13S TiiK student's mysteries. 



of the stout Juhakir, who kept his post until his son succeeded in killing 

 h\:i i'ornii(lat)le adversary." 



THE STUDENT S MYSTERIES. 



A quaint theme to descant upon. One full of grave import, that 

 .carries along with it something unexpressed and inexpressible. 



You have never been in a student's room. Its door has never open- 

 zed to give you admitt9.nce, nor closed to make you feel that you were 

 ;-eally in the sanctum. You have never breathed the atmosphere laden 

 with the oderiferous sayctity contained within its four walls, nor have 

 your eyes ever opened upon its mysterious doLiigs. Stand there, then, 

 within the magic circle, while v/ith goose-quill wand we dimly trace 

 ihese shadows that dimly flit before us. 



What constitutes a student ? Ilad such a query been proposed in 

 f»ast days, the questioner would have been laughed at for his sijnplicity. 

 _But it is not so now ; and we find the assurance for making the propo- 

 sition., xlejir Reader, in the perplexed lines of your countenance, as again 

 \ye ask, what constitutes a student ? Such a sphynxrriddle wevcr startled 

 tlic ears of men, and alas, alas ! there is no Gildipus ! Think not, then, 

 that we shall attempt to read it ; no, there it is, a huge tangled mass of 

 .unknowables ; of which, nearly all that can be understood, is under- 

 stood, when we once more propound the question, What constitutes a 

 >Student.^ Yet we may tal}-: about hini. Jf we cannot decipher the lin- 

 eaments, and folJ:ow out the minute ramifications, we may, as we before 

 Jiinted, trace the utjines of the shadow, and speculate upon the length, 

 and the breadth, and the depth. T'lis mucli we know. Jf we take the 

 .definition of a .Student, derived from the days ,ol' old, and apply it to the 

 creature now bearing that name, we shall find tliat here too, "wearing 

 grandfather's clothes"' does not insure a neat fit. Particularly the head 

 piece — that thing called a hat. — Is it a hat.' Why fifty heads might 

 have accommodation in that huge cavernous recept,acle ! Yes, fifty 

 Jieads ; and not find their brains the least incommoded for w^nt of room. 



Do yon enjoy peeping through a key hole .'' For my own part, I 

 have a superstitious dread of the act, ever since an amiable lady-friend 

 ,of mine met her death in that maaner ; yet, as I see your eye glisten, 

 and myself feel a slight return of that innocent curiosity, which, in 

 .common with my lamented friend before mentioned, I sometimes in- 

 dulged in a pleasant way, J will venture with you lor you?- gratification. 

 Xheic now, I'll just peep in a little, and, il' you're not in a hurry. I'll 

 tell you wiiat I see. 



