The two undergrad courses I took in anthro are still among my favorite academic engagements of all time. I'd have become an anthropology major if it had been offered at my little college.
Said Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell, My very young friend who is learning to spell: "The A is for Ape. And the B is for Bear. The C is for Camel. The H is for Hare. The M is for Mouse. And the R is for Rat. I know all the twenty-six letters like that...
"...through to Z is for Zebra. I know them all well." Said Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell. "So now I know everything anyone knows From beginning to end. From the start to the close. Because Z is as far as the alphabet goes."
Then he almost fell flat on his face on the floor When I picked up the chalk and drew one letter more! A letter he never had dreamed of before! And I said, "You can stop, if you want, with the Z Because most people stop with the Z But not me!"
"In the places I go there are things that I see That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z. I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends. My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!" ...... ...... ......
The places I took him! I tried hard to tell Young Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell A few brand-new wonderful words he might spell. I led him around and I tried hard to show There are things beyond Z that most people don't know. I took him past Zebra. As far as I could. And I think, perhaps, maybe I did him some good...
Because, finally, he said: "This is really great stuff! And I guess the old alphabet ISN'T enough!"
NOW the letters he uses are something to see! Most people still stop at the Z... But not HE!
