University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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14 THE REDWOOD. gas arrested my attention and I turned and lo! there was a crowded automobile racing at full speed towards the hill whither my steps were directed. ' ' Ah ! said I, in an audible tone. That Is the way to depart from this valley and ascend to higher levels, if any such there a 1 1 must engage a seat in the next conveyance of that kind and thus escape from the haunts of Ignorance and Confusion. You are mistaken ' said a stranger, .tapping me on the shoulder. You are quite mistaken. You cannot climb the hill of knoAvledge, for such is the name of yonder mountain, by any artificial means. Those machines though apparently full of life, invariably give out just before the summit is reached and the oc- cupants have to descend with great ignominy, because they have attempted an unna.tural ascent. That machine is propelled by a noxious vapor (and mind it is only a vapor) called ' Cramming. ' It received this name from the fact that, as the gas escapes, there is a constant reiteration of a sound somewhat resembling this: ' Cram ! cram ! cram ! ' though on attentive observation, I found that the machine maliciously varies the monotony of ' Cram! cram ! cram ' with an occasional cry of ' Sham ! sham ! sham ! ' My friendly adviser was a well proportioned man and wore a venerable aspect. His garb was one I had never seen before; a long black robe girdled in the middle with a cincture, whence hung a fine chain studded with small wooden beads. His cap was a strange device, somewhat similar to a Turkish turban, with this difference, that it was square instead of round on top and was mounted, not by a tassel, as the turban sometimes is, but b,y a small spear-head, about an inch high, Avhence proceeded to three a small spear-head, about an inch high, whence proceeded to three as his garb. Withal he was poorly clad, resembling a pilgrim as far as anything I can think of just now, and formed a wonderful contrast to the gaudy tinsel that I had noticed when mingled with the crowd. My conversation with him was long and interesting. I learned that he was not a dweller in the tents of Cedron, as he called the haunts of man, but had spent his life in the valley beyond the mountain, where he said was the Home of Wisdom. And why, asked I, after he had delayed for a while on the grandeur of the valley. Why do you spend your time wandering about these foothills, if, as you have said, this Home of Wisdom is such a remarkable place? At this he blushed for a moment and

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THE REDWOOD. 13 the: students progress. CHAPTER I.— The Tents of Cedron. I looked around me; there was a busy, floating mass of peo- ple; there was a bustle and a hurry which bespoke some fixed, determined purpose some objective point in view, towards which the restless mass moved onward. There was never-ending, mon- otonous roar of opinions and contrary opinions, a tenacious claim to truth on the one side and bold contradictions on the other Politics,religion, education,domestic economy, was the burden of their conversation. This man had hit upon a fortune, that other was ruined financially; this one was rising in power, the other retiring from the scene of political action, disgraced and fallen. There were rumors for the inquisitive, scandals for the envious, and excitements for the fanciful, and so the ceaseless wrangling and absurdity of the floAving mass of humanity became bewildering and disgusting. Ignorance had claimed them for her own. Their minds were confused, their words incoherent, their very gait uncertain. It was not a gathering of college students. No ! It was not even the ferocious university lads running madly about the campus. No ! It was a scene in the great Bab don of city life, a picture of the world at large; it was the Valley of Ignorance and Conceit, a phase of the mighty thing that wags. And so from hour to hour we ripe and ripe. And then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot, And thereby hangs a tale. I looked above me and saw a yellowish, sluggish vapor, lying low and heavy, shrouding the bright blue of the heavens beyond and shutting out the sun with all its glory. It is, thoughtl to my- self, the cloud of misinformation encircling the Valley of Igno- rance. And I turned away to gaze upon the green mountain slopes in the distance and so departed, leaving the great Babylon behind me and determined to ascend to higher regions. Excel- sior! ' ' ■ ,-5 -i4..| -f; I had not gone very far, when a sound of steam or escaping

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THE REDWOOD. 15 then modestly replied : It is mine to descend in order to lead others to that valley of delight. I am a guide. ' ' And you find such a life enjoyable and not monotonous and lonely? Have you no intercourse whatever with your fellow- men? ' ' Intercourse I have, and that to satiety, was the answer. Not, however, so much with the men of this world as with the great minds that have gone before me. As for monotony, there is no such thing in my manner of life. It is all varied and de- lightful. My occupation, it is true, might seem wearisome, yet there is no greater comfort, no greater pleasure within the reach of mortals than that of doing good to others. So all my energy is spent in leading men to the great valley beyond, where they can, if it so please them, drink of the sweet and rejuvenating nec- tar of wisdom and hold converse with the greatest minds this world has ever seen. Would you wish to be led thither? I am ready to aid you, to point out the true path, to guard you against the innumerable difficulties and place you safely on the other side, if on your part there is a willingness to work, for it is only the diligent workers who obtain admittance; and the doors are closed to the sluggard. Indeed, you surprise me, was my answer, but with your leave I shall attempt the ascent, cost what it may. He smiled joyfully, and in a few moments we were off. JOHN PARKOTT, Sophomore. CHAPTER II.— The Ascent The path was smooth and had a gradual rise for some time, but at length became obstructed here and there by large over- hanging crags which we passed with difficulty. We soon came to a point where the trail branched, one part leading off to the left in an almost level line, the other continuing to rise and be- coming steeper and steeper, as far as the eye could see. I was al- most about to start off on the straight and easy road, when my guide stopped me, saying : Be careful, this is where so many make the fatal mistake of their lives, by choosing that path which is in appearance the less difficult and the easier of the two. And in fact it does require