Evening journal., 1914-11-23
New News Of Yesterday
The Keen Perception Of a
College Tutor
By Holland.

Prof. William G. Sumner. who for
more than thirty years was mom-
Der Of the faculty of Yale. part of the
time as. tutor. but after 1872 until mis-
death as professor. gained national
reputation. even International by
reason of the vigor and the acutencss
of some of his political writings. lie
was one of the early advocates of
practical free trade
But TO the students OF Yale. as well
as 10 the young graduates. Prof. SUM
nor was much more than a powerful
reasoncr, a vigorous and aggressive
writer, and "a most instructive lee
iurer IN the class room: he was very
popular. and that was due in part.
TO bis hatred of sham. his defiance
OF certain conventionalitics his re-
pugnance TO plaiitudes. and AN al
most unique way he had OF taking
the students who were In his class
room individually under his personal
guidance For mediocrity he had
little patience, but for originality no
had great admiration, and he was
very tolerant Of IL when it was re-
vcaled even I'm what seemed to be
a daring manner by any student.
That was nOticcably the case with
Edward o. WclcOtt in his freshman
year. which was In fact. the only
year Of his attendance at Yale. VOL
colt Was one of those who was
brought into the class room under
Sumner, Who was then a tutor. 1t
was speedily observed by other mem
bers Of the class that Tutor Sumner
directed especial attention to VOL
colt. sometimes saying i'm sharp,
emphatic manner things which or-
dinarily would have hurt the feelings
of young student Nothing that
sumner ever said seemed to annoy
WOlcott. Instead. he answered back
politely enough. but with something
cf dcfanco in his retort. Al last
IL began 10 be suspected that SUM
ner purposely singled out Wolcott
for this treatment in the hope that
he would tempt the young student to
make some sharp reply When a
sharp reply was made Sumner
seemed TO be content and went on
with his class room reading.
NOlcott quit college at the end of
his freshman year. and little later
began o career in the far West which
al last fixed the public eye upon him
because of his unusual ability as a
United States Senator from Color
ado. IL was a career which Prof.
Sumner watched constantly with the
greatest interest and with some sense
of qualification, for 1t justified his
own judgment of what was possible
for this young student to achieve.
"Wolcott / became satisfied. when
he was p freshman at Yale" said
Prof. Sumner, had exactly the tenn
permanent supplemented by the i'm
petuous intellectual powers which
would enable him TO become a popu-
lar leader. Besides. I discovered
/ that hQ had a profound contempt Tor
| the smooth conventionalities which
are a characteristic of mediocre men
and, in addition. he was always faith
ful TO his own hobbies.
"Now in a considerable career as
an instructor 7 have had confirmed
my own Judgment that the man who
viii succeed is the man who ISM
afraid of his hobbies. and one Of ih'
| lessons ] have tried TO inculcate has
! been the wisdom of being loyal tC
/ your hobbies Wolcott had hobbies
and he was faithful TO them, and
that constituted one Of the reasons
I for his success"
! Copyright 1914. by T. J. Edwards
All rights reserved).
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
Of THE Professor Who Became an
Alderman"