The Holly chieftain., 1900-04-20
THE PROFESSOR OF TODAY.
Traditional Marks of sehoiarship
Are Not Noticeable in HIS Ap-
pearance.

Tho tradition, fos.ered largely by
contemporary comic literature, that
men Of one profession or trade gath
cred in convention infallibly exhibit
the sign-manual of their occupation.
would have been highly difficult of
application in the case of tho Amer
lean Modern Language association.
which held its meetings at Columbia
university recently. Professors and
Instructors from colleges all over the
country make up the principal men-
bership of the organization. The con-
vention was homogeneous in type;
kll the members were scholars and
followers of the worlds literature
Hardly could any other convention
have brought together a body of men
whose lines of thought and habits of
life in general were more similar.
Yet to the eye of the layman there
was nothing in their appearance n
indicate in the slightest degree their
profession. and nothing short of in
tuition could have decided, without
reference to the papers which were
read and discussed, what the nature of
the gathering might be. One might
well have supposed it 10 oe meeting of
stock brokers or the conference OF
high class club. Many of the Hen
were young-probably half of the en-
lire number being less than 40 years
old. quite surprising number of
them had the set of the shoulders and
the decisiveness of muscular move
ment that proclaim their possessor to
have been at some time in his life n
trained athlete.
In the matter of clothing the ma
jority Of the men were unmistakably
modhh, though the prevalent start
ling waistcoat and aamboyant neck
tie were notably absent, and in this
ssrtorial respect the out-of-town pun
dts were in no wise inferior to their
metropolitan brethren. Bald heads
were few; eyeglasses not in greater
proportion than with the general pub
lie OF the brain working classes.
When the men spoke they spoke SIM
ply, sharply and briefly, with an occa-
sionnl fash OF wit or stroke of satire.
The old-fashioned professional pre-
f.rsor wns scantily represented. Per
haps half dozen of the older men
were OF this type, and these pro-
claimed themselves to the eye and ear
alike Their speech was measured,
dignifed and academic. In marked
contrast was one OF the notable fic-
ures Of the convention, a young man
o. high standing as scholar, who
looked like the dishevelled outcrop-
ping OF sorle artists Bohemia, and
who brought to his part in the dis
cussion convincing judgment and
sound sense, together with a fervor
almost anarchistic. Add to this man
and the little group of old-timers an
eager and voluble little elderly men,
Der with pronounced accent; n slow
and pcnderous Scandinavian, and a
blithe young conversationslist who hit
out right and left and made all sorts
Of fun for himself and the rest, and
the list OF eccentrics is completed. |
The remainder of the convention was
In NO sense professionally typical.
The same cannot be said of the
women members, who. with very few
exceptions. were distinctively Of tie
pedagogic type. They came early and
stayed late, taking notes of the pa
pers read and otherwise evincing a
determined earnestness in the pursui.
OF learning. while their compeers of
the sterner sex. IL the truth must be
told, spent half their time foregath-
erng and gossiping in the lobby.-N.
y. Sun.