Through the school: The experiences of a mill boy in securing an education
John Stuart Mill · en
Our travel took us over a cinder path between the ties and switch rods
of a railroad. At the right, far below us, flowed a very wide and swift
river, whose surface twinkled through the shields of pine and white
birch which lined the bluff. Here we met several young men walking
slowly and engaged in earnest conversation.
“Those are students!” the Senior whispered, “out for a walk.”
When some mill whistles at a remote distance announced the noon hour,
the Senior conducted me to a grove of stiff, tall pines where on the
brown, fragrant needles he spread a lunch of sandwiches, jelly, and
pears.
Then we took up the walk again, passing on into the wilderness of trees
and rushing river. At a turn in the track we came to a high cliff whose
outer surface was stained with moss and glistened with dampness. The
Senior stopped before a niche out of whose cool interior spouted a
stream of ice-cold water, bringing to mind the rock which Moses struck
with his wand and which slaked the thirst of the children of Israel.
“Nearly every student who passes this way,” the Senior announced, “gets
a drink of this water.”
Ten minutes later we walked into the station and I was amazed at the
heaps of trunks that covered the platform. Drays were doing their
best to reduce the pile by carting them away in enormous loads. As
we made our way around the trunks there dashed into the station one
of the coaches I had seen near the tavern on my previous visit; this
time topped by a group of healthy-faced, shouting students, wearing
tan shoes, flannel trousers, and flapping caps such as clowns, in the
circus rings, wear with such comical effect. This coach was quickly
followed by another, similarly loaded with students come down to greet
the arrival of classmates and friends.
At last I was able to realize the task that was on my hands if I were
to fit into the college life, for scores of students passed us or
trailed after us as the Senior and I walked up the hill. How should
I ever succeed in remembering their names, in entering into the
acquaintance of a small number of all those students? And the trains
were bringing more!