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

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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

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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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THE REDWOOD. 17 that I feel as if I had been in this delightful spot all my life? This is your first intellectual delight, he said, you have done well so far and in the eternal order of things.it is so or- dained that man does not labor long without some sensible re- ward, but you must guard against the fatal error of such as, hav- ing reached this point, think that it is their goal, whereas it is but a foretaste of what is to come. I have seen some pause at that fountain yonder for years and years, although if you take the pains to examine the inscription thereon you will not be able to understand how they could do so. I did take the pains, and to my great surprise found these immortal lines of Pope, which were written there by this great high priest of an age of reason and prose, when he was strug- gling up this self-same mountain side: A little learning is a dangerous thing. Drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring; There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers it again. Returning, I begged my guide to lead me on, promising t » stay with him until we reached the summit, in spite of any dif- ficulties, and again we started off. Soon, however, and to my great chagrin, notwithstanding strong resolves, we came to a slide of broken shale rock through which the trail led. This shale rock, I may remark here, when broken in small fragments, forms a very disagreeable path, for the feet sink into it as in sand, and when in addition to this the path is steep, it is all but impossible to make any progress. 1 started to climb, however, nothing daunted, but was so very soon exhausted that I paused and turned to my friend, who smiling gently moved cautiously along through the treacherous stuff, step by step, giving the rock a chance to settle beneath one foot before moving the other. I did likewise and soon found myself on solid ground. This place, I was informed as we proceeded, was the Grade of Perseverance. As I had the good fortune lO work my way through it, the remaining part of the journej was comparative] y easy. As we approached the top, there being few obstacles, we naturally made great progress. But, alas! I w as not accustomed to the rare atmosphere and so was seized with a sudden dizz? ness, which gave to surrounding objects a peculiar whirling