isa-normaladvance-1915-00036

Description:	36THE NORMAL ADVANCEOn passing the hill, they met a kindly appearing gentleman named SympatheticTeacher.Boys, said he, It is my business to removethe stumbling blocks from your path, lest yefall, or still worse, lest ye sit down upon themand idle away your time.Thank you, sir answered the youths, Wewill heed your counsel. Yet their actions belied their words at the first opportunity, forthey had gone but a short distance when a hugebarrier loomed up befor them. Besides it stooda handsome young man.This is the Barrier of Caste, he said. Unless you enter this Glade of Society and makeyour way through its pleasant paths, you cannever get the golden apples, for this barrier isimpenetrable.It is a lie! cried Sympathetic Teacher,with my assistance you can push this barrieraside.It is impossible, said one of the youths,named Society Guy, but we may gain our goaleasily if we follow this kind gentlemans advice and enter the Glade Society.Yes, yes, let us enter! cried the rest so theentire party entered the pleasant vale.Sympathetic Teacher was plainly distressedat this, but he determined to be faithful to histrust, and to follow. First they found themselves in a cool spot called Class Party. Theyloitered here until Sympathetic Teacher had tourge them on.You have now had some harmful entertainment, and you may even be the better for it,but you would be wise if you returned to thepath now. Goose eggs are the portion of thosewho stay in this pleasant but deceptive daletoo long.But the youth seemed infatuated with theirpleasures and would hear nothing but ofwandering on. They scarcely realized thatthey were passing over the Slough of Latinand only caught a glimpse of the pleasanthouse named Home of Cicero. SympatheticTeacher plead with them continually to returnto the path, but they would hear none of it.They merely skirted the base of the mountainof Higher Algebra, and passed through to themore modern part of the City of History, onpleasant boulevards, which however ran at theback of the house so that they got a very pooridea of the appearance of the place. Theyfound the English Precipice to glow like aflame because of the rubies lodged upon it.There was a private path, however, from theGlade of Society to the summit along whichthey walked without exertion, but Average Boynoticed that none of the gems of the Literaturewere to be found there. Indeed, he saw thatthey were only to be had in the more difficultplaces. At the right of the River of Examination they all began to tremble.See to what a pretty pass your advice hasbrought us, said Average Boy to Society Guy.We have followed your advice and have notheeded the words of Sympathetic Teacher.Now we have none of the fruits of Mountainof Higher Algebra to strengthen our weaj*ylimbs, nor the gems which we might havegathered along the way to buoy us up as weattempt to cross the river.Boys, said Sympathetic Teacher, had youfollowed my advice you would not be in thispredicament. But now that you are in troubleI will not desert you. Take as many of thesegems which I have saved up as you can.Then began a hasty cramming. Soon theboys essayed to cross the stream. Then onlydid they realize their true situation. One byone they floated down stream until only Average Boy was left. He almost reached thebank, and had the golden apples in sight wmenhe gave way. A lucky accident saved himhowever, for he struck the rock of Past Application and made the shore in safety. Oncemore he took the bag from the tree, and hurried home to Proud Parent.Again at dawn I saw the youthful travelersetting out. His manner and carriage all saidplainly as words:Last Trip!
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34846
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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