SOME OXFORD PROFESSORS.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7525, 15 April 1890, Page 2

SOME OXFORD PROFESSORS.

By Am Oxonian.

The Regius Professor ot Greek, Mr Jowefct, better known as the Master ot Ballfol, is the most prominent figure in the Oxford of to-day, and he owes his positioai partly to Ms capacity for getting on and partly to his restlessness and vanity, which is always urging him to pat himself en evidence. Life, without the chances of making effective poses, would have no charms for him. He may have been different in his youth, but for many a year past his chief object in life seems to be to create an effect, and if this has been his object, he may congratulate bimselr upon complete success, for Oxford without the Master of Balliol would hardly be Oxford. Nor does he seek academic influence alone; his social influentse outside the University is very considerable, for he has managed to stamp his mind more or lesson most of the promising meniwho have been at Balliol during the last thirty or more years. That he has been able to do this proves him to be no ordinary man. Most people are ready to acknowledee his scholarship and mental capacity, but at the same time his persistent attitudinising irritates tnean and makes them disinclined to give full credit to his genuine worth. And ma dogmatic and long remembering cast of mind has tended, to alienate the sympathy of many who, at first, felt well inclined. These traits in his character well brought out in a brilliant letter by Kosmos," addressed to the Master of Balliol. [Letters to Eminent Persons, ' WorJd. J From the tone of his reanarks made at the openingof the new Hall at BallioLhe shows tfie bitterness felt at the preference given to Dr Scott, of Liddle and Scott fame, when both were candidates for the mastership. No doubt the present Master felt that the heat and burden of the day had been borne by him in vain, for it was owing chiefly to his exertions that the College had maintained and even increase! its great reputation for scholarship. And then not to be appreciated. It was enough to make anyone feel bitter. Much as he felt it, the Master had the good sense not to show any outward signs of his feelings at the time. Quite otherwise was it with Mark Pattison, afterwards Rector o£ Lincoln, who retired into the Adullara ofj* country living when he first failed to secure election to the headship of bis college. To appreciate the stories told about the famous Master, one must realise his personal appearance. Small in limb and feature, below the middle height, he at once attracts attention by his snow-white hair and delicate pink and white complexioai. His appearance may be summed up by the expression neat and delicate ; delicate not iv the sense of weak health, but rather fragile and not to be too closely approached by theprofahe. He has been described as of cherubic countenance. As a matter of fact he strongly reminds one, by his delicacy of feature and complexion, of those curious creatures to be found in mediaeval paintings, whose anatomical structure is incomplete. And in a caricature displayed in Shrimpton's window of sundry celebrities grouped around and above the 'Varsity Church, there may be «een floating gracefully in the ambient air the Master of BallioV looking qaiice in place in those upper regions. He is proud, and justly so, of his feet. The learned shoemaker In the "Broad" used to display the lasts of his more famous or shapely-footed customers, and conspicuous among tbe specimens were those of the late Dean Stanley and of the Master of Balliol. Of course such lovely extremities are too good for ordinary boots, shoes aud buckles alone could adequately display their beauties.- As if his general appearance was not enough to attract attention, he always wears evening dress, being the sole survivor of .the bid-world don, who alwayS wore'thafc costume-. It was clerical and dignified, or was supposed to be so. Now there are circumstances when even* ing dress does not look well.. The present writer once had to see the Master officially and was unfortunate enough to call just after the publication of the Greats list in December, 1878. No Balliol man had got a First; in fact, no Firsts were awarded that term. That Balliol should be unrepresented in the First Class list was something quite unknown. "We quite expected "Tom to toll. Well, the Master was Mcd, if one may apply a slang term to such an august dignitary, he was wrathly riled, and showed it. On being shown into the study one saw a curious little figure rushing up and down the further side of the room, clothed in evening dress and a peajacket. If it had been an ordinary individual we should say he was prancing I about, the coat-tails were standing outbei hind. The effect was irresistibly absjird, and we could not quite suppress a snigger, which caused the vials of his pent up wrath to be poured out on our devoted head. He was never friendly : after that. The Master of Balliol has been nick-named the Modern Socrates, because he models his style of conversation on that of the Grecian sage—a most unpleasant style, too, for it usually ended by making his 'interlocutor look foolish. It was 'an interesting study to watch the Master making mild remarks, or putting apparently innocent questions with oland and silvery voice. And what an appearr ance of interest he would put onl To those who had undergone ihe operation and survived these appearances were significant, and attention was on the 1 alert •lor the denouement. When he cho3e, he was" the most charming of companions and was irresistible to man, woman or child. Ladies, especially the younger ones, considered him adorable; his manner of mingled devotion and deference was a study in itself. Though so charming and apparently so devoted to the sex, he has successfully avoided the perils of matrimony, though he once thought he had a narrow escape. It arose thiis: A favourite student had a serious illness, and the Master, with that kindness of heart for ; which few give him credit, had him removed to the Lodge for better care and nursing. The young man's i •mother and sister were summoned and ! stayed as guests at the Lodge. The Master made himself as charming as possible, and had a terrible fright in consequence. When the patient was convalescent and fit to be taken home, his, sister requested a special interview with the Master, and after gracefully thanking him for his many kindnesses, added that she hoped that he would add one more favour by marry iaig her. Overcome with embarrassment and covered with blushes, though as pleased as a cockatoo that is having his poll scratched, the Master stammered out: "Er—er—my dear young lady, my dear young lady, thihk.of the disparity"—, when tbe fair one realised that her words had been misunderstood and hastened to relieve the Master by saying: "O, I meant would you perform."— * f Certainly, certainly, my dear young lady, certainiy;" and disappeared to recover from the shock to his vanity.

