THE COURIER.
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THE POET UNDER THE KNIFE.
Before
Behold me waiting
waiting for the knife .
A little while,
and at a leap I storm
The thick, sweet mystery
of chloroform ,
The drunken dark ,
the little death in-life-The
gods are good to me :
I have no wife,
No innocent child ,
to think of as I near
The fateful minute;
nothing all too dear
Unmans me for my bout
of passive strfe.
Yet I am tremulous
and a trifle sick ,
And, face to face with chance ,
I shrink a little;
My hopes are strong ,
my will is something weak .
Here comes the basket ?
Thank you . I am ready .
But, gentlemen my porters,
life is brittle:
You carry Caesar
and his fortunes steady I
Operation.
You are carried in a basket ,
Like a carcase from the shambles ,
To the theatre, a cockpit ,
Where they stretch you on a table .
Then they bid you close your eyelids ,
And they mask you with a napkin,
And the anaesthetic reaches
Hot and subtle through your being.
And you gasp, and reel, and shudder
In a rushing, swaying rapture,
While the voices at your elbow
Fade receding fainter farther .
Lights about you shower and tumble,
And your blood seems crystalizing
Edged and vibrant, yet within you
Racked and hurried back and forward -
Then the lights grow fast and furious ,
And you hear a noise of waters,
And you wrestle, blind and dizzy,
In an agony of effort ,
Till a sudden lull accepts you ,
And you sound an utter darkness . .
And awaken . . with a struggle .
On a hushed, attentive audience .
J
After.
Like as a f lamelet
blanketed in smoke ,
So through the anaesthetic
shows my life ;
So flashes and so fades
my thought, at strife
With the strong stupor
that I heave and choke
And sicken at,
it is so foully sweet .
Faces look strange from space
and disappear.
Far voices, sudden loud .
offend my ear
And hush as sudden.
Then my senses fleet:
All were a blank ,
save for this dull, new pain
That grinds my leg and foot ;
and brokenly
Time and the place
glimpse on to me again :
And, unsurprised ,
out of uncertainty ,
I wake relapsing
somewhat faint and fain ,
To an immense,
complacent dreamery .
William Ernest Henley, from
"In Hospital."
the place he held;" and it is sufficient.
Whether this judgment of him was
eound is a matter on which people may
reasonably differ in opinion, and the
proceeding may be unsatisfactory to the
judgment of the committee of professors
of other colleges; but that the univer
sity acted within its prerogative is indis
putable. It had the sole responsibility
and authority.
The university employed Professor
Rose and if it did not like his teaching or
for any other reason objected to his
presence in its faculty its conduct in
getting rid of him is open to no criticism
on any such grounds as those put forth
by this committee. His dismissal in no
way intereferes with his freedom of
speech, or as this professional commit
tee Bucgest9, with "the legitimate free
dom of thought, without which no pro
gress in science is possible." He is still
open to engagement by any other col
lege that want3 that sort of man and
taching and the world is free to him to
express any thoughts on science which
he desires to put forth. The Stanford
university has simply decided that for
itself, it will not keep him in its em
ployment and pay.
A college professor is not a creature
with a special illumination and inspira
tion which makes hie deposition from
his chair a Bin against him and the
branch of science he professes. Some
times, it not often, he amounts to little
more than a mere pedagogue and his in
tellectual equipment and acquired
knowledge are not such as to make his
"thought" trustworthy or valuable or to
prevent its being fallacious, immature
and unsound. The college or uni
versity employing him is free to decide
if it is willing to be responsible for his
"thought." It engages the professor
and it can dismiss him. Cranky and
shallow reasoners some times get into
professional chairs, as has been demon
strated in the experience of our colleges.
No professor holds his chair by a
divine right which excludes him from
criticism by the authority that put him
there or makes his deposition from it a
ein against freedom of opinion. The
Stanford university itself has the right
to freedom of thought and judgment
and, besides, it has the authority to ex
ercise the right by preferring Borne
other man for the place. The Sun.
Colleges and Professors.
Much complaint is made by certain
newspapers and some college professors
because Stanford university in Califor
nia dismissed one of its faculty. Profes
sor Ross. It is not alleged and it can
not be proved that the university ex
ceeded its authority in dismissing him;
but it is asserted that by refusing to
keep him in its employ the university
struck a blow at freedom of opinion and
speech, because his dismissal was due
to utterances of his in public speech
a nd writing which were obnoxious to
the univorsity authorities.
The explanation of President Jordan
of the Stanford university in reply.is
that "Professor Ross was dismissed be
cause, in the judgment of the university
authorities, he was not a proper man for
THEATRICAL.
THE OLIVER.
