Show BEING LAUGHED AT by THOMAS ARKLE CLARK late deao dean of men university Uni verity of illinois Illino it it Is goldsmith or at lea least s t I 1 think thick it Is who speaks of the frightened boy going home through black woods at night whistling aloud to keep his courage up 1 k buster bluster I 1 Is gen brally an 0 u t growth ot of tear fear it Is a camouflage fla 9 e to conceal a mans real feeling 1 n e S cynicism and insolence are more often than otherwise the disguise of 0 self con and sensitiveness I 1 think very likely the main reason for this Is that we want to simulate virtues or characteristics which we do not have and are afraid of being laughed at it if our friends discover our lack and it there Is one thing more than another which youth cannot meet or endure it to Is laughter the fellows would laugh at me clinches any argument tn in f favor avor ot of granting a youthful request when jolce joice was editor of our college paper he ridiculed everything that was being done tor for the control of student conduct and advocated all sorts of revolts and irregularities I 1 had thought I 1 knew him pretty well during his first years in college and he had struck me as a shy sensitive boy with high ideals and a distinct sense of honor bonor he dropped into the office one day and we got onto his principles as presented in the dally 1 I cant believe that you actually think the things you are writing I 1 said to him if you do you are an entirely different fellow from what you wore were last year and before the cause of it all he hesitated a moment im awfully sensitive he explained pla ined and the thing that I 1 cannot bear Is the thought that if I 1 stand tor for things that are conventional and right people may laugh at me and call me a mollycoddle I 1 cant stand ridicule I 1 e what are you going to do when you get out of college I 1 inquired im going to be a lawyer I 1 laughed well better get used to being laughed at early in life I 1 said or some lay day laugh you out or of c ourt court 11 0 1932 western N newspaper union |