The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-04-28
COPLEY'S GLASSES.

We had been talking over a lively in.
cident in the life of one of our friends
his name was Thwaites-which had
led to a peculiarly strong development
of that individual nose. Three of IS
knew Thwaites quite well, and one Of
ers The fourth man did not know
Thwaites personally, but he did know
story of another man, of which. he
said. the story about Thwaites remind
ed him
lyon know that eyeglasses make a
great difference in the. looks of man,
don't theyr Well. this is how Copley
came to wear eyeglasses;
"His eyesY They may have suffered
from the artificial help they have been
getting from those glasses all these
years. though believe he has had the
good sense all along to wear simple
lenses that make not the least difference
to his vision But he certainly never
took up with those eyeglasses for the
good of his eyes 1t began as matter
of policy with Copley.
when | knew him first. we were
both students in a big London hospital
trying to become doctors.
"Copley was very much in earnest,
you see. He may have been naturally
disposed to have his larks in one way
or another. but he always had certain
shrewdness which kept him from rlay-
ing tricks calculated to bring the pro.
fessors down on him. In particular he
knew how good thing it was to stand
well with the dean of the faculty.
~ ought to explain. in case you %
not know. that there the dean Of t-.e
faculty is the professor who has held
office longest. and at that part cular
hospital the statutes niade hi very
much of an autocra. For Instance.
there were three big exams 10 pass in
the five years, and no str ent coul0
present himself at any one of tho
three without certificate from me
hospital he belonged to that he haG =
tended lectures and demonstrations
duly and faithfully for certain mum
Der of terms These certificates were
signed at our hospital by the dean of
the faculty alone. He took the reports
of the other professors. but in the last
resort his signing or not signing might
be very much matter of his own per-
sonal estimate of the individual student
See2 The dean could practically stop
man from getting his degree, even if
that man knew as much about medi
cine as Galen
Fortunately our dean was a good
old fellow. and he used his power not
only with justice, but with mercy.
Perhaps his botanical studies made him
mild | have noticed that people who
have much to do with plants and flow
ers are mostly of a genuine disposition
He was professor of 'materia medica.
lone day he seemed fidgety and dis
tracted when he took his place to begin
the lecture He seemed to be looking
over the class in search of some one
Presently his eyes fell on Copley. The
old man puckered up his brow and
stared at Copley through his spectacles
"Then he began in nervous, irrita-
BILE way Yes sir, you. don't know
your name, sir. You, sir. What is your
name, if you pleaseY'
"Copley made no pretense of not see
ing that he was the person in question
He frankly answered. My name is Cop
ley, sir.
+" 'CopleyY All. very we'll. Mr.. Cop
ley. says the old man. Mr.. Copley, l
have to tell you in the presence Of this
class that unless your character under
MI 10 70
practice the healing art. You have no
humanity sir You are cruel sir
cruel.
"Copley had no idea what the dean
was talking about. and none Of his
friends could enlighten him Some of
the class could guess. but they did not
happen to know Copley well enough to ]
volunteer hint. The truth was that
some student had been making an ass
of himself that morning with the school
boy trick of fastening walnut shells on
the feet of a cat and then turning the
beast loose in the lecture room corridor
The janitor had at last been obliged to
kill the cat with shotgun The dean
thought he had found the perpetrator of
this outrage, but he was wrong Poor
Copley had not even been in the college
and knew nothing about it
LAS Copley had no idea what the
dean was driving at, he could only sub
nit to harangue. while the students
and then after lecture go and
ask the dean what it all meant But the
dean only stared at Copley as par
ticularly impudent specimen of a nor
mally impudent genus-the London
medical student
go away. sirl Go away. Mr.. Cop
ley. and remember that have an eye
on you'll
But after that the dean seemed to |
have it in for Copley Twice again in |
that same term Copley was reprimand- |
ed for outrageous behavior of which he |
had no sort of knowledge The second |
time he was threatened with expulsion
for having willfully and deliberately in
toxicated little street Arab and then |