Stuff—The curves a pitcher puts on the ball.
Bludgeon—A bat.
Work—The act of playing ball.
Geyser—A spitball pitcher.
Groceries—Meals. Also used to denote prizes offered by merchants for early-season feats.
At Seventy-two a “Schoolboy.”
One never gets too old to attend school is a principle strongly advocated by Joseph Gillet, oldest “schoolboy” in the engineering courses of the continuation school in Milwaukee, Wis. Mr. Gillet has just turned seventy-two, but he has the appearance and memory of a man of fifty. Although he was denied opportunities of learning to a great extent when he was a boy, he has tried to grasp every opportunity in adult life. This is the eighth time he has matriculated at a school which would offer him advancement.
He was born in Alsace, where he was graduated from the public school at fourteen. Later he attended a private continuation school for six months, after which he decided to learn the machinist trade. From 1860 to 1864 he was an apprentice. Three years later he entered a marine-engineering school, where he remained six months. Finally, before leaving France, he tried sea diving.
When Mr. Gillet landed in Montreal in 1872, he at once entered an English school. His progress in the language was so rapid that in a little while he became a teacher in a night school, at the same time studying steam engineering and drafting. In 1906 he began an electrical[Pg 57] course at Marquette College and continued it for six years.
“I have always been accustomed to much work,” declared Mr. Gillet, “and have made it a point to take advantage of it. One can always learn something new in the mechanical trade. I cannot be idle.”