ited him to call. There grew up
rapidly, binding these two, between whose ages a difference of twenty
years existed, a friendship which was never broken, and which doubtless
affected to an extent the student's ways, for he at least accepted
suggestions as to studies and specialties. This relationship resulted
naturally in transplanting to the mind of the youth some of the fancies
and, possibly, the foibles of the man. One incident will illustrate.

The student, during a summer vacation, had devoted himself largely to
the copying of Macaulay's essays, for, in his teens, one is much
impressed by the rolling sentences of that great writer. Upon his
return Harlson told of his summer not entirely wasted, and expressed
the hope that he might have absorbed some trifle of the writer's style.

The professor of English literature laughed.

"Better have taken Carlyle's 'French Revolution' or any one of half a
dozen books which might be named. Let me tell a little story. Some
time ago a fellow professor of mine was shown by a Swedish servant girl
in his employ a letter she had just written, with the request that he
would correct it. He found nothing to correct. It was a wonderfully
clear bit of epistolary literature. He was surprised, and questioned
the girl. He learned that, though well educated, she knew but little
English, and had sought the dictionary, revising her own letter by
selecting the shortest words to express the idea. Hence the letter's
strength and clearness. Stick to the Saxon closely. Macaulay will
wear off in time." And this was better teaching than one sometimes
gets in class.

This is no tale of the inner life of an American university. It is but
a brief summary of young Harlson's ways there. But some day, I hope, a
Thomas Hughes will come who will write the story, which can be made as
healthful as "Tom Brown," though it will have a different flavor. What
a chance for character study! What opportunity for an Iliad of many a
gallant struggle! Valuable only in a lesser degree than what is
learned from books is what is learned from men in college, that is,
from young men, and herein lies the greater merit of the greater place.
In the little college, however high the grade of study, there is a lack
of one thing broadening, a lack of acquaintance with the youth of many
regions. The living together of a thousand hailing from Maine or
California, or Oregon or Florida, or Canada or England, young