Osler's Razor

With Judge Baylor gone after the probable bear attack, the talents of the remaining members of his family became more pronounced as Baylor University continued to grow. The longest tenure (literally) of any of them belonged to Liz, who taught rhetoric until 1927. Though her faculties were greatly diminished and her teaching methods were largely reduced to prodding others to speak while striking them with a cane, she was a treasured link to Baylor’s proud beginning and history of tort suits by students.

Tiffany Baylor, now widowed, also proved a guiding force in Baylor’s early days. In addition to her important foundational work in establishing the department of Fashion Merchandising, she was very active in the founding of another Baylor tradition that continues to the current day, Mandatory Chapel. Beginning in 1847, Tiffany Baylor led chapel services on campus every Monday and Wednesday; students who failed to attend were taken to the edge of Baylor County and abandoned, generally dying of exposure in the vast desert region to the West. The chapel services normally featured a performance by a touring troupe that Mrs. Baylor was able to engage at a reasonable price.

Because these acts were retained sight unseen, there were very often terrible misunderstandings, including an unfortunate incident in 1857 when a group of Guatemalan “Evisceristas” escaping overland from Mexico were mistaken for the entertainment that day and thrust onto the stage abruptly. They did perform one song with voice and folk guitar, the title of which (roughly translated) was “Jesus, You Lift Me Up (Higher)!” However, several students were ignoring them or, worse, passing notes, laughing, and reading the school newspaper. The Guatemalans swept down from the stage and rudely grabbed up three young female students, whom they kidnapped to Sante Fe and eventually integrated into their gang. Another chapel disaster of that period was a presentation by one Jedediah Swanburg on the topic "This is How We Do It (Outrageous Party People)!" Deguarretype photos of his performance depict a striking departure from the social mores of the time.

Labels: Baylor History