40 SIR WILLIAM RAMSAY 



studying chemistry in Tubingen asked me to form a coaching 

 class with the object of helping them in their preparation for 

 the doctor's examination. This I did, and the class met in my 

 room. Ramsay was one of the members of that class. When 

 we were last together, in 1912, he reminded me of those meetings, 

 and told me that he still preserved the essays he had prepared 

 as part of the regular work I had exacted. In a jocose way he 

 always referred to me as one of his teachers, and I must confess 

 that this has given me considerable satisfaction notwithstanding 

 the slenderness of the basis. 



He was the youngest of our little party and was a great favorite. 

 One of our forms of recreation was base-ball. It so happened 

 that the Americans were in the majority, which accounts for the 

 choice of this particular game. The Englishmen and Scotchmen 

 took kindly to the game and some of them became fairly good 

 players according to the standards of those days. When in 1912 

 the Johns Hopkins University conferred the honorary degree of 

 Doctor of Laws upon Sir William it fell to my lot as President 

 of the University to make a few remarks, and he replied. Neither 

 of us could refrain from referring to our Tubingen days, and the 

 base-ball club was recalled in public by Sir William. Among 

 other things, he said : ' I tell you the Tubingen base-ball club was 

 not to be sneezed at.' In this connection it is interesting to recall 

 that the present Lord Milner was at times a member of the club. 

 He was not in the University, but came to Tubingen to spend 

 some of his vacations and while there he was invited to join us. 

 As a rule the German students showed no skill in the game. 

 Some of them liked to watch us, but, as far as I can remember, 

 only one ever actually took part in a game and he did not show 

 any aptitude for that kind of activity. 



Skating was another form of recreation which was very popular 

 with us. In this Ramsay was an adept. On many a winter 

 afternoon we were together on the artificial lake provided for 

 the purpose. This was conveniently situated, so that it was an 



