42
THE BATTALION.
dents aid fund, out of which a small sum,
say not exceeding seventy dollars, will
be loaned to such students as will agree
to pay it back as soon as they secure
regular employment after leaving Col
lege. In this way a small sum can be
made of incalculable benefit, and many
a struggling student helped to pass
through a critical period in student life.
Such a fund would be like the books of a
circulating library that pass from hand
to hand, gladdening the hearts and stor
ing the minds of all who use them with
useful knowledge. We now have a stu
dents labor fund, appropriated by the
Legislature, open to all alike who desire
to share in its benefits. It has been a
blessing to hundreds of students, and not
a few of the old students and many
graduates of the College owe their suc
cess as students and business men to- the
existence of that fund. But that fund
in the nature of the case must be dis
tributed as impartially as possible to
those who seek its benefits, and every
year there are several students at Col
lege who can not make enough at work
to pay all of their expenses, and who
would welcome aid from any other
source. I have now in my possession
twenty-five dollars, contributed by the
Hon. J. W. Blake, of Sherman, Texas, to
be used in this way, and which forms the
basis of what I hope will be increased to
the extent necessary to help all needy
and deserving students. My purpose in
this article is to appeal to every reader
of The Battalion for a contribution to
this fund of any amount from a nickel
up. I will acknowledge the receipt of
all sums contributed in The Battalion.
There is not a student in the College so
poor that he could not give something
in furtherance of this object. It is not
what we expect to do or think that we
will do, but what we actually do that
exerts an influence on the world. And
the boy who will not give a nickel of the
dollar he now has for such a purpose
would not give a thousand of the hun
dred thousand he hopes to have, for any
worthy object in the future.
L. L. Fosteb.