THE IIKSPKKIAN
Second preparatory students will call
at the chapel at lour o'clock ou Friday
aiul receive corrected themes.
ELe'rhe'iit Bates.
There was a suppressed giggle in the
chapel thai afternoon as Mr. Bates
earne in at the west door with a pile of
themes under his arm. Few of us had
ever seen him before. Wo were used to
the hear, a man of authority. This was
a hoy with smooth rod checks and we
thought vacant blue eyes. He gave us
our themes calling our names with some
I'inharassment. There were suppressed
titters over the room at his queer pro
nouiicialion of our names. AY hen he bc
JHii to talk the titter was no longer sup-priNM-d.
H( told 1IS j accents AV0 could
mock for days afterwards that the subject
t our second t heme was to be "The Per
naK'huraeleristics of Charles Dickons."
i' cmsideivd his accents affected. We
tiinied up on,- noses. The new "English
'iMnictoi- did not take with the second
l,vj,l's- Wo did not consider the other
M'li-Imw the second preps impressed
th" iii-w English instructor. Perhaps
11('t iiv better than the other classes. It
1ssk1 that a struggle with thebookkoep
,nK"l the junior 1 hemes class was what
ve linn the fever be had in the spring.
JMvould have been like hi.ii to have a.
' '!' hocaiN,. ho could not manage a few
uiiiMln.fl dales for themes and criticisms.
U(' '".. out of the feverwith even less
l''iinl ,f,.v,.,s tliiui before. Now
S ?s m,(lod l0 h,s nervousness a
Moo,,, n haif slouch and asensitiv-
iieronsod by physical weakness. He
'"'"ii sonH.tive hefore. I cm only
""Wnc the torture he underwent
mm. ! ' "ve sowi liim Bhrinlc when
Cn "'"""tudwn came to him in-
( "ii at i. niIlk c.rjtjc.Kni pawled
-.., I,;,, ','oniB,;ot' " theme. 1 have
nshrmk but 1 have never seen
Ttllk,,Hc a criticism.
;jns 11ils sen.siUveness of Iris that
J' he roa poet that he is. And
"m,1 ll imi l,n.l,,e- & "d seen in
"1 h f!,,(,?'!!lll1 straightforwardness
'insi iil1,nt II flown sTOuSl,nf.s. A
'"ive bo, m.,,u P'wflifod as he must
r,pn against the roughness, might
never have learned that underneath the
western outspokenness, there is some
thing finer than culture. It was Prof.
Bates 1 think who discovered first that
there was a chance for real literary work
in the University.
Allied to Prof. Bates' sensitiveness
there was a directness as direct as our
own but of a keener finer kind. Those who
have no themes with his scribbling on
them can not understand how sincorly
and sharpely he was accustomed to give
his opinion. Yet his criticisms were
hardly ever discouraging. 1 know of one
theme that came back with a brief refer
ence. "See there was a little girl that had a
little curl, etc."
1 know the "and so forth." It was
the last hp meant : "And when she was
bad she wa6? horrid." This cut deep till
the owner of the theme remembered the
part "When she was gopd." Then she
was inspired to try again.
Perhaps if was the combined sensitive
ness and utter lack of the power to 'bo an
actor that led to the nervousness so
characteristic of Prof. Bates. This made
1or him the few enemies he had. Even
these can hardly be called his enemies
since they were merely ropelled by what
they considered his unaftractivoness. 1
must admit that his nervousness some
times set my teeth on edge too. Tn daily
iliome.s das- it was trying to have to
listen to a Professor lecture while his feet
twirled around the legs of his chair,
while his arms wandered over his deslt
and his head kept feeble time to his
words. But one gets used to these
things. Thee Uiree characteristics
showed on the surfaco, sensitiveness, di
rectness and nervousness. Bouoath
these lav something thai spoke only after
long acquaintance. At every touch his
inner self rang perfectly true. ' om'
hit of vanity, not one tinge oi flattery
only sincere devotion to the realities ol
thought and feeling These he felt to
be above the other realities. He coulr
not rise above t rival things in practical
life. In affairs of human feeling and sym
pathy there is no one 1 ever knewwho u as
beyond him. Jf ho was ever misunder
stood it was because all men cannot ap
preciate all 1ha1 is good