Boston University College of Practical Arts and Letters - Sivad Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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JAMES MADISON CARPENTER, A.B., A.M. Instructor in English Everyone has noticed that, as a rule, it is easy to recognize the college student as distinguished from the nonfcollege man or woman-and from the postfcollege student as well. What is it that marks him off from the rest of the world? Buoyancy? excesses born of the power of a floodftide life stream? his insistent drawing upon an exhaustless future? Call it what you will, but it is somef thing elemental that adds a throb to the pulse and leaves a nachscheirz upon the memory. The sated outside world often calls it 'college illusion'g but the wisest and best of our graduf ates, pursuing as an avocation some one or two of the thronging interests awakened during their college course, preserve it. CHARLES FREDERICK ROBINSON, A.B., A.M., S.T.B. Instructor in English SL What do you think of P. A. L.? A. The girls here are an unusually fine lot, a statement which Iconsider myself well qualified to make by my long experience in the pastorate, in which my happiest hours have been spent in organizations for young people. 22. Can you give SIVAD a motto? A. I suggest the I want to know attitude. 2. What characteristic do you most appreciate in a student? A. Sincerity. Let me as Chaplain add that the Hdelity of the group whose attendance at Chapel helps to maintain a reverent atmosphere in the College is deeply appreciated by me, and, I believe, by Dean Davis. GEORGE RALEIGH COFFMAN, A.B., A. M., Ph.D. Professor of English A Dr. Coffman wishes to be conf sidered as a friend, not merely as a dispenser of informationg and he hopes that he may interpret literature in such a way that students will not only understand, but will also enjoy it. To stay young, he advocates keeping the spirit of adventure in life, and having your own personal religion, which represents something constructive to you individually. CAnd he never said a word about the plays he has editedlj 417

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to f I JOSEPH RICHARD TAYLOR, A.B., A.M. Professor of English You ask for 'an experience, an anecdote, an impression, or a mes' sage.' Ch yes, there is no lack of any of these in my memories of P. A. L. An experience: The day when Kathryn Stark, '23, joined the brick layers' union and laid the corner stone of our fine new P. A. L. building. An anecdote: Cn a bright December day we P. A. L.'s all marched through the streets, Dean Davis at the head, on our way to Boston Common, where we appealed to the squirrels and the pigeons and the other habitues for contributions to the Boston Post Christmas Fund. And we got them, too! An imprgs, sion: P. A. L. is an Aer College, well managed, well taught, well equipped, with an Aer Ere department well 'manned,' or perhaps it would be more accurate to say well 'girled,' but I can't find this word in the dictionary. A message: Tell the world about P. A.L.! Show them what our graduates can do in business and in teaching. Bring father and mother and friends to the College, and let them see the beauty and the good cheer of our college life. EBENEZER CHARLTON BLACK, A.M., LL.D. Professor of English It gives me sincere pleasure to hand to the students of P. A. L. two significant quotations from my recent reading. The first is from a note that Dr. Benjamin jowett, the great Cx' ford teacher, sent to an old student who had complained of failure to obtain a position that would enable him to become all that at College he had dreamed he might be: 'I hope that you will not allow yourself to become the most miserable and conf temptible of all characters, a disapf pointed personf The second quota' tion is from Morley's biography of Gladstone. Referring to Gladstone's patience and courage during the halffcentury of obloquy and seeming neglect through which he passed before he became Prime Minister, Morley says: 'Through all these years, he upheld a golden lamp. He was inspired with the belief that life is a great and noble calling-not a mean and grovelling thing that we are to shuffle through as best we can, but an elevated and lofty destiny'. HENRY ROBINSON SHIPHERD, A.B., A.M., PH.D. Assistant Professor of English Yes, indeed, come right in. Born in the country, with red hair, and never got over it. Worked twelve years as a printer and linotype operator-can still tell a book from a sandwich. Learned A B C's at Harf vard, married in Brooklyn-never got over either one. Most interesting work? Crganizf ing the 8oth Division, A. E. F., and 16 later the First Army, into a studying army-trying to help three hundred thousand of the boys get ready to come back to the home jobs. Why am I teaching? Because I enjoy the English language and its literature, and like to share my pleasures. Not at all. Good luck, and goodfbyf'

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l I I HM, KENNETH WHITE, A.B., A.M., PHD. Instructor in English Composition and Dramatics Fortunate the man who may endite his own epitaph, for then he may truly sleep in peace, unshaken by the noise of the slanderousg and fortunate, likewise, the instructor at P. A. L., since he is now permitted to dictate, for this present and grandly influential chronical of our times, his annual obituary epigram. But, though the garrulous-if indeed there were any such persons hereabouts- would feel these modest square inches of white paper far too closely fenced a Held for their parade, the timid and the reticent will scramble swiftly toward a grateful refuge across the nether margin. If, however, one is forcibly constrained fand one isj to write autobiographically, let the writing be in this case with the remembrance that he has always looked for what enjoyment, knowlf edge, or inspirations might be had, to the breadth and surge of the sea, to all high, breathless, and craggy places in the world, to the architect's sublime embodiment of the Church, the dramatist's interpretation of mankind, and to the musician's under' standing of the things that are spiritual-and has found besides, a little comfort among a few friends. JOHN CLAIR MINOT, A.B., LITT.D. Lecturer in Current Literature Interview? smiled Dr. Minot to the SIVAD representative. Well, my last interview was at the hands of a young lady reporter in a New Hampf shire city where I was to lecture. She began by inquiring very sweetly if this were my Hrst visit to America! When I recovered from my faint, she had fled. Now, probably there would be a lot of fainting spells around here if I should ever flunk anybody in Current Lit. I have not yet had a chance to try the experiment, for all my girls are fairly hungry for informaf tion about presentfday writers and their work. We have a perfectly glorious time together every Monday, extracting from the new books the entertainment and the helpfulness, the inspiration and the friendliness, in which they abound. You couldn't have spoken truer words, Dr. Minot. CHARLES PHILLIPS HUSE, A.B., A.M., PHD. Professor of Economics I One of the greatest and most worthfwhile experiences in Dr. Huse's life came in 1910 when he went to Washington to aid the National Monetary Commission. His task was to read the volumes written by the Commission and, as each volume was published, to prepare press 18 statements for the newspapers. Partly as a result of the work of this Commission, the Federal Reserve Act was passed. While he was in Wash' ington he had the opportunity of seeing the public buildings and of taking trips into the surrounding country to places of interest. i