of the course as some of these grinds." There had occasionally been some doubt as to whether what Mac got from the course came from his own brain or from some one else's paper, but he had never really been caught.
His written exercises were carelessly done and usually late; if he felt that he could pass the course without it, they were never written at all. He was a man of excuses, desiring always extensions and special privileges. No, I could not say that he was honest, and though he had brains, he had neither energy nor initiative. He was in reality an unreliable loafer, and a difficult man to recommend.
A friend of mine once said to a young fellow who had asked him for a letter of recommendation, "If you will write one about yourself that is true and complimentary, I will sign it." I think, perhaps, it is not a bad test of a man's character for him to sit down and fairly and honestly analyze his
