66 HE'S MY PAL"

You say you do not know him well? Let me tell you about him. He's my pal, friend,― my chum in whom I believe with all my heart, in whom I have faith that will always be, despite everything. He's the fellow that I would go to at once if I needed help. He's the fellow that would give me his last dollar gladly.

A favor? Why, he would do favors for me every day and every hour, and not doubt me, nor think once of the imposition that I might be. He would come now, in the middle of the night, or at any time of day, should I call him. He would tend me if I became sick. He would sit up every night for a week, and thank God for the opportunity to do something for me. He would cut classes when he desired to merit all his work. He would consider it a privilege to answer not prepared " if it were necessary. He would let his work pile up so that the coming vacation would have to be passed up, were it necessary in order that he might be a friend in need to me.

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No, you do not know this fellow. He's a true friend to a chap, and the kind of a fellow that

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"HE'S MY PAL"

one would do anything for in return. He may be rough, but his sincerity is not bluff. The "breaks" may be against me some of these days, or against him, but I know that he will stick to me and I'll do my best to stick to him, no matter whatever may come. There's a lot of such close friendships in this university, friend, between girl and girl, or fellow and fellow. Some fellows have several such friends, others have only one, but in every case of true "palship you can count on each party raising the Golden Rule to the nth power. So you see, friend, my pal and I understand each other.

FABLE OF THE OYSTER

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There is a Persian fable about a drop of water that fell from a cloud into the sea. Finding itself in such an immensity of fluid matter, it became discouraged. What an insignificant creature am I in this great ocean,” it said. am nothing. My existence is of no concern. am the least of value in the world.”

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It so happened, according to the fable, that an oyster chanced to swallow the drop, which lay hardening in the shell until finally it ripened into a pearl. It was found by a diver and is now highly valued among the people of the world.

We confess that it is hard to apply this fable -or fish story. Was it accidental that the drop of water was swallowed by destiny in the shell of an oyster and changed into a valuable gem? We think not. We believe that the only difference between the fortunate and the unfortunate is in the degree of prudence, courage, and conduct. Cardinal Richelieu used to say that unfortunate and imprudent were but two words for the same thing.

Homer's and Virgil's heroes were not credited

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with especial bravery. They were said to be favored by the gods, but that was only a figurative way of conferring glory upon a person who had sufficient determination in himself to capture golden fleeces or to keep battle-battered ships sailing homeward.

After the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the King of Spain attributed the loss of his fleet to the unfortunate winds rather than to the bravery of the English. Fortune favors the side with the heaviest artillery; notwithstanding, it is unfortunate only that we cannot all be sufficiently prudent, or fortunate, to be turned into pearls of great price, as was the drop of water.

There are many other ways of being of use besides turning into pearls, however, and no drop of water that exhibits ordinary prudence can claim to lack opportunity to be of value. Do not lament the scarcity of oysters, or blame it on luck, that you do not find a place of value in the world.

UNPRODUCTIVE PRODIGAL SONS

Not all prodigal sons get royal welcomes. Most of them get what they deserve, which is a taste of hard work. Many modern prodigals, however, expect their fathers to sell off a fatted calf every time their meal ticket gets punched as full of holes as a Swiss cheese, and they send home a letter. Four years of milk and honey, and the graduate or former student gets the habit of expecting the world to furnish Sunday dinners as a regular menu.

When the other son turned in his resolution objecting to the action of the pater in digging deep for the home-coming reception, the father should have noticed the error of his ways and accepted the minority report as basis for a referendum. He should have spoken thusly: "You're right, Jim; I was easy. After this Clarence eats at the second table." For life is realistic, not idealistic, and the paths of prodigals seldom lead to the front doors.

Sowing wild oats isn't a financial success. The market is usually found limited to the Salvation Army and the municipal lodging houses. When a college student finishes contributing to