Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-02
BISHOP PHILLIPS BROOKS.
One of His Old Pupils Tells of the Tricks
the Boys Played ON Him.


the Boys Played ON Him.
ain the sketches that have been published Of
the Rev. Phillips Brooks, recently elected
bishop in the Episcopal church." said we'll
known newspaper man, mention has been
made of the time when he was teacher in the
Boston Latin School and the trouble which he
had with his unruly pupils. I remember that
period of his life very well for I was one of the
boys that made life q burden to him. So far as
his teaching went he was an excellent in
structor and was always ready to ex-
plain anything that the boys did not
understand. He was kindly in disposition, too,
and the boys all loved him. But boys have a
keen sense Of the ludicrous and at that time
MIR. Brooks was not what would be called
handsome man. He was very TALL very thin
and he stopped somewhat. He was very near
sighted and L believe that weakness runs in
the family. for l know that his brother Fred,
who was in my class, was afflicted in that way.
Mr.. Brooks seemed to have an antipathy to
wearing glasses and only used those aids to de-
fectlve vision when he was hearing lessons or
reading. We boys used TO play upon his weak
vision very badly. We would put books down
In the aisles between the seats, and when he
would walk along he would stumble over them.
Then we had great time with him in regard
to the temperature of the school
room. He always regulated it by the ther-
mometer, and in the winter some boy would
go out and bring in a bit of ice and quietly
drop it into the chamber of the thermometer.
Soon some other fellow would raise his hand
and complain of being cold, ask II the
register was turned on and if he might
not put on his overcoat for awhile.
Mr.. Brooks would say Bring me the thernom-
etcr, and when he saw the mercury way down,
would give the desired permission, RENAL king
that it wrs really very cold. Other boys would
put on their overcoats. The windows would all
be shut up and We would stand the heat until it
became almost suffocating. Then one boy
would pull of his overcoat, saying, oh, Mr..
Brooks. it has got entirely too hot. Can't a
window be opened?'
OF course his first request would be for the
thermometer and the boy who carried it up to
him would tip it SO that the ice water could run
out and then press his warm thumb on the
bulb, when the mercury would mount up a good
deal higher than summer heat. He would, of
course. order the windows pulled down, the
register turned off and the boys would peel
their overcoats and cool off.
HOW HE LOST A HAT.
Lots of little tricks like these we used to play
upon Mr.. Brooks out of the pure mischief that
there is in all boys: but think the worst affair
was this: just up above the school on Bedford
street there was tin shop and every now and
then there would be barrels Of refuse
tin placed on the sidewalk. One morning
there were some Of these barrels of tin out
there and / don't remember who started It,
but every boy in Brooks room got a strip of
tin and made pair of eye glasses. When the
bell rang we all took our seats. Mr.. Brooks
came in and said, GOOD morning." and then
put on his own eve glasses to read the usual
chapter in the New Testament. When he
looked over his class he found every
boy sitting bolt upright staring at him through
pair of tin eyeglasses thought he was mad
then, but have since come to the conclusion
that he was hurt at our making fun Of his own
infrmity, although don't believe single boy
intended to do that. 1t was just one Of those
pranks that schoolboys will indulge in.
He stopped the devotional exercises and told
all to bring those eyeglasses up and deposit
them in the waste basket. That receptacle
had been spirited away and finally he told
us to put them into the tall silk hat which
desk. 1t didn't take many of the tins to fill
the hat to overlooking. and then one Of the
boys undertook to press the mass down. He
did SO and pressed the top Of the HAT right out
and of course spilled the tin all over the floor
1.-THE boy who did this injury to the hat was
profuse in his apologies and offered to buy
new one. but that was not to be allowed, and SO
a waste basket was borrowed from Mr.. Capen,
whom we used to call old cudjo,' and the tin
spectacles all deposited in that Mr.. Brooks
sent one of the boys around to his house,
which, 1 think, was in Chancey street. for an
other hat and every thing was all right.
HE COULD NOT HAVE HELPED IT.
''Some years afterward met the boy who
had knocked the roof Of the hat out and who
had then grown up to be gallant officer in
the navy. He was one of the heroes upon the
Congress in her celebrated fight with the Mer-
rimac and had developed into
very noble man. We were talking over
our boyhood days and the incident I have
spoken of came up. Yes, l remember it well'
said he. Il couldn't have resisted the tempta-
ton to bust that hat if / had known that
Brooks would lick me SO / couldn't stand
Notwithstanding We were all SO mischievous
and caused Mr.. Brooks SO much uneasiness we
all loved him and respected him, and 1 think
We have all watched his know 1
have. have never seen himto talk with him
since he was my tutor, but have read every
thing connected with him with deep interest
He is probably today the foremost preacher
in the Episcopal church. He is q deep thinker
and he has brought religion to the hearts Of
many who before simply looked upon it as the
name of something intangible. He has shown
it to be living, vital force and that it ought to
be part of every mans daily life. He has
made a useful and distinguished rector, and he
will honor the position to which he has been
elected