New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-13
C1RLILE'S EDINB URGH LIFE.
Professor Darid Mason In Macmiira,,.

Professor DaUid Mason IN MncpliiIGn.
have turned with most interest IN this session.
TO the List of Students attending DIR. Thomas
Browns Class" preserved III the peculiarly neat,
small handwriting of DR.. Brown himself. IL was
the second sessiOn of Browns full tenure OF the
PROFESSIONALLY of Moral Philosophy in succession to
Dugald Stewart, and the fame OF his lectures was
at its highest. Carlyle. am sorry to say, was not
one of the admirers of the brilliant Brown and his
metaphysical novelties. Over and over again
have heard him speak of Brown and always with
mimicry and contempt of him, as +" a iinlcal little
man they called Brown, or sometimes Missy Brown,
that used To spout poetry" This can hardly have
been out OF disregard for metaphysics as such. for
retired professor. Tho dislike seems TO Lave been
partly personal, partly 10 the new kind highly
Ingenious metaphysics which Brown was trying to
substitute for the older and more orthodox Scottish
Philosophy of Reid and Stewart:
OF all the Professors OF Edinburgh University in
Carlylcs time Leslie was the only one OF whom no
sp, ke always with something of real gratitude and
affection. Tie affection was mixed, indeed, with
kind OF laughing remembrance of Leslies odd, cor
pu.cnt figure. and odd, rough ways; and he would
describe with particular gustO the occasional elects
Of Lcshcs persistent habit Of using halr-dyes, az
when streak Of pink or green would be observable
amid the dark brown black those less acceSst-
bic parts OF his head where the chemicals bad been
too literally or too raSIly applied. But nc had
real esterui for Lesbos great abilities and reInen-
tous and to whose private Kindness he owed
much. OF Lrse's colleagues the celebrated Play
fair. formerly IN the Mathematical Chair but since
1905 in that of Natural Philosophy, Carlyle had
less aicCtlOnatc recollection personally than or
Leslie. Sharing, believe, the common opinion OF
Pla. fairs great merits, and mlnutely acquainted
with the facts of his life, indeed he was win the
biographies of all persons OF any mark with whom
he mad come into contact he rather resented piece
of Injustice Which he thought Playfar had done to
himself. There were l3l students IN the Natural
Philosophy Class in lsl23l3; and Carlyle, as no
assured me- WIS single in that whole number for
having performed and given in everyone of all tho
prescribed exercises, mathematical or other. An
other DumtrcSsIire student, who came next to hun.
Lad failed in one, and that the most difficult.
Naturally, at the end of the session, he expected
that his certificate would correspond to his dstlne-
ton IN The class and i was OF some consequence to
hlm that it shOuld. When he caledl at Play fairs
house for the certificate, and IL WAS delivered TO
hlm by the man servant. he was good deal dlsap-
pointed with the wording. The usual form Tor q
good student was to the effect that the Professor
certified that sO-and-sO had attended the class IN
such and such session and had made good pro-
ticcnCy in Ills studles In Carlyles case there WAS
q certain deviation from this form, but only TO tho
effect that he had attended the class and that tho
Professor " had reason to know that he had made
good proficiency III his studies" | can remember
Carlyle's laugh AZ he told me Of this delicate dis
tinctiOn and have ALWAYS treasured tho anecdote
as a lesson for professors. They ought 10 be Veiy
careful not only in noting talent on the benches
before them, but also in slgnliylng what they have
noted, il only because, as i'll Paytalrs case, they
may be entertaining an angel unawaTes, and some
angels have severe memories.
Carlyle. when he left our University In 1913,
virtual NJ A., age seventeen years and four
months. wac already potentially the very Carlyle
we now revere, IN consequence OF his subsequent
lite of the greatest and noblcSt spirits Of ms
when knew HIM first in his yet unbent manhood,
was five feet nine lDcncs, or sonnet bing m0rcl, anu
of thin, lean, rather giant frame Ihe told me HIM
SELF he had never weighed more than aOOut ten
stonel he was youth Of great faculty, as noble
a promise, rs Scotland had produced since her
Burns, born in 1893, and her Scott, born IN l17l.
Tins something very little short OF tins, seems to
have been already recognized 10y those hO knew
him intimately. They were not many, for he was
of peculiarly proud, shy and reserved ways, if not
even mOrUse and unSOcial. Poverty also kept him
back. IL was not for an Eccleiechan lad, chnn-
ming with one or two Others IN like circumstances
in poor lodging in Simon-sQuaTe, or some other
Old Town locality, anu receiving his meagrc sup
plies from home, 10 mix much with general Edlu-
hurgh society The celebrities of that society. III
decd, were no longer strangers 10 hun Oy name or
sight as they had been on his first Edinburgh walk
Jcrey's face aud figure lad been quite familiar TO
him since 1911 by visits to tue Parliament House;
and the same visits, walks IN Prlnces-st., must
have made him familiar with the tuce and Inquire or
Scott and the faces and figures OF not lew others
that were among the civic sOme5Odles OF thet time.
But il was by sight only and 10y no more INTRODUCE
ton than he had % Arthur Scat or olyrood House.
that ho knew these important personages; and INTO
the circles in which they moved he haI never en-
tered. Even the Professors of the University, II We
except Leslie, seem 10 have been known 70 MN
only by thor aspects IN college or the vicinity.
Furt her. bis acquaintanceshIps among MS ielloW-
students do not appear to have been numerous ITO
is not known to have been member oil any OF tho
literary and debating societies which IN those days,
as IN these wore 80 important an appendage TO tho
app lratuS of lectures ClaSS-TOOmS and library anu
which draw yong men together so congenally Tor
tho exchange of ideas. the exercise OF Oratory, ana
the formation of lasting friendships between kim
urcd souls. His habits those OF solitary read
ing and musng. with intercourse only with lew
COmpaniOnS, ClaunlShly selected Tor the most part
from among the DumfrieSshIre Galloway lads
who could claim him rs their diStret-compatrok
whose families he knew, and with one or other of
whom he had made his pedestrian Journeys home
ward at tue ends of the sessions.