16 The Acorn unable to enter the tryouts should go with the team heart and soul with all the telepathic influence and lung power at our command. Nothing is so inspiring to a debator as the confidence and support of his school nothing more encouraging than the lusty yells of his comrades. Let us keep this in mind. There is a student here in school, named Josh, who didn't buy a lecture ticket because it wasn't worth the price. He never You All attended an Academy dance because "dancing is so foolish." Know Him He doesn't think the debating team stands a ghost of a show for the cup that the basket ball team never will get the science of the game that the dramatic club is all bosh that what is learned at school is too theoretical to be of much use in this big world that it's not worth while to be loyal to the class that devotional and class meetings are a waste of valuable time, etc. He never subscribed nor contributed to the Acorn, but when the Thanksgiving number came out he said: "Oh, I think the Acorn is awful this year." Always balking always knocking are you a Josh? "There is no joy in life equal to the joy of putting salt on the tail of an idea." A few days ago an Academy student just the average, ordinary sort of boy was asked to write an article or story for the Acorn not that chart-class, "papa's gone to heaven" sort of story that we can all make up as we go along but something of genuine interest and full of "ginger" the kind we always finish reading. Now this boy, being like the majority of us, was just "ordinary," and gave us an ordinary answer, "I can't," and of course he was right, for who should know better than he? We then went to a second ordinary boy, who replied with a feeble voice: "I can't." A third and a fourth, "I can't." With more determination we returned to the first boy just an ordinary fellow, remember. "Now, look here," we said. "We're up against it and you've got to help us out. We know that you have ability to write stories" (lie number one one), "and have been expecting you to write without having to be Christmas, 1909. 17 asked (lie number two). "You bring us a real live article next Friday; we will expect something good" (lie number three). What do you suppose happened? The poor fellow went home thinking that maybe he could write after all. So he allowed himself to think it until lo, and behold! he got an idea and wrote a story. He laid it aside for a few days and let it "cool off." Then this ordinary chap sat down, studied it, altered and rewrote it and the result is the best Christmas story we have ever read. Editor's note: The last part of the above is not rue but it ought to be. How about that gymnasium Alumni? Last year you got us all excited with rumors of a new W. A. gym. The mutuals have taken up the matter in the county and have already started classes in wrestling, tumbling, etc. Coach Harker has charge of the training classes and will be assisted by Earl Pardoe. When we get started in earnest no doubt the mutuals will pay for part of the brick and mortar for the new building back of the school. Now what lies between us and realization? Let the faculty know we must have a gym. Make the board know that we mean business. Tell everybody we must have it, and boost, boost, BOOST.