Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/216

196 This college is n’t democratic. Certain frater¬ nities condescend to other fraternities, and those fraternities barely deign even to condescend to the non-fraternity men. You say hello to everybody on the campus and think that you are democratic. Don’t fool yourselves, and don’t try to fool me. If you want to write some themes about Sanford that have some sense and truth in them, some honest observation, go ahead; but don’t pass in any more chauvinistic bunk. I’m sick of it.”

He put his watch in his pocket and stood up. “You may belong to the intellectual aristocracy of the country, but I doubt it; you may lead the masses to a ‘bigger and better’ life, but I doubt it; you may be the cream of the earth, but I doubt it. All I’ve got to say is this: if you ’re the cream of the earth, God help the skimmed milk.” He stepped down from the rostrum and briskly left the room.

For an instant the boys sat silent, and then sud¬ denly there was a rustle of excitement. Some of them laughed, some of them swore softly, and most of them began to talk. They pulled on their baabaa coats and left the room chattering.

“He certainly has the dope,” said Pudge Jamie¬ son. “We ’re a lot of low-brows pretending to be intellectual high-hats. We ’re intellectual hypo¬ crites; that’s what we are.”

“How do you get that way?” Ferdy Hillman who was walking with Hugh and Pudge, demandec