The Spirit of the School

a few minutes between seven and eight

ou

me

eometry recitation at twelve, he ran into Phin and the two walked over to Hansel’s room tog

tfully. “I wonder whether he’s for or against us. Perhaps

1

s. “Folsom asked me to tell you he wanted

probably a bit excited,” continued Phin

d over last evening’s skirmish,

he principle of the thing,” he said. “But they liked to se

ered Hansel. “Surely that won’t be enough to pay the expenses

of it to him. But it doesn’t help us much just at present, for Cameron’s tuition is paid up

1

ansel ruefully. “I

ere was a chance too good to waste. I was afraid you wouldn’t understand what was wanted, though, when I’d read that ‘team expense’ item. But you did. By the way, we’ve got one new convert, anyway. Spring was down to see me this morn

earnest enoug

d if they don’t want a thing to appear, it doesn’t. And I don’t believe they’d let

1

ight and we’ll go over to see Ames togeth

to call on Harry this afternoon

anager’s sense of humor. Harry seemed to think that it was a pretty good j

had no business being sick, and a lot more poppycock. But, thunder! how was I to know you were going to read that statement? I thought you just wanted to have it in case somebody b

,[135] Harry, but the chance was too go

low’s playing hob, isn’t he? He’ll have the whole school topsy-turvy if he keeps on! He’s woozy on the subject of

” said Phin gravely. “You kno

tisfied with being right? What is it about virtue being its own reward? Besides, it’s all perfectly useless; B

ng for next

have my blessing. I shan’t be here next year. But just at prese

hin quietly; “but we wa

shall have to stop associating with you chaps;

smilingly. “We need help. How

and the use of my limbs; Doc says I can go out to-morrow; but I am trouble

proceedings. And he had to listen to very much the same remarks that had been made for Phin’s benefit. But

see,” he sai

ed Harry[137] cheerfully. “Maybe

on’t

If Billy doesn’t play in the Fairvie

tudy, “I need a good sweater. I’ll take

ble enough already, and you can have it

ait an

old raven!”

s up, for all day long the chief subject of discussion among the students of Beechcroft Academy had been the mass meeting and the status of the star half back. And, in the second place, Hansel had suffered[138] public martyrdom, and there’s nothing like martyrdom to bolster up one’s self-respect and increase on

onvinced, and Hansel went on to the second and played there all during the short practice. He was on his mettle, and the way he “made rings around Cutler,” to use the popular expression, was highly pleasing to his adherents, of whom there were not a few among the audience that followed the play. Hansel k

tting himself ready for supper

answered Ha

robably play. We can’t have fellows on the f

n take what’s coming to me. You won’t hear any kicking

there if I had my way,

r of Mr. Ames’s study on the first floor of Weeks. As soon as t

ecause I want to know just what you’re[140] up to

they hoped to do, why they wanted to do it, and what they had accomplished already. And the instructor

glad to know this. And what is the s

st of the fellows don’t c

There have been two or three things done here during the last three years which you fellows have probably never heard of.[141] And, by the way, what I am telling you to-night is quite between us three, if you please. I don’t like this sort of thing any better than you do, and several times I have made myself unpopular by trying to corre

hardly be fair. You’re coach, and, of course, you want to turn out a good t

that the school that wins more than a fair share of athletic contests[142] is in a good way to slide downhill. There is nothing, it seems, so demoralizing to a school or college as a reputation for winning in football year after year. It brings a flood of undesirable material to the school and the morale suffers in

ance of doing away with Cameron this year. Perhaps if you succeed in changing the sentiment of the school from the present one of apathy and worse to one of opposition to unfair methods in athletics, you will have done enough for this

ish we didn’t have to interfere with h

hurt a fly; but for all that he isn’t capable of seeing anything out of the way in his position here. He woul

Folsom the other day, and he said he thought the trouble was with the colleges

chool on the part of the college captain, or coach, or trainer. That’s something that ought to be stopped.[144] The competition becomes so keen when a good athlete is at stake that if the good athlete has a tende

ore in Harry’s theory of example than you think. Are

ows who would spurn the suggestion of a dishonest action. It’s a case of distorted point of view, I fancy. Now, as I say, I can’t take the law into my hands and disqualify Cameron on the grounds we’ve discus

1

nion can’t be altered

as sufficient support pledged, you might call a mass meeting to take action on the subject; even if you lost, you would have made a stride in the right direction; the more y

That seems a good idea. Would

es hes

at I ought to preserve neutrality as far as is possible. Besides, I don’t think it would be wise t

1

, sir, we’

ss. And whatever I can do for you I will. Oh, by the way, I wouldn’t expect too much of that editorial

to be that “it was hard lines on Billy Cameron.” Ultimately, however, most of them consented to look at the subject from an abstract point of view, after Phin and Hansel had assured them time and again that there was nothing against Cameron personally, and that it was the principle of the thing they were concerned with. When the meeti

right half, and got into things in a way which showed that his enforced idleness had done him good. The team as a whole was coming fast now, and there was hope among the more sanguine of a victory over Warren. The game with Warren school was not considered nearly so important as the contest with Fairview, and, coming as it did only two weeks before the final contest, it frequently happened that the game was purposely sacrificed in order to spare the l