He was no gentleman. He might at least have said, "One, two, three—Go!"
THE OLDEST OF THE ARTS.
[Speaking at the annual meeting of the governing body of Swanley Horticultural College, Sir John Cockburn lamented that while that institution provided healthful and delightful occupation, for which women were eminently fitted, it suffered from a continuous epidemic of matrimony, not only among the students but even upon the staff.]
At Swanley College down in Kent
The students' time is not misspent.
Some of the arts at any rate
Thrive in this Eden up-to-date;
And doubtless each girl-gard'ner tries
To win the term's Top-dressing Prize,
Or trains her sense of paradox
(While gathering "nuts" and "plums" and stocks)
By taking Flora's new degree—
"Spinster of Hearts and Husbandry."
"First he must learn to be a sailor.... Stepping in a small coasting craft, he put his shoulder to the wheel, determining, as many a boy has done before and since, to get to the top of the tree by plodding and perseverance."
Ashore and Afloat.
We don't recommend this as a beginning, however. Very often the captain, who wants to steer himself, resents an additional shoulder at the wheel—and invites you to the top of the masthead.