"One of the Liveliest"

If students at the University of California (founded 1868) ever took it into their heads to toss rotten eggs at a commencement speaker, people in the U.S. and around the world would know what to think: it would be the final, but not unexpected, proof of U.S. cultural barbarism. At the University of Glasgow (founded 1451), students have been throwing things for generations, have made public uproar an honored tradition. A visiting Frenchman once called Glasgow's men "the greatest bunch of savages in Europe," and Glaswegians took it as a compliment. Last week, stimulated by both the university's 500th anniversary and Scotland's hullabaloo over the Stone of Destiny, the Glasgow savages outdid themselves.

When Scottish Nationalist Dr. John MacCormick, Glasgow's new rector (TIME, Oct. 30), stood up to make his acceptance speech in St. Andrew's Halls, he was greeted with a shower of overripe tomatoes, firecrackers, toilet paper and bursting flour sacks. His address, which he manfully finished in spite of it all, was punctuated by the blare of trumpets, sirens and whistles. One student dressed in long underwear ran on to the stage bearing a torch; later, someone released a quacking duck at MacCormick's feet. Two other students stretched a rope across the auditorium, did acrobatics in midair.

Rector MacCormick plowed on about home rule for Scotland, even after a couple of faculty members, hit by rotten eggs, gave up and withdrew. When it was all over, MacCormick dabbed at egg and tomato stains on his robes, said tersely: "One of the liveliest installations I've ever seen."

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