"It is to be regretted that our dean of men's office does not co-operate with the colleges in our school, and enable or encourage students to attend lectures sponsored by the departments of history, philosophy, liberal arts, etc.

"I personally wished to be excused from a 10 o'clock economics class in order to attend a lecture on medieval philosophy by Professor Gilson at that hour. In the dean's office I was told that since he had already refused to excuse three fellows on similar grounds, and that the office had not done it before, I could not possibly be given an excuse. I was advised to cut my economics class." Communication, Daily Illini.

In coming over the newspaper exchanges to while away an idle hour the Vagabond came upon the above clipping, and was immediately struck with a medley of perplexing notions. To discover that the gentle art of vagabonding had found a safe haven amid the western plains was healing balm to his quite misdirected suspicion that he was never listened to.

But he speedily put all such self-centered thoughts away as unworthy, and turned to a serious consideration of the clipping itself. The incessant voicings of the theory that intelligent curiosity must be aroused in the student have made it almost trite and certainly wearisome. Howsoever, it is one of the Vagabond's cherished beliefs. More, it is a pillar supporting the remainder of his beliefs. For if one is not curious he may never penetrate that pleasure, enhancing circle of native vagabonds who wander in and out of classrooms supremely unaware of monitors.

Which brings him to the crux of the matter. Monitors represent compulsory enrollment. It is fortunate for the Vagabond's existence that the authorities at Harvard are lenient in their handling of this weapon. To cut a class for the purpose of gaining a rare treat in some other classroom is, from his point of view praiseworthy. So saying, the Vagabond baits the lion in his den, and regards with approval the expediency of allowing the wanderer an excused cut when there is a conflict between his regular class and the unusual lecture.