The Promontory

Even the methodically unobservant will have noticed that drastic changes have been taking place at the northern end of the University grounds. The earth there has the appearance of some historic gold diggings, with its swarm of toiling men and its yellow soil laid open to the sun. The shovels clash from daylight till dark—almost; the tractors roar continually—and so does the foreman; a horde of men strains and pants and perspires, and—to cut a long story short—several cubic feet of dirt are removed daily from the University grounds and spilt into the yawning gully on the other side of the road.

Much more lively was the scene during the winter, when vast pools of water placed the workmen under the necessity of diving for each shovelful, and rendered stilts an urgent requirement. What thoughts filled the minds of great Professors as they stood knee-deep on one leg, fishing for a fast-sinking golosh left behind in the mud. no one can say; yet rumour has it that more than one of these great men was mistaken for the foreman of the works, because the language in which he gave expression to his feelings was not dissimilar to that habitually employed by the latter well-known personage. All these little unpleasantnesses, however, will be forgotten, we are informed, when the work is finally accomplished. Not only is the Salamanca gully to be filled up—putting at our disposal a first-class area of level ground for sports; but the northern portion of the University grounds is to slant gently toward the road—a flower-enchanted, tree-sequestered slope, with winding gravel walks and seats resplendent with fresh green paint. moreover, the informal activities of University life will no longer be a sealed book to the general public, but interested women and bright children passing by will have ever facility to study the posture and appearance of students lunching under the trees, and there will no longer be any doubt as to whether undergraduates wrap their lunches in serviettes or merely enclose them in newspapers. A general air of familiarity and good-fellowship will thus be fostered, and the ties that bind the University to the community will be drawn yet closer.

It is beautiful to think that, even in this philanthropic age, the hearts of men are so full of hope and kindness.