Fresh from Pegasus

Southland Times, Issue 10201, 5 July 1889, Page 2

Fresh from Pegasus

: -r-^ We (Otago Daily Times) understand that matters which have for some time past been on an unsatisfactory footing between Pro." tessor Black and the students of chemistry at the university came to a crisis on Monday morning. The practice of throwing chalk about the lecture room appears, unfortunately, to have been a not uncommon one among the members of. the class, which is attended by about 40 students, of whom three are ladies ; and on the morning in question a piece of chalk that was designed for the head of " Wullie," the laboratory assistant, rolled (along the platform among the professor's feet. So far as we have learnt, what followed was substantially this : — Professor Black, who was at the time engaged in working out a chemical problem on the blackboard, turned to the class, and requested the student who threw " that piece of chalk "to stand up. There was no response to the invitation, and the professor remarked that the thing was becoming serious, but proceeded with his lecture. • At the close of the hour, however, he again adverted to the subject, and said the class was composed of boys and blackguards. He named four students as belonging to the latter category, and intimated that these must in future enter and leave the lecture room by the back door— that is to say, they were not to enter or depart by the door used by the professoi 1 , behind the platform. The four who had been dabbed blackguards did leave by the back door, and a fifth student, who attempted to exculpate.one of the four, was virtually told to mind his own business. A practical class is held in the afternoon, andauiongstothers who attended it on Monday were some of those who had been "named" in the morning. One of these was informed that he mizht

absent himself from class for the remainder of the session, another was requested to absent himself for a week "to think over it," and a third— the student who had been befriended in the morning — was, after explanation, again received within the fold. The sentence upon the fourth delinquent was reserved until Tuesday morning, when he presented himself at" cJass (entering, by the way, by the front door across the platform) with the others, including the student who had been expelled for the session. The professor paused in the course of his lecture and stated that he would give the gentle, men another chance of confessing, the ofiehce of the previous day. , No one making any reply, the -professor proceeded to | ask. the members of the class mdi vidually whether they had been guilty cf throwing chalk. After he had asked three students (one of whom fills the responsible position of a lecturer in the university), he came to the so-called " blackguard who remained to be dealt with. The student admitted having thrown chalk, but stated he did not know whether he had thrown the particular piece to which the professor had referred to on the previous morning. He was then requested to see the professor at the close of the lecture. This he did, and Professor Black informed him that he (the student) would oblige him by staying away altogether for the rest of the session, and added that he would not give, him a certifi* cate of attendance. That is how the matter s: a ids. at present — two students have been practically expelled from the class for the session, and a third h»3 been rus.titta.te&fNm