THE ELON COLLEGE WEEKLY.
VOL* I. New Series. Greensboro^ N. C., Wednesday, December 7, 1910 No. 30
and Elon College, N. C.
JERRY VARDELL.
By Exodus Keene.
In Ten Chapters.—Chapter I.
It was one of those sultry September
afternioons in 1907 that Jerry Vardell
stepped from the platform of the local
eastbound passenger train, upon the
ground of a dishevelled pavement in front
of a station labekd “Eroh College.”
The College is one of those small de
nominational co-ed schools, and is situat
ed upm a lonely little campus, by the
side of a branch of the great Southern
railway, in that delightful district known
as the Piedmont Section.
Most of the students who come to Eion
College are the sons and daughters of par
ents who are members of the denomina
tion to which the school belongs. The
churches which furnish more students
than any others, perhaps, are those small,
modest rural houses of worship, situated
in plac.s rather remote from the towns.
It was from one of these rural church
communities that Jerry Vardell came to
College.
I never see Jerry now without think
ing of the afternoon that he arrived at
cur station, and how' he looked as he
stood theie in front of the depot. “Old
Sol,” a pet name for the sun. which is
often used by thi' natives in the pvecin«’t
from which Jerry hailel, was shinina: with
just about as much ardor as he had dur
ing those long seething August days. I re
member distinctly that Jerry, as soon as
had landed on the ground, let down two
heavily-packed telescope grips, or, as the
fellows at school like to call them, “ped
dler’s budgets,” and pulled a larg? red
handkerchief from his hip-pocket, and
mopped away the perspiration which was
streaming from his brow.
“Lord! lord!” said Shorty James.
“Why, hello, Reuben! How’s your
folks?”
Jerry, however, seemed not to notice
Shorty’s college vernacular, at all. Obvi
ously he was at sea, figuratively speak
ing, and his rudder was lost entirely. I
suppose that he had left his steering-gear
on the train.
Well! It was “up to” some one to
rescue the distressed craft. Everybody
seemed to be waiting to see if some one
else would not make the move. No one
appeared to be anxious to become the he
ro. Certainly Jerry had giown a great
deal since his coat and trousers were cut;
or else it had been necessary to make
them brief, so that there would be cloth
left to make suits for his other brothers.
Be that as it may, his coat sleeves and
trouser legs wete painfully short. Fully
four inches of a bony forearm extended
beyond the limits of those brief sleeves,
and a ,?ood three inches of a homespun
pair of socks intervened between the bot
tom of Jerry’s trouseis, and the tops of
a pair of coarse number 10’s. I do not
hesitate to say that it was with consider
able reluctance that I for the first time
approached Jerry Vardell.
The groups of boys and girls, which a
little while ago, were airing their sum
mer experiences, and speculating about
the things which ought to happen during
the session of school just now beginning,
had ceased that business, and were now
regarding the nonplussed Jerry, their fac
es evincing a sort of restrained amuse
ment. In one of the groups at the sta
tion I noticed Mary Kingly. Maiy and I
had been pretty good fiiends for almost
two years; perhaps were a little more
than good friends now. What I wanted
to know just then was, would Mary think
any the less of me if I went to the res
cue of Jerry. Of course. I had no legal
ri,aht to consider what Mary or any one
else might think of me, in a case of mor
al necessity; but such considerations of
ten affect vitally the social standing of a
fellow, particularly in a co-educational
institution. Tlie demand on my con
science was too great, I could wait no
longer, so I started to the victim between
the two g-rips. As I did so the fellows
sent up a great shout; Bravo, Stone!
Stone! Stone! But I had started and I
would not crawl.
I introduced myself to Jerry, in accor
dance with the demands of prevailing eti
quette, and Jerry said “Sow’dy do, Mr.
Stone; my name is .Jerry Vardell. I came
ever here to sjo to school. Can yon tell me
where I can get a place to board and
stay nt ui"htf”
I told Jerry that I could direct him to
such a place, and that I would go with
him. Jerry looked as though he wanted
to thank me for my help, but he said noth
ing. I imagined that he was afraid that
he would make a mistake, and for this
reason he remained silent.
As we staited away to find a room, a
score of lusty voices shouted. We’ll see
that Guy, tonight.
(To be continued).
QXnNTUS ENNIUS.
By Miss Pearl Fogleman.
Quintus Ennius, the first of the great
Roman poets, was bom at Rudiae, in Cal
abria, in 230 B. C. In 204 B. C., while
serving in the Roman army in Sardinia,
he met Marcus Portius Cato, who took
him to his home at Rome. While there
he translated Greek plays for the Roman
stage, and also gave lessons in Greek.
Ennius became acquainted with the elder
Scipio Africanus, and several other prom
inent Romans. He went to Aetolia as a
member of M. Fulvius Nobilior’s staff,
and in 184 B. C. he obtained full Roman
citizenship. Ennius died with gout in
169 B. C.
He was the first instance in the west
ern world of the pure man of letters.
Alongside of his strictly literary produc
tion he occupied himself diligently with
the technique of composition—grammar,
spelling, pronunciation, meter, even an el
ementary system of shorthand.
Ennius gained his greatest renown as
an epic poet, by his eighteen books of
Annales. In this historic epic, he record
ed the legendary and actual history of
the Roman state from the airival of Ae
neas in Italy to the events of his own
day.
