The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-03
PROF. TAFT MINCLES
LAUGHS WITH LAW
Briglltens Study With Jests,
hut Makes the Men
Work Hard.

NEW HAVEN, Jan. S.--At the END oil ms
first three months as teacher" ex-
President William Howard Taft finds h.A,
..I, N. no,,,,.r .s nm, n.o,.s.or or in
o.. 80
structor AT iaie~
Prof Tafts real teaching began with
the opening OF the university last fall
A. K.n, nrof.ssor NJ ,aw n. de,ivsrsa =.
-. =. ,..,,,. L.. .,,u,., =, a., -
'"u'oo vi 'e''u'eS 'ae' ep'i"s ~ '"e UNI
versity, but they were open to the public
and there were no quiz sections. Real
classroom work il ON i'm earnest now how
ever. Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 40
o'clock Prof Taft calls to order the sixty
odd seniors and graduates who are taking
his course
The secret of Prof Taft's pouularity is
to h, found i'm the r,spect that his wild.
range of knowledge and experience in
snir,s and In ,ha forp,.r pr.s,den,r. r,,dy
wit. II IL said that more Jokes are told
I'm his classroom than I'm any other in the
university The Jokes all bay. n hear
ing on some phas. of constitutional law
for prof raj, dossn', h.li.ys in ,.,lIr.
anecdotes inst for m. sake of ,r.Lin,, i,Is
students laugh. although he can do so IL
IL seems necessary IN counteract TN. effect
on tho spir,,s wrought nv n drizzlin, cold
rain that In feature OF New Haven
weather
ON a Nonday manning s.vs,al u..l,.
ago the rain. which had fallen steadily all
saturday and Sunday s,iil confirmed
Prof Taft arrived at U.ndrIe Han wbere
be holds his class.a with a hue. ,,nh,aI,,
Tho outlook for a good nat,,rad class,
room hour was dubious CIrcums,ances
h.lped howey.r rather than hindarad
The Hrst man IN r.,,t. had failed IN
study his lesson Int was NOT ready IN
admit IT. The student. in endeayorinv 10
answer one of Prof. Tafts questions,
'ioundered about for some time in an
effort 10 create something that might
sound plausible, He was about To- give m,
when suddenly he noticed an open book
about fve feet away The student he
came almost cross-ey.d In his attempts to
read the print. Prof. Taft looked on
calmly for a time and then said: cant
see quite SO far, Ell?
apparently you don't know the point,
so I'll tell you" he continued ITS about
the constitutional privilege man has of
not testilying against himself. My father
told me TINS one, a man had borrowed
some money from friend and refused to
give IL up. There had been no witnesses
10 the transaction When III. lender sued
tne borrower TOOK advantage OF his CON
stt'u''oi'al Iient III nor 'esul!!hs asainst
''''',S.', "'.n Wv 'csu', ,lt' 'he Iefidtr
w., NJ .n''u'. W ,oNe'' ""en 'neS int' on
Wv solIle ''I'c ,"'er tUe leiuer ran
tn,,r " ,yi,nas.ss an,. ,"u hI, , We 20,
io,nsd ,o,, ,ba n,,,.,' 80, w., ','a.
il md tho dsvil and yo,, t,,'o,,. I i,' "'o"
II isn't aiv.ys ,ba mel, oIo,. - p,,
Taf,'s iokes ,hnt males ,b.,, .,,,o', at,ha,
Tn, eI.presidar,,s con,,',in,,, Ill. ~.
AS much Ia do with II as anv,hin. ST.
dents In his classes have cn,nn 70 rnn,,,
when the tim. is ripe for an en,srtainir,
story. The class il usually I'm m. nil. -
OF a discussion over some point When Nr
Taft lowers his head and peers over HE
glasses in "A way that is very character.
istic OF him Then he slowly removes In.
glasses, holding Them on a level with his
mouth Simultaneously with this opera-
ton appears broadening smile. II starts
in two dmples In his cheeks and extends
over his broad face.
Mr., Taft has two methods of getting
at his students, two ways to make n