Lovers of the late Robert Louis Stev
enson's bookB will find one of their old
friends in Otis Skinner's new play,
"Prince Otto," which he is to produce
at the Oliver Theatre, Tuesday evening,
March 26 The work of adapting the
Btory was done by Mr. Skinner himself
from the novel of the same name by
Stevenson. Mr. Skinner has ignored
what could not be dramatized. He has
made of Prince Otto, a true prince of
romance, manly, daring, brava and
clever; while Stevenson's Prince Otto
was a feather-brained hero, whose deeds
were mere impulses. Mr. Skinner has
made a sympathetic Seraphina acting
always in the interests of her husband
though at times misguided. The same
players and production in "Prince
Otto's" Ifew York engagement will be
brought here and tht cast includes Miss
Maud Durbip, Mr. George Nash, Mr.
Frank Sylvester, Mr. Eugeue Eberle,
Mr. Alfred Edwards, and many others
as equally well known
THE FUNKE.
Few amusements are welcomed more
heartily than the engagement of the
Aubrey Stock company at the Funke
Opera House, for the week commencing
next Monday night Miss Lillian Bayer
who heads the organization has the
ability to portray leading roles daintily
and effectively. A wealth of scenery is
carried for every play and each one will
be staged quite up to the Mitten thai
standard, a standard so high that popu
lar priced attractions have not attempt
ed to equal it The openiug bill will be
"The Land of the Living." It is a play
rich in opportunities for beautiful gowns
Bnd the lady patrons are sure to be in
teresten in that portion of the program.
The sale of seats is now going on.
Ladies free Monday night.
Is the British Medical Institute in the Shel
don Block, Corner JJth and N Sts. It
Gives Three Months' Services
Free to All Invalids Who
Call Before April 9.
A stuff of eminent physicians and sur
geons from the British Medical Insti
tute, have, at the urgent solicitation of
a large number of patients under their
care in this country, established a per
manent branch of the Institute in this
city, in the Sheldon block, corner of 11th
and N streets.
These eminent gentlemen have de
cided to give their services entirely free
for three months (medicines excepted)
to all invalids who call upon them for
treatment between now and April Oth.
These services consist not only of con
sultation, examination and advice, but
also of all minor surgical operations.
The object of pursuing this course is
to become rapidly and permanently ac
quainted with the sick and afflicted, and
under no condition will any charge be
made for any services rendered for three
months to all who call before April Oth.
The doctors treat all forms of disease
and deformities, and guarantee a cure
in every case they undertake. At the
first interview, a thorough examination
is made, and, if incurable, you are frank
ly and kindly told so; also advised
against spending your money for useless
treatment
Male and female weakness, catarrh and
catarrhal deafness, also rupture, goitre,
cancer, all ekin diseases and all diseases
of the rectum are positively cured by
their new treatment.
The Chief Consulting Surgeon of the
Institute is in personal charge.
Office hours from 0 A. M. till 8 P. M.
No Sunday hours.
Special Noitce- If you can not call,
send stamp for question blank for home
treatment.
fHENOMENiL.
EVERY TUESEAY
..in..
MARCH and APRIL
Ti Union Iaoilcio
will sell tickets from
Nebraska and Kan
sas points at the fol
lowing greatly Reduced Rates :
To CALIFORNIA
SAN FRANCISCO, LOS ANGELES,
SAN DIEGO, including all Main Line
Points north California State Line to
Colton, San Barnardino and San Diego
f 2o.OO
To Utah, Idaho, Oregon.
Montana, Washington.
Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah, Butte
and Helena, Montana,
Portland, Ore., Spokane, Wash., Ta
coma and Seattle, Wash.
Full information cheerfully furnished
on application.
B. B. Slosson,
Agent.
u
Cycle Photographs
Athletic Photographs
Photographs of Babies
Photographs of Groups
Exterior Views .
THE PHOTOGRAPHER tf
129 South Eleventh Street, j
It
OXvIVR
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
0. T. CRAWFORD S F.C.ZEHRUNG
Corner 13th and P. Phono 35
ONXST ONE NIGHT.
Tuesday, March 26.
OTIS SKINNgR
and associate players, including-
Mjt. George Kasli
and thirty others, will present Otis Skinner's new play,
" PRINCE DTX"
Prices Lower floor $1.00 and $1.50; balcony 75c and 50c.
Seats now on sale.
fMJKKB
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
0. T. CRAWFORD AND F. C. ZEHRUNG
COR. O AND TWELFTH. IMIONE 0
ONE WEEK SSg-KSSft, .,
TflE MiBREN STOCK CO .
Headed by the versatile actress,
MISS bILLIAN BAYER,
In a repertoire of metropolitan successes at popular price.
MONDAY NIGHT the realistic Melodrama,
" The Iand of thie reiving;.
Ladies free Monday night, usual conditions. Wealth of
scenery; mechanical effects; magnificent costumes.
Prices 10c, 20c, 30c, and 50c. Seats on sale Friday.
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