraised feet, when, in the far regions of the glass, there appears a strange medley of detached members. Arms in pairs and singly-, but no bodies, heads and feet, mingled in most unwarrantable and bodiless fashion, now begin a journey across the mysterious road, gradually losing their detached appearance, and seeking their proper places as they proceed. To be sure, this horrible separation of nature ' s handiwork into disconnected fragments is nothing but the trick of a defective glass, and the turning of the world tops -- turvy is a yet more simple matter. But the very simplicit} ' of the whole maneuver is its most appalling feature. Is it for such an undoing b} ' the most transparent of frauds that man- kind carefully cherishes dignity and cultivates an impressive appearance ? Just notice the being with a cane down 3 ' onder. If you give him the advantage of his natural sphere, was there ever a man better created to excite admiration ? He and all the

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being- caug-ht in the fastening- of the casement, and of hang- ing there forever, a melancholy example of the fate which should overtake all who pry into the secrets of black art. But if such dang-er be successfully avoided, then the earth spreads itself out to view in a smiling- effort to supplement the scenes of mid air. The roofs with smoking- chimneys that adorned the previous picture are here fitted out with basements and lower stories. The tree-tops are now seen to come from sturdy trunks and far-reaching- roots. The roots are wide-spreading- at the base, and crowded with clustering- houses. This lower view gives an unequalled opportunity for un- interrupted gazing- at mankind. They hasten in long- pro- cession beneath the window — men, women, children, all un- conscious of the scrutiny under which they are passing. For once, the aristocrat forgets himself, and allows his manner a momentary lapse into naturalness. The old beau who has strug-gled painfully for more years than even his friends imag-ine, to disg-uise his rheumatism by a jaunty, indolent stroll, covertly g-lances about, and relieved by the sig-ht of a deserted pathway, permits himself to limp a few times ever so slig-htly before he meets a chance passer in w liose presence the painful semblance of youthful health and spirits must be resumed. People do unexpected little acts of kindness or small secret charities sometimes as they pass by here, that seem to be the natural impulse of their natures, and all be- cause they imagine they are for an instant freed from the necessity of posing- before an audience. Only the dogs and horses that wander through the lane are quite as they are in other places. To be sure, a bird sometimes flutters down and skims along above the dust of the way, or a fresh little breeze raises tiny, ineffectual cyclones as it passes by ; but aside from these occasional visitors, the travelers below the window re those who must be watched and taken unawares before the} are betraj-ed into forg-etting their chosen attitude in the eyes of the world. But, of course, all this is quite ordinary, and mig-ht be seen from any upstairs window if only the blinds were closed and the observer took pains to keep hidden. The glass has not displayed its claims as yet. To see the fullness of the mystery, then, one needs only

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rest of the world is justly conscious of his noble bearing- and his unexceptionable tailor. It is but rig-ht that he should scorn the g-round beneath his feet. But let that self-same dust be made to seem uppermost, and all the g lor}- of the man is chang ed. His very cane goes spinning- off in fragments, and his head, brought low b} ' the impertinent magic of the win- dow pane, is but the object of dersion to observers. What a pity it is that all this turning of the universe upside down is in truth such an unreal and unsubstantial thing. It is bad enough to be made to seem ridiculous by some un- avoidable circumstance. Few men would be reconciled to such treatment, even by the entire revolution in the course of the universe. But to be held up to ridicule by so trivial a mocker as this must task the endurance of even a wise man. There have been two men gazing into the window pane and indulging themselves in much merriment at the expense of their brethern. They were both philosophers, and had dis- coursed long and profoundly upon the foolishness of man and the ease wherewith his wa ' s could be made to seem ridiculous. Whereupon, the younger and therefore the less heedful of the two cried out: O, sir ! go you down below, that I may look upon 3 ' ou through the magic glass ! For surely, to a man of such parts, a moment of seeming discomfiture can be of no importance ! But the elder of the wiseacres remained silent and looked darkly upon his companion. And when they both departed, behold they went not past the window, but betook them home by another way. — Written for the University of Californina Maga- zine by Grace H. Crabbe. Normal and the War. HZ?OW often have we sat by the fireside and listened to vl V the tales of war told by our grand fathers. They have told us of the call for men to fight for country, of the gathering of the boys from all the homes in the land, of their sad parting from home, of the swelling of patriotism and pride in each breast as they marched proudly through the streets amid tears and cheers. Our grandsires have told us of the long, anxious waiting, and of the message which came at