One must not judge from this that in feneral he was unequal to circumstances, n fact, it was rare not to find him master of the occasion. It was a weakness of his to try to get men of good birth or of promise to enter his college, and he liked to get hold of those foreigners who came to study or waste their time at Oxford. JEle had a grandson of the Regent of Siam, and later a brother of the present King ; several distinguished Japanese have sat at his feet, and so have Indians of hieh standing. Hence Balliol got the name of Menagerie. At one time there were a couple of Japanese in residence. They were not like Ah Sin, who didn't know the game. Their ignorance of 100 was genuine and was taken advantage of by some enterprising feilow-nndergrads. The end was the strangers were very much taken in and their losses were heavy. This came to the Master's ears; he sent for the enterprising Caucasian, wfaohad clearly proved that Bill Nye's lament was premature, and his friend, severely wigged them and sent them down. Naturally, the news of the punishment was not long in reaching the victims, who at once went to the Master, and declared that, as they had taken part in the play, they too ought to share in the punishment, and that, if they were not sent down too, they would do hari-kari. " Not on my hearth-ruz, not on my hearth-rug," answered the Master in flute-like tones, gracefully waving Ills hand to warn them off that sacred ground. ! '_'-'■ Sometimes the Master would invite a student to take a walk with him. This compliment apparently was not appreciated at its true value. The story goes that a freshman was once invited to take a walk. As the Master continued to walk in silence, he got more and tnbrli nervous, and at last could stand it no more, so desperately blurted out: "It's a fine day, sir." At laaife they reached the College again, and as the Master was entering the Lodge, he turned round and blandly remarked : fA very original remark pf yours. Mr---". Good-day*

That man retired to his room* and meditated. How far the story Is true one cannot say, but one after* noon the Master met the present writer, when on his wav down to the river, and beckoning him to cro*B th© street kindly inquired after his father, and tnen said "Come with mc." We, went down St. Giles, along the Broad, down to the end of Holywell, till we nearly reached Longwall, when tho Master,, stopped, knocked at a door, and when disappearing therein turned round and said, "Breakfast with mc on Friday morning. Good day." It became the fashion in the later seventies for society to pay Saturday to Monday visits to Oxford, and the Master of Balliol generally had a series of lions up during Term time. Invitations to Sunday breakfast were considered a privilege, as we were sure to meet celebrities.

