New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-13
PROFESSOR CHILD.
SKETCH OF THE SCHOLAR AND THE
MAN.

Idly Of the gradually formed atmosphere at Har
r, which is Of the very essence of tradition, of
slorly towering charm. He was one OF the group
.,ich laid so long and so pervasive spell upon the
,.,.uectual life Of Cambridge and Boston tina; 70
,,e within Il was feel the sense of mellow
..,uemcral letters which We associate with the bes.
- Old World scholarship. Traditions. after all are
az the fruit of ancient architecture alone of hoary
hrndngs embowered in more venerable trees. They
,,,nc from yesterday. sometimes. At oxford there
ars traditions of Mathew Arnold even OF Walter
pster who died but : short time ago. and, indeed,
=. reouires Just me enchantment Of a great mind
strong personality just the lovabeness Of man
,rs Jowe;t or ne hracng mentality of lecturer
me the AutocrAt to produce the feeling OF tradi
.onal and. therefore. unforgetable things. Pro-
,.s.or Child teacher and editor of early
vnsish literature: he never attempted TO win fame
a. an original writer yet OF all the distinguished
An who made the fame OF Harvard and OF Cam
.-ase he is one OF those who least likely be
,,,sot,en: his is bound TO be of the most cher
shed traditions
professor Child nearly seventy-two years old
,sen he died last Friday yet the students who came
% his latest lcctures-and he remained in active
s-vce at Harvard TO the end-were never permitted
"a regard him as an old They could not. He
vas too keen for them. too alert too steadfastly
che same vigant professor who had carried nearly
Nfty classes through the paths of Shakespearian
and Chaucerian study. Some OF his students found
i'm
had a way Of finding out pupils dulness long be-
fore the pupil himself had made the sorry discov-
ery and he would stir the stagnant mind with
sarcasm that hurt. But not of those pupils has
really resented his sharp criticism and while he
had tho reputation of being a severe taskmaster,
relentless examiner a giver of mark" who rarely
erred on the side OF leniy. he was also admired by
the entire university and his interesting figure was
a,uays followed along the streets OF Cambridge by
+oid If hp Sr af q
.ho,, and yeyhty in person. his shoulders stopped,
and the striking head was bent forward as though
the eyes peering through glasses, were concen-
,rated on some absorbing mystery of literature
Vet the scholar in Professor Child never quenched
the man in him. He may have been irritable in the
classroom at times. but there was an infinite fund
Of gentle feeling In him. of humor and quick, ten
der sympathy His laborious researches never made
him pedani never made him dry. The mos; con-
spcuous element in his lectures their strong
common-sense. He had no patience with esoteric
Commentators. who try to make Shakespeare mean
Incredible things. and this is perhaps one reason
why he IS remembered so gratefully by all his stu
dents The most backward OF them, the one who
had suffered most from the professors tart com
ments could readily forgive him when he saw how
reasonably the poet under consideration was set
forth In Of Lowells letters. wherein he refers
10 having been at Johns Hopkins with Child in ls1.
he says Sylvester paid charming compliment 10
Child and did Gildersleeve The former SAID
that he CO. had invented pleasure for them
IN his reading Of Chaucer. and G.. that YOU almost
saw the dmple of Chaucer's own smile as his read
ing felt our the humor Of the verse
engaging gl.mpses OF Professor Child which are to
be found anywhere. Writing TO Professor Norton
alusion s made in the foregoing passage ne speaks
again Of the character Of his friends reading FRO
lessor Child had been making some personal re-
marks in recommendation of colleague, anu ne
spoke according TO Lowell, as exceLehty W. M
lying grea, deal You lost; byiheway. very
great pleasure in not hearing him reaa ,nf he
Ter lie wound into the meaning OF II tas Dr. JonnI
S0 says of Burke ks lad that or he
the veins Of poem with his own sympasnebtc nc
hearss take the fun before came their faces light
ne with the reflection Of his never saw says an
hearts | am rejoced 10 have this chance OF see'h7
30 much OF him. for though loyed nm , pTroie
Inc las; words might be taken as typical OF the ex
.erience Of most Of Professor Childs friends IaeS
&ih him only made them love him more i ;9Te
k c fsxpi him /! ana M notes that al the Hop
kins meeting where Child enjoyed yertan,e LUZ
All y" though ne were an insgnihcani on tn.
scene. Later. wnen he had been IN Batu M m.
ton given 10 him at the university and wrote him
letter Of when may venture to quote consld-
rrnciation which a certain Italian bcggar gave 20
Professor Child's name. Lowell begins, 80, Obi
Beta poems almost always begin with an 'aS.at
pry rate they used TO in my time, before a certain
Boylston professor took en- IN mana @ <
IS the last splenlor. Of expiring DAY
Round Stoush'ons chimne}s cast lingering ray
And sometimes there was whole fight OF as-es
eading up to the landing of final so. where one
could take breath and reflect on what ne nad sonp
through. Now. you VIII be sure that uiun ai,am
10 begin my letter thus but it was put INTO my
head by nc earthquake you nave neen II ~ waV
across the ocean and splashed audibly on these
distant shores and as All my ASSOCIATION arc WitT
dear OLD Cambridge. why naturally louhu III! sen
murmurins
A. when The Earhouaks somps MS .,, angry foo,
thousand eagns The frightened bi''"S s'oo''
80 vh.n NY Carl. etc.
Lowelrs whimsical figure was exactly EXPRESSIVE
q what happs9ed to tie fame of where
scholarship is a living force, and II Is said lhal ne
was one OF the few Americans wh1 nm Jared 70
accept them He stands in the same relation 10
the study Of English and Scottsh Dallnu's nS a.
IN which Professor Lounsbury. OF Nalc. stahHs 10
the study Of Chaucer and to the literature on inc
latter TOO his lectures were contribution VI
permanent value Whether In occurring upo',
Chsucer. however. or in editing his Englsh anu i
Scottish Ballads" he was. as mas oeei ~ Satu ne
lies the first part published early In me @gh i
u the monumental edition Of the Engilsh ana
Child hoped 70 concentrate All that could be
learned worth knowing aGo' I nf The Three
Ravens Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight. NTH
score Of other quaint classic tbnt may be en-
couniered in a modern pedagogues EDITION o. Iic
old Greek writer. but there is nothng Phb 80, src
about ,heno-ihe pages are as DOetlcdl as tht' a.
scholarly That was Professor Chid's great CIV,
10 handle the early ballads senSltiVeIy,i pu' III a
iy Without rhetoric almost badly. ana YET WIN Il
lucid sympathetic touch that makes MN m a. az.
editor what hs pupils and friends found MN az
resder-one Of the most persuasive hgures OF ms
time Harvard Cambridge Boston WIZ XIV ' rem@m en-.
Der Lonefellou Lowell Holmes. the foremosi M, mn
in movement of high thought a Righteousness uSbd
social life which Is the serenest, most rrtossor
most rnenorsble in American annals. IroiesstUn
chds one passion outside Of his stqdy no bnaut
cultivation o. roses They maze NE Ipii =, tnsnir
ful as his achievements IN letters maze II 'ilspa
Ing The picture he presents as ne pass
from the busy stage Of university lie = P'
original and attractive.
VFTTS on low PRICES.