I teach only twelve hours. I have no text-books except for two classes,--one of which studies Milton's "Paradise Lost" and the other Tennyson's "Princess" (at my suggestion). I did not suggest "Paradise Lost;" but as the students wanted in different divisions of the class to study different books, made them vote, and, out of seventy-eight, sixty-three voted for "Paradise Lost"! Curious! (Just because it was hard for them, I suppose.) My other classes are special, and receive lectures on special branches of English literature (such as Ballad Literature, Ancient and Modern; Victorian Literature, etc.);--the professor being left free to do as he pleases. Of course, the position, as I try to fill it, will be an expensive one. I shall probably have to buy $1000 worth of books before next summer. Ultimately everything will be less expensive. The classes are very badly arranged (_badly_ is a gentle word); for the 1st, 2d and 3d years of literature make one class;--the 2d and 3d together another class;--the 3d by itself a third class. You will see at once how difficult to try to establish a systematic three-years' course. I am doing it, however,--with Professor Toyama's approval;--hoping that the classes may be changed next year.
The students have been very kind and pleasant. My old Kumamoto pupils invited me to a meeting, and I made a speech to them. They meet in the same temple where Yaoya-O-Shichi used to meet Kichizo Sama,--her acolyte-lover. It is called Kichij[=o]ji.--I met some of my old pupils who had become judges, others who were professors, others engineers. I felt rather happy.
Professor Toyama I like more and more. He is a curious man,--really a _solid_ man and a man of the world,--but not at all unkind, and extremely straightforward. He _can_ be very sarcastic, and is very skilful at making jokes. Some of the foreign professors are rather afraid of his jokes: I have heard him make some sharp ones. But he does not joke yet with me directly--seems to understand me very well indeed. He knows a great deal about English authors and their values,--but says very little about his own studies. I do not understand how he found time to learn as much about the English and American authors as he seems to know. He gave me some kind hints about the students--told me exactly what they liked, and how far to humour them. I had only one long talk with him,--that was at the house of Dr. Florenz one evening. The doctor had invited five of us to dinner.