The Master of Balliol was nothing If not dignified, but on one occasion he was hardly successful. This was when the late Emperor Frederick, then Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess paid a visit to Oxford in 1880. The Master, of course, acted as cicerone. After lunching at Balliol Lodge, the imperial party was about to set out for the afternoon sight-seeing. The Princess insisted on- the master entering the carriage first, a privilege due to age. But the Master insisted on standing up till the Princess had taken her seat, and was so intent on making bows to her that the carriage started before he was aware of it, The result was what might be expected ; the Master lost his balance and plunged head-foremost into the imperial stomach. A knot of undergraduates at the gate cheered, presumably on the departure of the party, perhaps from admiration at the performance. The Princess took the little accident in very good part, and did her best not to smile very much, but botih she and her -asband looked highly amused. No one can equal tho Archbishop of York for maintaining his dignity under all circumstances, certainly not the Master of Balliol. Still, we should liked to have seen the Archbishop under similar circumstances. The Archbishop was leaving the House of Lords on a raiay day, and got into a hansom. Just as he got seated, he rose to give directions to the driver, who at the very moment let down the window, and crushed in the arohiepiscopal hat. When the head was extracted from the bat, the archiepiscopal countenance was seen to be entirely unmoved, and as dignified as ever. Few men could rival this feat.

The Master of Balliol has written some theological works, but the most famous was his edition of the Epistle to the Romans. On its publication it is said the University met In Convocation and iresolved that the author should be called on to re-subscribe to the Thirty-nine Articles., He did so with the greatest alacrity. The University of Leyden conferred tne honorary degree of D.D. on him for this work. Was Oxford behind the age,and Leyden liberal-minded and abreast of the times?

* The Pandit Krishnavarma told the present writer at a mutual friend's rooms, in Queen's, of his doubts as to the meaning of those words in the Lord's prayer, " Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." He said he could not understand this at all and so went to the Master of Balliol, to which college he was attached, for an explanation. When he had explained.his difficulties to tbe Master, and asked what meaning this had, the latter replied: "Nothing at all, nothing at all, a relic of mediaeval superstition." We really do not know whether the Pandit was,more astonished at the Master's explanation or at our reception of it, for his countenance was rather sad and he looked as if his yearnings after truth were still unsatisfied.

His edition of "Plato" attracted much attention, partly from the author's reputation for Greek scholarship, partly from the views he was known to hold on Platoulc philosophy. Cambridge scholars -wetnot satisfied with the performance. Maybe it was jealousy. Dr. Thompson, the late Master of Trinity, had a pretty severe review of it in the Academy, and a good many people seem to agree with him. However,-the edition has attained the position of a standard work, in spice of hostile criticism, and it must be admitted that it is at least very fine English prose. Ldng ago Mr Jowett projected a complete edition of the Greek classics for English readers, and iv pursuance of this idea he increased his share in it by a translation Of Thucldydes, but this work was rather disappointing, and hardly came up to the high expectations that had been formed. Mr Casaubon'skey to all the religious is a dismal-xemplarof such ambitious projects, but this of the Master of Balliol's appears likely to be carried out. The aid of other Balliol scholars has been secured, and in January last appeared the' first volume of Xenophon translated by H. G. Dakyus. ■ The. theological views of the Master of Balliol are by many considered eccentric. He was 'a contributor to the "Oxford Essays," and perhaps his essay made those unthinking people who blindly follow tradition, prejudiced against him* Anyhow,, he must be held orthodox, after submitting to' the test the University bad required. Some people hold that his theology consists of unequal parts of Christianity, Mahommadanism, Buddhism, and Jowett. Perhaps so. True, he has given grounds for talking from using uncommon subjects as texts to his sermons. Those who have read Mallock's "New Republic" wilt remember the very amusing parody of the Master under the name of JL>r Jenkinson. The serrnon'pub Into the Doctor's mouth a thoroughly characteristic in style of the Master s; what made the parody so telling was the fact that Mr Mallock had been a favourite disciple. Some of the bolder spirits would occasionally pluck up courage to draw the Master by asking if he had ever read- the "Ne*v Republic." The answer came short and sharp: " No, no, very foolish book, very foolish book. When the Regent of Siam's grandson was at Balliol, the story goes that he got converted, to Christianity. The Maa ter was sadly - grieved "at "this falling aWay from an ancestral faith, took him in hand, and reconverted him to Buddhism. This young gentleman had been brought up by missionaries in his youth, hence his exceeding fluency in the language hortatory. May be it was due to his early familiarity with the prophetical books of the Old Testament; anyhow he could give away weight to a Coldharbour bargee, and that is saying a good deal. In spite of his early training he had a sense of humour. One night he was stopped by a Proctor fOr being without cap and gown, and. was requested, as usual, to call oa thai official at nine o'clock the next morning. He was asked if he had any reason why the usual fine should not be inflicted. He said he didn't think so, and when told that the fine was five shillings, pulled out a teapound note and requested the Proctor to let him know when it was exhausted. Many Oxford contemporaries of this ingenuous youth will recall his various eccentricities and the stories to which he gave j ri-eY T > .l."; '"' :'•;.' ''?'*■"' : : I

