46 PETER GUTHRIE TAIT 



Our departed friend had no sympathy with theological dogmatism, and as 

 little with anti-religious scepticism, and consequently held in contempt discussions 

 on the so-called incompatibility of religion and science. At the same time he had 

 a steady yet thoughtful faith in God, and in that universe which no mere eye of 

 sense, aided by any material instrument, can see. That faith must have made his 

 life richer, stronger, and happier than it would otherwise have been. And it must 

 be a comfort to those who have the same faith, and to those who most deeply 

 mourn his loss, to believe that he has entered into that universe which is so much 

 vaster, and which may well have far greater possibilities of progress in truth and 

 goodness in it than there are in the "seen" universe of us the passing creatures 

 of a day. The things that are seen are temporal. The things that are unseen are 

 eternal. 



For none of his colleagues on the Senatus had Tait a greater esteem 

 and affection than for Professor Flint. Sir Alexander Grant, who was 

 Principal from 1868 to 1885, was regarded by Tait as the ideal tactful 

 President, able to restrain the contending idiosyncrasies of the members of the 

 Senatus and to guide their deliberations with unfailing courtesy. Professor 

 Blackie, who ostentatiously scoffed at all things mathematical, used to ask 

 Tait occasionally to give him some elementary instruction in analytical 

 geometry. Tait drew the x and y axes and expounded their use with his 

 accustomed clearness, and all went well until the teacher pointed out the 

 need of the use of the negative sign, when the irrepressible Grecian broke 

 away with the remark " Humbug, how can a quantity be less than nothing?" 

 On one occasion in the Senate Hall shortly after Blackie had been uttering 

 some strong patriotic sentiments Tait posed him with the conundrum, 

 "What is the difference between an Englishman and a Scot?" The 

 answer was, " Because the one is John Bull and the other is John (Kn)ox." 

 Blackie replied to this chaff by throwing an ink bottle past the head of 

 his tormentor. 



In 1860, the Senatus numbered thirty, and in 1901 thirty-nine. During 

 the forty years' tenure of his Chair, Tait had met in council with one hundred 

 and seven colleagues, most of whom have left their mark in the history 

 of theology, science, literature, or medicine. Of those who have passed 

 away the following Principals and Professors may be mentioned, the latter 

 in the order of their chairs as officially arranged in the University Calendar : 

 Sir David Brewster, Sir Alexander Grant, Sir William Muir, Kelland, Pillans, 

 Sellar, Goodhart, Blackie, Aytoun, Masson, Simon Laurie, Piazzi Smyth, 

 Copeland, Fleeming Jenkin, Rev. Dr James Robertson, Sir Douglas 

 Maclagan, Fraser Tytler, J. H. Balfour, A. Dickson, Hughes Bennett, 



