The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, June 01, 1896, Image 14
14 THE BATTALION. soon be up with the rest. This would quiet him for a time’ and, indeed, he would soon catch up with the rest; but a greater desire to grasp something greater sprang up, coupled with new impatience, until he became just a mere knowledge glutton (shall I use such a term?). He tried to feed upon everything to eat, and that at once; the result, he got a mouth ful here and there, the mixture did not agree with him and aggravated the disease. There was soon noticed a falling off his grades at school, yet everybody said: ‘‘Jean is surely smart, he will come out all right yet.’’ He soon left the high school with a smattering knowledge of what ivas taught there. He tried to taKe the whole course, yet he lacked two years of completing the one prescribed. Well, he concluded he had enough of school aud would go to work and soon be a distinguished man in one of the trades. He tried carpentry, but, before long, finding that he was not becoming renowned at the trade, he switched off into blacksmithing. Other trades followed in succession, but were each in turn dropped before they were fairly begun. Next he jumped at the professions, but was destined to fall short of everything. He obtained charge of a small country school, but concluded that he ought to go to school again. He en tered a college with the purjDOse of ‘'graduating as a civil engineer.” One year here satisfied him, then he entered the university, with the intention of studying for the profession of law. Six months at this place satisfied him that he ‘‘was never cut out for a lawyer,” and after working at various jobs- in some of our principal cities, he returned home thoroughly disgusted with the follies and vanities of the world. Putting away higher ambition, he bought a farm and settled down, as he supposed, for life. But his was not a nature to ever be quieted. He was young, not yet twenty-five, and still had plenty of time and. bright prospects before him. Why should he patiently toil away his life raising corn and cotton, and sink into a grave unknown to fame? A great reyolution in Cuba was in pro gress. He was smart (everybody said so) young and vigor ous. Why not seek these fields of fame and fortune, and win