The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-03-18

=
Wilson's life after he left Johns bop
kins university were spent in teaching
They We're years of usefulness. Thou
sands of students will testify to the
still enduring inspiration they owe to
them and To him. They were years of
delightful living. of cultured and gen
iaI companionship
1t WAS with the unrelinquiShed pur-
pose of having his part in the public
life of the nation that Woodrow Wilson
entered upon the profession of teach
er of law and politics. 1t can hardly
be said. however. that his first position
was one which gave promise Of any
large immediate influence on public
affairs. number of Johns Hopkins
men on the opening in 1885 Of Bryn
Mawr college accepted as their first
professOrShips places in the faculty of
the new institution for women. The
vulgar even referred to Brvn Mawr as
Johanna Hopkins" Some were so
irreverent as to suggest that the young
professors were merely trying it on
the dog" Professor Wilson. though
called to Bryn Mawr primarily to give
instruction in politics and political
economy, taught a good deal besides
those subjects. Classical history aud
the history of the renaissance fell to
him. His lectures are said on high
authority to have been ''marvels" Of
scholarship, profoundly impressing his
classes.
Professor Wilson worked very hard
to make his lectures interesting. One
of the faculty who lived next door tes
titles that the light in his study win
dow was invariably burning long after
everybody else had gone to bed From
the start Of his professional career
Mr.. Wilson appears to have realized
the necessity of imparting vivacity
and reality TO his lectures. There is
some ground to suspect that the intense
young ladies who sat under him did not
always appreciate the lighter side of
his discourses. At all events. it is re
membered that he appeared one day
in the lecture room without the long
mustache which had up to then adorn-
ed his countenance-a sacrifice which.
1t was limited, he had made In the hope
Of being thereafter better able to sug-
gest to his classes certain delicacies of
thought and fancy which they had
shown little signs of experimenting
Bryn Mawr college opened with for
ty-three students. Three houses at the
edge of the campus were occupied by
the dean and professors, many of the
latter being bachelors. Later Mr.. Will
son leased a pretty cottage, the Darson-
age Of the little Baptist church on the
old Gulf road, In the midst of lovely
countryside. In this, their first home.
the Wilson's took great pride and sat
isfaction. In vacation time they went
back south among old friends. 1t was
in the south that the first two children
were born.
In June, 1886, Professor Wilson took
his Phi. D. at Johns Hopkins, the uni.
versity accepting as his thesis his book
Congressional Government" During
his third year at Bryn Mawr Profes-
sor Wilson accepted A lectureship at
Johns Hopkins. This took him to Bal
timore once a week for twenty five
weeks
Social life at Bryn Mawr was most
agreeable An invitation to an Older
and larger institution was. neverthe
| less, not to be declined. Ampler oppor-
tunity opened in a school attended by
young men, and in 1888 Professor Will
son accepted an election to the chair of
history and political economy at Wes-
leyan university, Middletown, Conn.
From the start Professor Wilson's
courses were extremely popular. And
well indeed they might be, for New
England had rarely heard such instruc-
ton as was given in the lecture room
Of Wesleyan's professor of history and
political economy. While at Middle
town he continued his lectureShip at
Johns Hopkins. Now, however, instead
of going down once a week he bunch
ed his twenty-five lectures in a month
of vacation allowed him by the Yves
leyan trustees. His fame as a popular
lecturer also was growing apace. and
he was frequently called to give ad-
dresses in New England and the east
ern states. 1t was while at Middle
town that he wrote 1.-The State" a vol
ume which, with less pretentons to lit
erary form than his other work, involy
ed an enormous amount of labor.
Mr.. Wilson was d member of the ath-
letic committee of Wesleyan and took
the keenest interest in the college
| sports. One student of the time re-
| members how incensed he became at
the limited ambition of the Wesleyan
boys, who. when they played against
Yale. were satisfied only to keep the
| score down. That's no ambition al
all"' he used to cry go in and win.
| You can lick Yale as we'll as any other
team. Go after their scalps. Don't ad-
NIT for moment that they can beat
| you"
Life at Middletown was pleasant.
/ But Mr.. Wilson's growing reputation
| would not permit him to remain there.
| When in 1890 the chair of jurispru-
! dence and politics in Princeton col
| lege became vacant through the death
| of Professor Alexander Johnson the
| trustees elected TO il the Prince ton
| graduate, who had so quickly distn-
guished himself as student Of poll
tics.
Sentember 1890 then found Wood