Temple University - Templar Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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flirt, or, if their minds were so directed, could study algebra. Unfortunately the latter was seldom done except by some hard-working students, as Heritage, who were apt to do anything. Here Miss Walters worked unnecessarily. Here the bluffer was in his element, because Professor McGee was too straightforward a person to doubt the sincerity of another’s intentions or the authenticity of one's problems. Pierce and Cheesman played chess to their hearts’ content without the interruptions (which came in Professor Foster’s class. Later in the year Cheesman indulged in a mild flirtation with Miss Nyce under the slim pretext of studying algebra, a guise easily seen through, but as Miss Nyce was chaperoned by Miss Doby there could be no harmful results. Here Miss Laws, of Mississippi, whose departure caused her many friends sadness, studied German under the fatherly guidance of Mr. Erb, who drew pictures of policemen to assist his thoughts for German. Altogether it was an elysium for all, loved by every one. and sincerely regretted, for we can truthfully say that there was no class where the marking was so high or professor so learned as that where sat our literary, mathematical and musical Professor McGee. French and German were the two modern languages that our class gave attention to. German, if studied at all, was studied in the algebra class, and French was never studied, except by Miss Miller. She had to keep up appearances. Professor Miller, who taught German, had other things on his mind and did not attempt to overwork his class, but 26

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sometimes seen around the door, but that was the nearest that he ever got to the explosives. Though he was the only one who was afraid of explosions, we all had our little dislikes to the “lab.,” and we are thankful that we say farewell for a time, anyhow. Another class over which Professor Foster ruled was the class in physics. We studied physics on Tuesdays and Thursdays last period. This was unfortunately timed, since if people would sleep at all they would sleep then, and the lot of the sleeper in that room was unpleasant and the awakening was sometimes startling. In spite of the interest of light, heat and electricity, they were not appreciated as they should have been, and as the result of inattention came retribution in the shape of a quiz, in which flunks were unpleasantly frequent. Poor Wolf’s efforts to answer questions were pitiful, his replies being like his parsing, which caused his patron Gansman many tears. When electricity was studied the professor ordered the class to stand around hand in hand for the usual shocking experiment. Wolf and Miss Nyce were together, unknown to Miss Nyce, who, evidently thinking Wolf was some other fellow, began stroking his hand, to Wolfs intense embarrassment, as he was unprepared for such a demonstration. Ernest Williams, the other fellow, looked as if he would like to do unutterable things to Wolf. With such episodes the time passed, and we do not regret it. Whatever was said by any student about any professor, no one who even went to Professor McGee had an unkind word for him. His period was the resting hour in the midst of the day’s work. There one could study, talk, play chess, 25

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Mile. Robique made many futile efforts to cause her class to study. The chief feature of the French class was the pronunciation of Miss Miller, the equal of which was never heard here or anywhere. It was unique, so much so that neither class nor teacher had the faintest idea of what she was saying when she read. But her ideas of sight reading were as strange as her pronunciation, as illustrated by the fact that she vehemently declared that 4 1 Tout bicn, ou rien,’ ’ was a Latin motto. Miss Doby excelled the rest of the class by the plentiful supplies of headaches and prayer meetings by which she was prevented from doing her work. We can truthfully say of this class that, next to algebra, it was the easiest thing in college. A history of 1900 would be incomplete without an account of a class meeting and a trip. The trips were ordinary, hut the meetings were extraordinary. No class in any school or college had such enthusiastic, noisy debates or masterful diplomatic talent displayed in electioneering, such oratory and. not least, such muscular force displayed in applause. Imagine sixteen or eighteen persons, with ten or a dozen ideas on one subject between them, called upon to deal with an important subject, which must be immediately disposed of. The result of the voting would be wild confusion, noisy altercations, cutting sarcasms on the part of the chairman, and the result of business postponed. 'The business was varied by little extempore entertainments given bv the elocutionary members of the class, or, rather, by those who imagined themselves gifted in that line, chief among whom was Wolf, who ventured one day 27