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

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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

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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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16 THE REDWOOD. less exertion, but the Home of Wisdom cannot be reached thereby, because it does not rise, but running along the level country, ends in the brush of obscurity, where the wayfarers are entangled and so lost to the world and to themselves forever. And who are those who follow that path I asked, be- coming more interes,ted and more attached to my learned guide. Alas! he said, their number is legion ! But I can e mbrace them all under two general divisions, the Utilitarians and the Talented. The former are unwilling to labor unless they receive, at the same time, some sensible reward for their toil, unless they see immediate results. When told what to expect when they reach the summit, they sneeringly say : Yes, but what can we en- joy as we climb the hill? ' To the answer, nothing but work, work, work, ' they turn away, enjoy for a brief span the scenery of this by-path, and then are lost intellectually. The Talented have a similar temptation and oftentimes succumb. Endow ed with superior mental capacities, as they are, they know not what work is, and so drift into slothful habits, and when called upon to make an earnest effort, they fail to respond and are ruined. It is a mistake to imagine that any real success can be obtained without labor and this is emphatically true in the in- tellectual strife. That part of the road is called the Eclectic ' because some of the guides allow their charges at this point to choose for themselves, and the latter being naturally unwilling to Avork and ignorant of what to expect, when they reach the summit (nor can all guides inform them on this point), invariably, T might say, choos3 the easy path. I was satisfied with his arguments and again began to as- cend, the way becoming more difficult at every step. I was ready to give in, when to my great relief, we reached a pretty little flat, with a delightful spring of water issuing from the rocks in the center and falling gently on the surrounding luxuriant growth of grass and flowers. It was indeed a surprising contrast to the dry, barren country we had traversed, and I, wishing to reap some little reward of labor,sat down and gazed on the valley below, congratulating myself that, with the assistance of the good guide, I had made some progress, and feeling an inward complacency I had never experienced before. Can you explain to me, kind sir, I asked, after having enjoyed the surrounding country for some time, how it is that the toil heretofore submitted to has passed from my mind and