I It had always been the custom for heads of Houses to take a doctor's degree on election, if not previously of that standing. The Master of Baljiol has never done so, audloftaloaigtime was conspicuous in the procession of Heads at Commemoration as the only one not arrayed In the gorgeous doctor s gown. It was fully though t that his term as Vice-chancellor would be marked by innovations, nor was expectation disappointed, for two startling proposals were, successfully carried. Succeeding Dr. Evans in 1882, he at once began his reforms. Women were admitted to some of the Professors' lectures and were allowed to take some of! the School*, the University examiners "certifying to their proficiency, and their names were entered iv the Calendar. This was only following in the steps of Cambridge, where, the students of Girton; and Newnham had bean granted such privileges for some' time past. But the school of Lltterae Humahiores was still held too sacred for the female foot to penetrate. (We believe this school is now open to them). A change that mast have startled oldfashioned people still more was the abolition of the divinity examination. For some years previously those who gave notice that they had conscientious scruples Were permitted to substitute some extra work in. philosophy for the divinity, bat the notion got abroad, rightly or wrongly, that a man prejudiced his chauces of a First if he gave such notice. The abolition Of this test Was a step in the right direction,! for it served no useful purpose and was only a gratuitous annoyance. This examination ha? nothing to do with the school Of Sacra Theologia, but was a light examination in the Greek Testament and Bible history that had to be passed before the candidate was allowed toApply for his degree. The only eanse of regret for the abolition of this relic of the past lies in the fact that this was the examination that has given rise to bo many good stories. It is odd that divinity should give rise to the extraordinary mistakes, made, but a good many of them Were undoubtedly due to the hervonaness of the examineea,for at Oxford ail examinations, except are open to the public, and the wives and daughters, of professors and doas used to resort thither for amusement, Nor did their re* pressed merriment tend to reassure the nervous youth undergoing the torture. In oar time there was only one really amU-» lag answer. Mr C, a scholar of St. John's.

wm aaked about SefM,~„Srf^^ launched forth eloquent!. thJ x \, n) he was a famous^bl",«»___ : , a Ksh and used to delight; The Pc ± c ,5, 0 * hL nfi oratory; and on one 2sU™_ ?Wg eloquent speech, the »o_£ A** «■*! Uthavolceof a'god! no?th a t and because he did not deny tki a **«• peachment, he was struck win, 6 m *> !<_. after a short intervali add, J 1 * *«m£ tone of volce~«and died"& o _d£ dtCe % he got Into trouble. CctUc *»to.jJ Besides these innovations ns« iw Balliol marked hts af lending his schools of Science and Mcd id nl .1 «W greatly owing to his Wt * teaching has been put f and raised to the present state ofefflS 6 ! On tho whole the services reniwS .*%, University by the Master of fe* been great; some of his ideas ___>** »T_ n K nd i_i niver!ial ."PPwbatlon "g__ W work has been conscientious and __2*L_**« slve, tending to bring the accordance with the spirit attu Under his influence Ba 110 l h& 9 a nunaber of abte menOxford and Balliol are indebted* taft *¥ an extension of their reDu_»Hn„ widening of their InfluX t£_nff» the country. VM ™«p«ia»