Page 97 - 1930 Hartridge
P. 97
TEnPDRRETNDRES
The Alice Rosamond Pardee Prize
Last year the Alice Rosamond Pardee Prize, awarded to a member of the Senior English class, was won l)y a Junior, Virgil Taylor. Her essay follow's.
ON GIVING AND RECEIVING
For some time I had been trying to establish in my mind what was the most desirable quality one could possess. After much thought on the subject I decided that primarily the ability to give and to receive built a foundation of understanding for friendship and for all relations between
human creatures, and that harmonious relations with our fellow-beings were the most vital things in life. In this giving and receiving I do not
refer to material things, but to what goes on in the mind and heart. When I had reached this decision, I sought about to find a way by which one could attain this quality. I first observed the people who did
have it, and tried to become acquainted not only with their characters, but with their habits.
They were people who were instinctively fond of nature. One seldom heard them complaining about the weather, but rather noting some beauty peculiar to the day. On a walk through the woods they were not apt to stroll unseeing past an oddly growing tree or an unusual flower; they would he more likely to stop for the purpose of Investigating the new wonder.
This characteristic of noting, observing, and looking into things was shown in ways other than their regard for nature. They always had their eyes open, and even in experiences which would he regrettable to many people, they managed to see valuable lessons which almost outweighed any bitterness involved in the event. In this way they were constantly
receiving fresh impressions, and few things, little or great, occurred which did not yield something to their fertile minds.
Since they were able to reap such benefit from experience, they were naturally book-lovers. They did not read in a half lackadaisical manner, seeking solely entertainment, but always became quite lost in their books, reading with minds open and sympathetic. They were not always ready to agree with the author’s point of view, hut they were constantly able to
understand it.
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