Evening star., 1943-08-21

1865, Prof. Phelps entered Yale in
1883, was editor of the Yale Literary
Magazine in his junior year and was
elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his
senior year He joined the Yale
faculty in 1892, after having taught
one year at Harvard.
At the outset of his Yale career
he was assailed as an academic
radical" because he inaugurated a
course on the modern novel, but he
stood by his guns and soon saw the
course adopted at virtually every
American college.
Active as writer and lecturer
until the time of his fatal illness,
Prof. Phelps had won a Nation wide
audience during the years he was at
Yale and held it in the 10 years of
his retirement.
Fame Spreads Rapidly.
Retaining his connection with
Yale as a fellow of one of the
undergraduate colleges, Prof. Phelps
increased rather than lessened his
activities after he left the class
room. In the first year after re-
tirement he made over 100 lecture
appearances, began independent re-
search and started his autobiog-
raphy, in addition to continuing a
series of daily newspaper articles
on literature.
Gifted with a keen wit and mem
ory which was veritable treasure
house of quotations, Prof. Phelps
lectured to crowded classrooms
throughout his career. His course
in Tennyson and Browning became
one of the most popular at the uni
versity.
His fame spread rapidly beyond
the campus. Magazine and syndi-
Gated newspaper articles, lectures
and radio broadcasts made thou
sands familiar with the witty Yale
professors "incurably optimistic"
views on life and letters.
Prof. Phelps was the author of
almost twoscore books. Although
he yentured into the fields of phi
losophy and religion in some, the
majority dealt with literature.
Views of Contemporaries.
Contemporaries were divided in
their estimate of his stature as a
| literary critic Some found him
prone TO overpraise and excessively
reluctant to condemn, but for each
scoffer who dismissed him as a lit
erary Poilyanna," there were hun
| dreds who agreed with a leading
periodical, the Bookman, which
called him "the man who has done
most to make people like books"
He married the former Annabel
Hubbard of Huron City. Mich, in
1892. She died March %, 1899, after
| a stroke.
Surviving Prof Phelps are enc
brother, Prof. Arthur F. Phelps. a
retired clergyman of Berkeley, Calf
a niece, Mrs. William Fogg Osgood
! of Belmont, Mass; nephew, the
Rev. Dryden Phelps, a mi:c onary
stationed at the West China Unicn
University, Chongtu, Ezechwan
China, and one granone3hcv. Will
liam Lyon Phelps, I'd, of Belmont
Mass, student at SWarthmore.
"All Yale Mourns."
"All Yale mourns the death of hel
Billy Phelps said DR.. Charles Sey-
mour, president of Yale University
For half century from the veal
he first entered the faculty he has
been a Yale institution, universally
beloved and exercising inestimable
influence over the minds and ideals
of succeeding college generations.
He ranked among the greatest
teachers in our history. The magic
of his infectious enthusiasm and the
emphatic quality of his exposition
awakened the Slowest- -witted STU
dents to a love and understanding
of the worlds great poetry. His
bubbling humor enlivened the dull
est faculty meeting. His unfalter-
ing devotion to academic standards
his breadth of judgment and his
understanding of human motive
gave him powerful influence in the
conduct of the university's policy.
by the wealth of his personal
contact throughout the Nation he
brought Yale into touch with every
current of literary, dramatic and
artistic Importance.
"He had a genius for personal
sympathy. Among all the alumni