The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-07-01
YARNS
OF THE FACULTY.
Which Paint the College Pro.
lessor in Colors Rather Diff
ferent.
From The Bohemian.

A a has remarked that Yale
would be a fairly tolerable place II the
literary and religious exercises were
omitted. But the faculty occasionally
signs for the millennium when the UNI
dergraduates shall be abolished. Fall
ing his. however, the successful Yale
| professors rush to the other extreme,
admit the students point OF view. and
| learn with him while nominally teach
| ing him. A. large per cent of the Yale
faculty were but recently Yale students
and retain their sense and love OF
| humOr.
The typical Yale professor is not the
freak, the distracted. metaphysical ma
| chine which is commonly reported al
the feature Of the higher seats OF
learning. He is rather the clever, self.
possessed man OF affairs-the Yale stu
dent raised to his highest denominatoI
and multiplied. Of course. y Xxx, be.
ing In each case that Individual &c,
centricity with which even the most
conventional genius always encase,
itself.
The impersonation of this type pro-
! lessor at Yale is William Lyon Phelps
Lampson professor of English-other-
wise known as Sampson professor, be-
cause he is so strong with students
But also known every day and Sun
day as BILLY Phelps"-not Billy" but
always BILLY Phelps" Popular to a
monotony with students. ne has now
lures to New Haven school teachers,
which crowds the largest college lee
ture room even as a nonthin person
crowds her stays.
BILLY Phelps" is witf1ot question the
wittiest members Of the faculty. He
es by a scintillating series OF clever
puns and Jokes, but often gains a point
in discipline by a thrust of humor. So
when an ~obsequious dog walked into
his recitation room and when surrepti-
tious whistles and whispered coaxings
for the animal to come within tail
reach were seriously disturbing dis
cipline. he looked up calmly and re-
marked. Will some one please remove
that puppy: we will contine ourselves
to the usual NUMBER" and won the
admiration as well as the attention Of
his pupils.
He carried off another do~g-strained
situation at West Point, where he was
giving a special course Of lectures last
year, wit characteristic finesse. While
ne was %lecturing in the chapel, the
cadets rigidly paying attention. erect.
yes front, Zach man q ramrod OF mill
larry etiquet. an Irish setter entered the
chapel door, ambled snif1ngly down the
isle and onto the platform. The ca
lets sQuirmed under the eagle eyes of
heir officers. but not a man smiled.
Billy Phelps" noticed the strain. He
,ooked down and saw the dog wagging
It's tail benevolently on the rostrum.
What! How's this?' he said. "a dog?
1 setter? Why, I expected to see MOTH
lng but West Pointers here"
I! Billy Phelps's clever word plays
are so famous, so almost notorious, that
when a stammering POSTMASTER at a
college banquet confused his letters
md introduced him as a speaker OF
Worldwide fame" a shout Of approval
greeted the unwilling bon mot that
threatened to break up the dinner.
He is so truly a Yale man, SO directly
in touch with the students, that he as
sumes their point Of view, losing pa.
tience with the more deliberate methods
of his faculty associates. For instance.
when the question Of a%bolishing foot
ball was agitating the colleges Of the
and the Yale faculty passed through a
few .throes, and the subject was
thrashed about all one afternoon with
typical academic pickering and hating.
At the close of the meeting Professor
Phelps, coming across the campus, saw
Rex Finn. a prominent member of the
football team, and rushing up seized the
astonished students hand. exclaiming,
Tn glad to see a sensible man again.
I've been in faculty meeting for three
hours" Again IN being asked a ques-
ton Of judgment he parted, d you
want me to answer as a member Of the
faculty or as a man Of sense?"
such Is Yale's most popular professor.