New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-04
CHANCES HERE AND THERE.

CHANCES HERE AND THERE.
speaker at a dinner recently told one Of his neigh
bors an amusing little Incident which happened when
he was a young man. lie 10 make his maiden
| speech in public and terribly nervous "Wheh
got to my feet he said my brain seemed paralyzed
began TO stammer through some periods l had pre-
pared in advance. but had no idea OF what was say
Ing Something took hold Of me ana dragged me
through half dozen with rush, ana whcn
| ended them every began to shout ana chcer.
was amazed aud hewldeIcd and 80 utterly ai sea ula
bowed and down Ny near friends told me mat lat
had made the hit Of the evening 10 thio Jay n uo
not know word that uttered or one thought that
wanted TO express. For years qua NOT nave hnf
courage TO admit this, but now l often wohder "ha'
| my maiden speech was Ike
"Yes.7 said a clergyman who knows how TO tell a
good story rs well as to listen to and appreciate one
told BY another, am, OF course, often asked wheh
! some In conversation is on the point OF telling
story, whether i have heard 20 and So Now, IL Is
| possible that | may have heard that story nan
dozen half Il hundred times before. but am certain
that have heard il told exactly as TINS parucu
lar person will tell it, 50 can truthfully answer
that have never heard IL, and that IS my lnvlrabie
practice Ever, body who has undertaken 10 tell
story knows what "A sensation is produced when the
! listener interrupts him to say that he has heard II
before. and OF there is something OF the same
tell headed of by the remark that it has been heard
already. No story is ever told twice precisely alike.
no e{:lsTon or stretching Of the truth when say Of
| some incident that may be familiar 10 me that ] nave
not heard il; | am sure that have not heard It In
precisely the way this teller will narrate it.. And it
makes things much pleasaner, too In the long rum es-
| peclaly for minister
Professor Young Of Prncetoa, who recently re-
ceved from the French Academy OF Sciences the
Jansen medal in recognition Of his valuable original
researches in spectrOscopy, is one OF the most modest
OF men. The announcement OF his international honor
would probably have been Indefinitely deferred had
the publication depended Professor Young himself
Fortunately one Of his colleagues got inkng OF the
news and forthwith made known to those who were
interested the great honor which the Princeton as
! tronomer had achieved. Few professors az Princeton
enjoy such popularity Professor Young does. Even
the thoroughnc,s and searching quality Of hFs cxamina
tons docs lessen his hold upon the students. for
frequently happens that professors popularity
| Is measured by the character of his exams" Pro
| icssor Young Is popular ut college because he Is In
erestinc and because he takes deep interest In every
thing pertaining to the welfare Of the students HIS
| lectures abound I'm fascinating description. and the
| wonders Of the heavens become doubly marvellous
revealed through the medium OF his graphic and charm
| ng narrative. \ delightful personality adds still
| further 10 this eject and the very nickname
rwnbIe~-which Professor Youn- ha, at Princeton j.
a tribute 10 hi, winning manner Let 1t be undeFTtoou,
! however, that tcre is no suggestion OF ridicuc or
mockcry I'm this sObrquct: 1t IS tribute, expressed
|
soulcd. lively and engaging character oil the professor
College nclnames are queer things. anyway. A stu
dent is the phrase goes no good unless he las
nickname AID professor has no place in The college
! world unless he has "A label Of this sort Nictnamcs
for the undergraduates generally fixed early In tho
college AID often express the sophomore IDEA o
frcshmau's characteristics With the professors 1t IS
different for their nlcknames based on traditions
dear 10 the college heart Thus, a professor goes
along from year to year with the label fastened upon
him back In the hfticS IT may be, and queerly
enough time which changes all things. never secs H.
| 10 question the appropriateness Of these nicknameS
or 70 change old one fo- new one. The president
Is sure 70 have handle to his name He may be
/ PrcNy.7 AT Yale; jimmy a. every graduate
Of Princeton loves to call eX President McCoSh or
! Charlie ~ they dub President Eliot at Harvard
For the professors there tie thousand and one
names suggested by personal chaar erstlcs aiation
duties. habits, etc. \ college I'm NcwJersey, where
uchuamcs are thick ~ leaves In NallombroSa has
its Dean It's Dun it, Charlie gray haired
reverend; is general an Old army officer lis
Daddy" fatherlcss teacher; It's Pat from Erin
Isle; it, Big Mac so-caIlct because there Is no
"t,rtnnv" II; Patty It's Mary It's Billy etc.
et, aud - on through all sorts Of ludlcrous naneS
suggestive AT least ID the student, II some we'll known
/ peculiarly Of the person whose name mas t.rl
fac, that he I, dubhct In thi. unidentified %ay H.. bat
nothing he can do or ~ can ,iahsc inc sau'"oh u
tradition and the nickname rilch'
with the students the range OF sobnqucs Is wider
ard NOR, varied c.ailtI)n due 10 the Close relations
| between the nlctuamcr AMI the nclWnmed. some
well defined rules obtain however. which show There
/. some method In TIL phase II undergraduate mad
/ mes SuTramcs often carry the same nchnames'
although the person, mn' not be- related aad may be
-c,a-rnd b. FIVE or in the me Of their re'!
dclcc a c.il.re For instance. JONES' 20. Is dubbed
Inch" AID the chance, excellent that Jones. 50
win receive the same nickname. Why. 10 one Knows
beat IL h. cui.us u.tauc" 81 persistent personality
Ngiin a me-, perceived previously M school or NJ
h"mr count i na":,' ior ,e ciIsn world 20
! "Ellt~ become ~.-.r." "iI,h" j, Transformed INTO
lcddy" joe i, elevated INTO "ecnator,' etc
Frcoucntiy the sophomore FIXES the name for the
freshman Three freshmen at the beginning Of their
college career always together. niHhle mNde'
sophomore with an eve 10 the chance al once chris
tened them Faith" Hope ana "thariV.' ana tho
names suck a, II they had been glued on. ON the
same day freshman from tho wild and voollv West"
became Woolv" fIr the rest Of his career. another
poor unfortunate In whose hearing was expressed -
| lnrng for home stumbled upon the queer nickname
| II God Bless cur Home" Utility and convenience
soon changed this long description Into IN" simple
| nickname Of q" Bless s." and that the name b.
which the first honor man of his class was known
Another freshman was heard to pronounce " sioux" a,
If II were written suites ard "Sukcs' became the
only uamc by which he famil,ariy known. Cor
puen,c or the reverse J., always sure 10 BRING mel
| writer va, "Jumb, au ither shadow, red hir
never fail, TO confer the tla Of Rcddy' ON its happy
i,os-,ssor. although Horse" has been s"mcumc,
adopted in dcfcrcutc 10 the fairy tale about the rel
half and tie white horse. 80 the list might Lc cN
| tended Indefinitely. And yet nothing ever written
81 IN, subject viii equal the pathetic poem OF owe!
Wordril. Holmes describing the nichnamcs the boys
used to have aud which they stll retain despite the
honor, thrust upon them and achieved In The Life be
| yund the college walls.
The failure Of a big bank in Kansas City was The
text on which theatre manager diatcd Yesterday as
70 the pnverty Of Kansas City and other Western
windy cities The real estate BOOM" he said, was
kept M on: there by all sorts OF devices 1t was an
entirely fictitious prosperity. The spectators were
the only persons who bought and they bought only IL
| sell again and "a each other. WHY. | played com