Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-07-25
STERN OLD DIR. M.cosH.
How He Greeted sersnading Party ana
How He Insisted ON a Hymn.


How He Greeted n serenadIng Party ana
How He Insisted on a Hymn.
Probably no other college president
ever lived who was so loved and re-
vered by his students as the venerable
DIR. James McCosh, ex-president of
Princeton. Hoary and bent with age,
he goes about Princeton's beautiful
campus, admiring its handsome build
ings, its rolling acres of velvety sward
and its towering trees, all OF which he
caused to be built or cultivated during
the quarter of century he so faith
fully served the university. DR.. Nc
Gosh is Scotchman and his brogue il
almost as broad as on the day he landed
in Princeton, green to thew ways and wiles
OF the American college youth, and as
innocent and unsuspecting as the
beardless freshman over whose destf-
mics he presided. Many funny stories
are told Of DIR. McCosh, and the way
the boys used TO tease him.
just after his accession to the presi-
dency in '6s, the freshman class
thought to give the old gentleman 9
serenade one night. So all the old tin
cans, pans and kettles from the coll
lege ash pile were secured. and by way
OF variety. for the reed instruments tin
horns were introduced. The night
selected, was a balmy, moonlight one.
in the early September. The .fresh-
les" waited until the proper hour al
which all serenades should be given
had arrived and then they stealthily
wendell their way down through Lau.
rel avenue to the presidents house.
Arrived at the executive mansion.
as it Is called, the boys grouped them
selves under the sleeping presidents
chamber window. At signal from
big "Rhiney'' Dotey the awful crash
burst forth. Dogs began to howl, COWS
70 bawl and the cats to sing. This
was kept up for about five minutes.
when ''Dotem waived his hand to the
musicians to cease. Then began a
call for ''McCosht'' ..NcCoshr' M.
Presidentln and some irreverent par
ticularly fresh freshman called Jim
mie!'
Then there was a parting of the win
dow blinds of the presidents room and
a form clad in all the spotless white
ness of robe dc mutt appeared on the
balcony. 1t was the honored guest
himself. The boys began to rend great
holes in the midnight air with their
exuberant '.sis-boom-ah.'' but frantic
wave from the doctor soon ouieted
them. They thought they were going
to get an eloquent speech right then
and there. but they reclzoned wrongly.
This is what they did get:
young gentlemen, If you think I
left my home in Scotland to come 8. 600
miles across the Atlantic ocean and
listen to such internal noise as this you
are very much mistaken. Good night.n
With that the old man disappeared
behind the window, and the midnight
marauders skunk to their dormftories a
sadder and a wiser crowd.
Another good story told of the doc
tor is of the time when he got up in
chapel one morning to announce a
hymn. He read the first line of the
first stanza, II am wandering sheep. -
Then there was scraping of feet back
in the right hand corner occupied by
the seniors. The doctor paused, looked
down in the direction from which the
noise came, and readjusting his spec
tacles, began again, II am wander
ing sheep" Then the sophomorss
over in the left hand corner burst into
conyulsive laughing. The president
again stopped. scowled at the second
year men, and this time read the line.
Il am wandering sheep with de-
cided emphasis on the verb. as though
considerable doubt existed as to his
having strayed from the fold.