s warm
sympathy as any of you"--by singling out Meyers at this point he lent a
quietly insulting tone to his remarks--"with the present course. Were it
left to me, I should do away with Wordsworth, substituting, possibly,
Swinburne. I have sometimes wondered if we weren't underestimating the
potential strength of the Freshman's mind by feeding him on too much
pap. By the same token I am inclined to think that I should drop Carlyle
and Hawthorne for Matthew Arnold and, perhaps, Cardinal Newman."
(Furbush was a High Churchman of a militant dye.) "What I should, of
course, do would be to divide the present first term between Spenser and
Milton, instead of giving it all to Shakespeare." This last was said
directly to Dawson. It had been Mr. Dawson's particular joy that he
could give one whole term to Shakespeare.

Tom was sitting keen-eyed and alert, but it would obviously be madness
worse confounded to risk a contribution to this discussion, which was
for Titans only. But he was thrilled by the duel before him, even though
the outcome was never in doubt, since a show of hands would give a
unanimous vote to Dawson whatever the issue. Mr. Dawson, however,
declined the gage of battle altogether. He apparently merely wished
Furbush to make public confession of the iniquity that was in him; and
after noting out loud the changes recommended, he abruptly closed the
meeting.

"Well, Jerry, we shall think over what you have said, and a week from
today we'd better get together again and act on it. At that time, too, I
wish you people would come prepared with your questions for the final
examination paper." He looked around pleasantly at the little group. "I
guess that will be all today," he said.

Tom had been nothing but a spectator at that meeting; but after the next
he emerged radiant. The discussion of the first one had taken only a few
minutes. It happened that Mr. Furbush was not able to be present; and it
was announced incidentally, that he had been transferred to Sophomore
English. Of his proposed changes nothing had been said, although another
change was made. It appeared that Mr. Dawson had been teaching _The
Winter's Tale_ for the past six years and that he wished the
Department's permission to drop it for _Cymbeline_. Mr. Dawson explained
that he was getting a little stale on _The Winter's Tale_, and the
change was hurriedly made.

What an object lesson was this for the keen-eyed young instructor! On
the one hand wa