# Col. R. W. Stewart explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

A brief poetic tribute to Col. R. W. Stewart, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Standard Oil Co. of Indiana in Chicago, highlighting his time as a student at Yale and his learning about the oil business.

## Themes in this chapter

### Work and Profession

The poem celebrates Col. Stewart's professional rise in the oil industry, linking his academic efforts to his career success.

## Key lines

> When he was a student at Yale, He burned midnight oil by the pail, And while it was burning, He must have been learning How oil could be earning him kale.

During his time at Yale, he studied very hard, and through that effort, he learned how the oil business could make him money.

_The poem uses wordplay on 'midnight oil' and 'oil' to connect his studies to his future in the oil industry._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/col-r-w-stewart
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters