THE PROFESSOR AND HIS CLASS. 243 



party, was not then understood, and they were confounded with 

 meetings of representative bodies, where strength is tried by dis- 

 cussing and voting. A friend of the Professor's, older than the 

 youngsters of his class, but a good deal younger than himself, was 

 known strongly to favor an invasion of the meeting from our side. 

 He called on the Professor presently before the meeting ; it was a 

 friendly visit, but partially, I presume, for the purpose of sounding 

 the Professor on the exciting question. Just before leaving, he ex- 

 pressed a hope that there would be no disturbance. The Professor, 

 drawing himself up, answered, as well as I can remember having 

 heard, in this wise : ' What any set of blackguards may be pre- 

 pared to attempt in these days I cannot predict ; but I can say, 

 that if I see any man who is on terms of acquaintance with me 

 go to that meeting to meddle with it, I hope I may be the first — 

 (a pause) — to kick him out into the street.' And the visitor said 

 the Professor looked as if he were so close on the point of rehears- 

 ing this performance on the spot, that he involuntarily started a 

 good pace back. 



" Though politics entered deeply into our social and literary in- 

 tercourse at that time, yet the Professor was strong enough in his 

 other elements of distinction to keep himself aloof, and remain un- 

 touched in his other relations by the influence of party, without in 

 the least degree putting in question the sincerity of his attachment 

 to his own side. He made in the class just one allusion to politics, 

 and it was emphatic. An ambitious student, in one of his essays, 

 finding his way to the characteristics of democracy, made some 

 allusions to passing events in a tone which he no doubt thought 

 likely to secure the favor of the Professor. We never would have 

 known of this effort had it not been read out in full to us in the 

 class, and followed by a severe rebuke on the introduction of poli- 

 tics to a place where party strife should be unknown." 



Another student,* who attended the class seven years later, for- 

 tunately preserved his notes, and sends me the following vivid 

 recollections of the winter session of 1837 : — 



" Of Professor Wilson as a lecturer on Moral Philosophy, it is 

 not easy to convey any adequate idea to strangers, — to those who 

 never saw his grand and noble form excited into bold and passion- 

 ate action behind that strange, old-fashioned desk, nor heard his 



* The Rev. William Smith, of North Leith Church. 