Naevius had shown him the way, but
owing to the genius and industry of En
nius, the literaiy capabilities of the lan
guage had made a great advance, since
the time of Naevius.
Instead of using the monotonous and
unpolished Saturnian meter, Ennius
wrote his epic in hexameter verse in im
itation of Homer.
The Annales became a classic and was
the foremost and representative Roman
poem until it was dislodged by the Ae-
neid. Virgil seems to have gotten sug
gestions from Ennius, judging from some
of the quotations and passages of his
Aeneid. The Annales was meant to be a
pendant to the Homeric poems and was
sansideied as such by the Romans. The
poet appears to have comjwsed this work
in advanced age, and published it gradu
ally in separate parts.
Tragedies held the place of second im-
jjorfance amongst the productions of En
nius. He wrote praetextae and comedies,
though he did not distinguish himself in
this department. Two of his comedies
are the Cupuncula and Pancratiastes.
Hecuba, Andromeda, Andromacha, Alex
ander are thought to be translations from
Euiipides. Ennius wrote Epicharinus, a
kind of didactic poem on subjects of nat-
uial philosophy.
Knnius posses=ed a decided impulse
towards artistic perfection. In his own
time he was a missionary of culture and
free thought, and he turned the Roman
language and poetry' into the paths in
which they continued for centuries af
terwards. His jjoetic works show great
versatility, both in form and subject-mat-
ter, and we find him devoting himself
besides to practical literary objects; thus
he was occupied with fixing Latin or
thography.
After Ennius epic poetry was neglect
ed until it was taken up again a hundred
years later. Tragedy, though, was culti
vated without interruption.
LOCALS AND PERSONALS.
—The Rev. J. AV. Patton preached at
the eleven o’cloi-k service Sunday morn
ing. He gave a good and inspiring ser
mon.
—Miss Annie SpencBr of the cla s of
1908 spent Saturday and Sunday here
with Mrs. J. W. Patton. She is teaching
ing the graded school at Liberty this
year.
—In the Y. W. C. A. Sunday afternoon
Miss Maggie Iseley led, using as a sub
ject. “God is Able.”
—Those in the Psiphelian Society who
deserved special mention Friday evening
were Miss Alene Patton a piano solo. Miss
Beulah Foster, an essay. Miss Helen Ma-
chen, a paper an the disadvantage of peo
ple attending High Schools before going
to C/ollege.
—In the Clio Society Friday evening,
Mr, R. L. Walker was best speaker ora-
torically. Debate, query, “Resolved, that
High Schools should pitepare for life,
rather than college.” Won by the affir
mative. Best speaker on the affirmative.
Mr. R. A. Campbell. Best speaker on the
negative, Mr. J. S. Lincoln.
—In the Philologian Society Friday
'evening the best speaker oratorically was
Mr. B. J. Earp. Debate, query. Resolved
That restrictive laws concerning immi
gration should be passed by Congress.
Best speaker on the affiimative. Mr. ,J.
Lee Johnson. Best speaker on the nega
tive, Mr. J. C. Stuart. Question won by
the affirmative.
—Misses Pitt, Barnes, Bryan and Clera-
enls si>ent Saturday in Greensboro shop-
ping.
—Misses Bessie McPherson and Mabel
Farmer led in the Christian Endeavor
prayermeeting Sunday evening. It was
a real good consecration meeting.
—Mr. Claude Smith of Greensboro spent
Sunday here.
—In tlie Y. M. C. A. Saturday evening
Ml'. J. Lee Johnson led, using as a sub
ject, The Secrets of Happiness.
—Kev. C. 0. Durant is attending the
Methodist Episcopal Conference at Eliz
abeth City this week.
—Mr. .1. R. Rives of Jonesboro spent
Friday night at Dr. Atkinson’s, visiting
his daughter and Miss Lottie.
—Mr. R. Henry Barnes, traveling sales
man for the 0. B. Bames Safe Co., has
just returned from a successful business
flip SiiUili and is »peildlJlg a fcv b 'Aitit
his parents, Mr. and Mis. 0. B, Bames on
Railroad St.
—The new bank building, which is be
ing constructed under the supervision of
Contractor .7, C. McAdams of this place,
is nearing completion and w'ill be occupied
by the Elon Banking and Tmst Company
after Dec. 15.
The building is a handsome brick struc
ture and has an attractive plate-glass
front. The building is situated on the
corner opposite the Southem Depot. We
are proud of this new building, and just
ly so.
The banking firm was organized last
year and opened for business January 1,
this year. It has grown rapidly in busi
ness* and popularity. Much of its success
can be attributed to its popular presi
dent, Mr. 0. B. Barnes, and the splendid
business ability of Mr. J. F. Simmons, its
cashier.
COLLEGE CUTS.
There is a young lady in West Dormi
tory who blushes each time a waiter asks
her to have more (Moore).
One of the fair inmates of the girls’
doi-mitory is in-Cline-d to think that Phil
ip was the greatest disciple. Guess who ?
Mr. Ballance requests of Mrs. Machen
that hereafter he be allowed to say grace
(Grace) at the “West Dormitory” din
ing-hall. ^
Mr. ,J. J. Ingle says, “aw, girls, quit
teasing. It’s too late now—I can’t help
it.”
We wonder if coach Hearn expects to
put out a Baseball team to represent
West Dormitory. We notice that he
spends considerable time there lately.