University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-05-20
MOST POPULAR MAN
IN YALE FACULTY

A wag has remarked that 1al
would be a fairly tOlerable place II TN
.. literary and religious exercises Wef
omitted. But the faculty occaslohail.
, sighs for the millennium when the uh
dergraduates shall be abolished. Fan
ing this. however. the successful IAN
professors rush to the other extreme
admit the students point OF view. an'
learn with him while nominally teach
ing him. A large per cent of the iai'
faculty were but recently Yale stu
dents 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 as
the feature of the higher seats of learn
ing. He is rather the clever. sell pos
sessed man of affairs-the Yale stu
dent raised to his highest denominator
and multiplied, of course, V X-X, be-
ing in each case that individual eccen-
tricity with which even the most con-
ventiOnal genius always encases itself.
The impersOnatiOn of this type OF
professor at Yale is William Lyon
Phelps. LampsOn professor of English
otherwise known as Sampson professor,
because he is so strong with students.
But also known every day and Sunday
as Billy Phelps'-nOt Billy but al
ways Billy Phelps" Popular to
mOnOtOny with students, he has now
recently started coed class of lee
lures to New Haven school teachers.
which crowds the largest college lecture
room even as nOnthin person crowds
her stays.
Billy Phelps" i, without question
the witticSt member of the faculty. He
not only holds the interest of his class
rs by IA scintilatinY series of clever |
puns and jokes. but often gains point |
in discipline by thrust of humor So
when an ob>equious dog walked into
his recitation room and when surrcp-
itious whistles and whispered coaxings
or the animal to come within tail
each We're seriously disturbing disci
'llne. he looked up calmly and remark
ID: VIII some one please remove that
puppy: We will confinc ourselves to
he usual number and won the admi-
alton OF his pupils.
He carried off another dorstrained
ituation at West Point. where he was {
living special course of lectures last {
ear. with characteristic fineSSe. While l
" was lccturing in the chapel. the ca
cts ri"idly payin" attention. erect. $
yes front. each man Il ramrod of mill Il
lry etiquette. an Irish SETTER entered +
he chapel door. ambled snillingly down il
ne aisle and onto the platform. The 4
'detS s4uirmed under the eagle eyes p
IL.
Silly Phelps" noticed the strain. He
ok"d down and saw the dog wagging $
: tail bcnevolentlv on the rostrum. t.
w hat. ilow'S this" he said. "a Il
~: setter: Why. expected to p
Q nothing but West Pointers here :!
"HIlly' Phelps clever word PLAYS are m
famous. 50 almost notorious. that il
len starmering toaStmastcr at OF
lle"c banquet confused his letters 81
d introduced him as Il speaker Of if
'rld-wild fame shout of approval "
neted the unwilling hon mot that
r"atenod to break up the dinner. tn
lie Is :" truly Yale man. so di- of
tIE IN touch with the students. that NJ
assumes their point of view. lo>in" Sc
fl"ncr with the more deliberate te
thods OF his faculty associates. For >h
tancc. when the question of abolish cq
football was agitating the colleges tn
tn" land the Yale faculty passed ere
ou"h few thrOes. and the subject th'
: thra>hrd about all one afternoon
h typical academic bickerinr and iol
ting. Al the close of the meeting Wi
4. Phelps. comm" across the cam lik
saw Rex Finn. a prominent MEM liz
Of the football team and. rushing hcl
seized the astonished students ge>
d. eXclaimin@: I'm glad to see a tie,
'lhle man again. I've been in fac coll
meetln" for three hours" AGAIN var
BEN" asked question of Judgment Yer
'arrled. DO You want me to answer and
member of the faculty or as Uni
of sense Pre-
'ch Is Iaie'S most popular profess bell
James Stewart in the May Bobe- for,