Newspaper Page Text
EDITORIAL
COMMENT
Dear Lord, I kneel tonite to ask that you make me
stronger! Through the many trials and tribulations of the
day’s activities, I have found my way—it is through your
good graces that I am here tonight, 0 Lord, to speak
words of supplication . . . and to ask a few things, not
many, just a few.
Father, I went to the campus post-office the first thing
this morning, and you may not believe it, but there was
a letter in my box. It was a little dusty, and when I
looked at it, I saw that it had been mailed by my Mother,
whom you also bless, Lord, about a month ago. For some
reason it must have been delayed; anyhow, I didn’t get
it until this morning. It was so full of encouragement,
and I needed that so badly. I certainly was glad to get
it; even after so long a time. Dear Lord, I hate to bother
you with such things as this, but will you. while making
me stronger, make the campus post-master a little stronger
too, so he can lift such innocent little missives into my
box without so much delay?
I’ve had lots of troubles today and I know you already
know about them, but I just feel so much better after
telling you about them each night. I went on to class
like you would want me to do, and just be
cause I hadn’t been able to get a book out of
the Reserve Room and study my assignment,
my teacher insulted me. It made me angry
for a minute, but I knew he didn’t mean it and
I knew he’d understand When I told him it
really wasn’t my fault. The fellow behind the
desk just couldn’t find the book; so he told
me it was out, or wasn’t there. My teacher?
Oh, he didn’t really mean any harm. He s
just witty that way and wanted to get a laugh
out of the class to relieve the tension. One
thing I’d like you to do for him, though.
See if you can’t make him realize the dig
nity of his position and refrain from em
barrassing students with his sarcasm. It didn’t hurt me,
because you’ve made me so strong. But for the sake of
others, will you do this for me?
I went to the dining hall for my meals. You know I
must do that even if you have made me so strong. On
the way I almost met with a terrible fate. You see around
the edges of the walks, the yard man has put up some
barbed-wire barricades and I almost ran into one of
them. Could you make my pants a little stronger so
they won’t rip when I happen to brush into these minia
ture spears that seem to wait so patiently for me to
stumble into them. I can grow more flesh, but pants
won’t grow like my epidermis.
I really want you to help me with my dining room
problem. You see, I know I’m not just timid, but I was
actually scared down there. Some of the fellows started
beating on the table and shouting about the waiter serv
ice. It was so long before the waiter came with our food
(I guess he was scared too, maybe), that I really had lost
my appetite. And when the fellows started to playing
baseball with bread, I just got up and left because I
didn’t want to be brained with a hot bun. If you’ll just
speak to them one night when they’re asleep, I’ll bet you
tbey’ll stop acting like that. Oh, excuse me! I forgot,
you don’t bet ... so many people around here do; that
just slipped. I just heard a fellow down the hall say,
“I’ll bet you 50c you don’t black-jack.” I don’t know
what it means, hut it sounds collegiate; so I use it some
times. Oh, yes, I was saying something about the dining
hall, wasn’t I? I want to enter a plea for those waiters,
too. Make them strong, 0 Lord, so they can lift those
heavy trays with a higher degree of rapidity, and give
them strong legs so they can traverse the short distance
from kitchen to dining room more speedily. They don’t
mean to he slow, but they don’t realize that twenty or
more fellows are waiting on their food while they stand
around the steam table and “kid” with the cooks. Oh, by
the bye, could you make the cooks a little more strong,
so they would give us less vitamins and more food?
Stopped by the laundry and got a part of the laundry
I sent last week. Could you please make me stronger in
mind and body? I say mind, because I want to be able
to control my temper when I discover I get two shirts
out of the four that I sent, and one of the two is as ragged
as a billy-goat. And I say body, because I want to be
able to work hard and buy some more shirts for the
laundry lady to lose. I realize it’s no fun working down
there with nothing to lose.
Oh, yes, let me give you the good news.
We’ve got a new heating and lighting sys
tem and we’re awfully proud of it. It’s a
magnificent edifice and makes the campus
so much more attractive. There’s nothing
wrong with it, either. Only at night when
we turn on the lights, they just blink and
blink and blink. When I sit down to study,
could you make my eyes a little stronger,
so they’ll dilate correctly when the lights
get bright then get dim? They just won’t
do it now. And they hurt after I’ve tried to
study for a little while.
I started downstairs a while ago to get a
drink of water and . . . well, anyway, I
started downstairs, but it really was no trouble at all to
get down. There are no lights in the halls; so I tumbled
very gracefully down the three flights. Could you make
me a little more robust so I can take it? I would have
taken a shower, but the water was cold. You see, I be
lieve cold water is mad to drink and to run under bridges
. . . not for bathing, especially in winter.
Dear Father, this last request I implore thee to grant
me. It’s strength I want now, that I may withstand the
hails of protest that are going to fall on my head for
writing this, my nocturnal prayer. So many fellows have
asked me to pray this prayer, I just couldn’t let them
down.
Dear Lord, please, in your spare time will you try to
look into these things, and by all means don’t forget this
last request. You don’t think I’m being sacrilegious, do
you? I don’t mean to be; I just think you can do me
more good right now than anyone else. I feel that I’m
really going to need you badly in a few days, though.
When certain people around here find out I’ve been say
ing all this to you each nite. You know we’re supposed
to think only certain things around here. Bless Mother
and Dad ( I have a feeling I’m going to be seeing them
sooner than usual this year). Amen.