Southwestern University - Souwester Yearbook (Georgetown, TX)

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Dr. Albert Shipp Pegues Dean of Southwestern University It takes a poet to teach poetry, and that is why school boys, who are by virtue of their youthfulness poets, understand the Leather Stocking Tales, whereas sophisti- cated pundits patronize them. A teacher who is good ' ' will provoke from those students wno are capable of hero-worship emulation — not of his eccentricities, as L.r.l Frskine incited how many sentiment- al young lawyers to wear long white gloves into the jury room ; but of his excellencies, as Afcelard drew the eager minded youth of Prance, even of all Europe, to follow hi in, for wisdom ' s sake, from university to university. And if a teacher is a poet, a hero, you will find the poet chronicled in the student talk at the dinner table; if he arouses interest in his subject, as every true poet and hero — the two are ever largely identical — must arouse, there will be violent conflict of ideas. Around the dinner tallies and in the speculative rooms of congregation there are in Georgetown this evening, I dare say, warm discussion of English literature and the man teaching it — even as there were in the sweet days of another generation of collegians. In memory I always think of Professor Pegues as reading to the Class Chaucer or Wordsworth, or any poet. And as he read, we would sometimes look away over the hills stretching to the every luring South, and often we would look at his eyes, eloquent witli the drama and poetry of his words. Had he done nothing, though, but make us listen to his rare reading, he had not been of such worth as a teacher. He made us more than passive listeners; he filled us with a positive ambition to know and to imaginatively comprehend the facts of what is written. No mere dilletante impressions in that instruc- tion ! Here is enthusiasm for a subject born out of a fulness of knowledge of that subject — scholarship that is spiritual — whole scholarship. Whoever failed as many students as Professor Pegues? Yet whoever made so many students sleep with bokes at their beddes heed ? And many who came to get but credits remained to love the high and beautiful. 1 2

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Dr. Charles McTyeire Bishop President of Southwestern University Nothing need be said in this place concerning the facts of Dr. Bishop ' s life. Those who are interested in these things may go to WHO ' S WHO IN AMERICA; to his published books and magazine ar- ticles ;to his numerous friends and acquain- tances and inquire what he believes and what he has done. Here we are concerned with a somewhat more intimate picture ; a picture of our friend, counsellor and leader. As our counsellor, Dr. Bishop holds out a strong Christian manhood. Day and night, in college hall and on campus, on platform or in private conversation, we find our President pleading for the best and most vital scholarship, friendship, work, play, ' ability and action. As we teach, as we buy and sell, as we sit in churches or walk thru slums, as we study or play; everywhere and under all circumstances as we meet our fellows and do out- work, we do well to follow this plain, vital Christian life and ideal which our counsellor holds out to us by precept and example. We students and young people, whose interests and ideals are yet in the making, whose struggles are as yet shielded from the uncompromising gi e and take of the market place; will an older man, a busy man with large responsibilities, temptations and fights be our friend? Our President is such a man. With stacks of letters on his desk; with many meetings to attend, with much work to do and supervise, with the eyes of thousands upon thous- ands upon him as the chief executive of a great college, with only twenty-four hours to spend each day, this man — and only a man, forsooth — frequently comes to us in our work and play, in our troubles and in our joys, in our lives as students and citizens to advise us and to help us. We do well to remember that we have such a, friend. We are spending or have spent much time, money, and energy in South- western. For better or worse we have helped to make her what she is today and much of our life and character has been moulded by her. After all, the years we spend within her halls are important years and what we learn to do and do do there will in large measure gauge our future life. Do we follow a worthy leader? for some six years our President has stood before us and with able executive ability, keen foresight, sincere and earnest hard work, and an unbending trust in the ultimate triumph of our cause has sought to lead us all into such activity that our family and friends and acquaintances would say with one accord, I believe in you. We do well to follow such a counsellor, friend and leader. R. BLISS WOODS. 1 1

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Perhaps the most admirable quality of this contagious enthusiasm is that it is curbed to enter into the performance of the endless drudgery con- nected with the teaching of English. It has not been many years since the head of the department at Southwestern taught practically all the Freshman English, Sophomore English, and one or two advanced courses — courses always full. Nevertheless the profusion of required themes and examinations were always carefully read. 1 always read everything required to be written, said Professor Pegues once. 1 remember that one busy commencement he told me that in my examination 1 had erred in using raised for reared. There is a certain pride, even awesomeness in the man — somehow, to me, connotative of Daniel Webster — that makes him stand aloof. Yet I can well see his fitness for this later office of dean. One year when he sacrificed to superintend Mood Hall he would read the exhilerating ballads of Kipling to the fellows that were sick. And 1 know of one youth who was raised up from his bed by the roses sent by him and Mrs. Pegues. (It were hard to think of him long without thinking too of Mrs. Pegues.) Poet, lover and philosopher a strong man of common sense, fierce in the advocation of principle, catholic in taste, a fine gentleman, eloquent, as inflexible in attendance to unadorned duty as he requires of those under him — he stands for a combination of refinement and thoroughness that tran- scends kultur. J. FRANK nORIE. 13