The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-02
PROFESSOR JORDAN.
His Popularity as Educator, Scientist
and HumOrist.

Washington Letter in New York Tribune.
Stanford University is without it's legiti-
mate head while it's president is in attend
ance upon the sealing conference, and
Washington is the gamer by StanfordS
loss; for Prof Jordan is well known and
well liked here, and there are many reasons
to account for his popularity. Above all
he is an entertaining and agreeable man,
as we'll as an erudite scientist, and as differ
ent from the musty, fusty individual whom
this term usually calls up in the ordinary
mind as possible. AT the university he is
held In extraordinary anection, both by
faculty and students, and an acquaintance,
a superficial acquaintance even, with the
man makes it not difficult to understand
this hero worship, for he is both honest and
genuine, broad in his point of view keenly
appreciative of the works of others and
sympathetic in his attitude to the students.
He has, too that quality which for want
of q better term is called magnetism.
Prof. Jordan is big, brawny six-footer, a
giant in body as well as in intellect and a
man seemingly on whom the little pin pricks
of everyday life have had but little effect
His method of governing Stanford is orig
ns II n for IL o5 IT.
self. 1.-THE only stringent rule we have"
said Prof Jordan the other day, 'is that
pedestrians to the other. and the only pun
ishment for it's transgresson is self-in-
f1icted, for those who do not observe it are
invariably knocked down."
If Professor Jordan was not an eminent
scientist he would undoubtedly be a cele-
brated humorist, for his sense of bumor is
fully developed; but 1t is expressed often
in such scientific terms that by lay people
it is sometimes mistaken for science. An
amusing instance OF this occurred more
than a year ago. when Professor Jordan
published in the Popular Science Monthly
q satire on spirit photography, which was
at that time occupying the attention of GER
tain pseudo scientists.
In this article Professor Jordan describes
the experiments of club in California In
photographing thought. A number of peo-
pie, according to this story. were brought
together in perfectly dark room and asked
to fix their minds upon cat. Then an in
trcate arrangement, of which Professor
Jordan gives a detailed and amusing de-
scription, was fastened to the eye of every
person in the room and connected with the
camera. BY this means and in utter dark
ness the thought was photographed. The
result of this experiment was published
with the article. A number of exposures
given on one page shows on the outer
edges of the sheet vague outlines of cat.
Their vagueness is accounted for by The
fact that at the first exposure the minds
of those present were not concentrated on
the subject. These outlines become more
and more distinct with each exposure, and
when they reach the center a beautiful cat,
not an everyday, ordinary cat but an IDEAL
ized cat an astral cat, is the result. 1t
would hardly seem possible that such hui
morouS production could be taken seriously,
but on his return from Alaska where he
was when the article appeared Professor
Jordan received a number of letters, some
of them from people not unknown in the
scientific world asking him for further in
formation on the subject.