Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-07-16
College Education for Journalists and Orators

College Education for Journalists and Orators
, CHARLES FRANCIS ApAMs' ADDRESS AT AN
nERST.
The unusual number Of commencement
!. addresses delivered this year BY men OF
high mari is noticeable. The discourses
of DR.. Wool<cy at Harvard. of Gov Cham
berlain at Yale, Of Gov. Bullock at Brown.
Of Gov. Hawley at CaZanoyia, of Charles
Francis Adams at Amherst, hive attracted
much attention. The latter. especially, has
had very full publicity in the columns Of
several leading journals. and both on
account of the fame Of its author and the
interest of its subject, has found wide
circle of interested readers. Mr.. Adams
central thought was the duty resting upon
our colleges, in preparing leaders and
guides Of the public mind. 1t is well to
fill the students with the best results of the
latest scientific research and to train them
in linguistic culture. lie would not re-
strict tn, work of the colleges in this direc-
ton. But he would seek to make them
more Of living force by directing their
training with the speci view of qualify
ing men to fill, with the largest measure OF
success. the places of greatest influence.
These places are those Of the journalist and
the orator The press and the platform
the latter including of course the pulpit
are the great levers which move the public
mind. Mr.. Adams aludes with emphasis
TO 1.-THE decline of sensitiveness to the force
/ OF plrely moral obligations in civil lie"
| While in many respects the tone OF our
/ politics is superior to that of forty years
ago, the magnitude of our financial stakes
and the base methods Of politics have bred
/ generalization and corruption. As barrier
/ against this. Mr.. Adams finds nothing so
promising and potcus as the independent
press-nOt that which assumes the name
without exhibiting the true spirit, but
press independent in the best sense of the
word. lie does not say or mean that in
dependent journalism signifies journalism
independent Of party. On the contrary, he
recognizes the necessity of parties in every
free government. and the duty of every cit;
zen to &C; with that party which bes; rep
resents lis principles and convictions. The
same obligation rests npon the press. But
it should be under the guidance of men
well trained for their work, richly stored
by education with intellectual and moral
rcscarccs. and practised in the art Of plac-
Ing them attractigey a. well As convincing
~ before the world" This kind OF educa-
ton he would have our colleges aim TO i'm
part, 81 that our journalists might be fully
equipped with all the varied weapons needed
in their work.
Mr. Adams second point relates to the
spread Of iudilic7once. if not Of skepticism.
IL the church, on the one hand, and Of |
ritual worship, On the other" lie thinks
thcsa are the two plain tendencies Of the 4
time On the one hand. the Pope i invest
Ell with absolute dominion over the reason
and duty of his followers. On the other, |
the opposition divides into fragments and |
weaken> into sentmentalism. Agains: the |
advance of these opposing Influences, Mr..
Adams wants more POKER in the pulpit. In /
order 20 this he urges a higher cultiya
;iJu Of The art Of oratory. lie does not be-
licyc tha: if the matter be sound, the manner /
j. Of no Consequence. The manner i what |
win, attention 20 the matter. The arts OF
s.ylo and oratory are no: beneath the atten-
tilu Of the greatest, and no man could bet
ter inculcatc this truth than Mr. Adams.
He concludes that the pro!ixty which Is
the crying sin of this day Of eleven day |
speeches, ~, well a. most Of the other faults
OF the oratory of the present day. lies in the
want OF real metal discipline and Of carly
din. No speech, to be effective, he said,
should exceed two hours i'll the delivery,
AID it Is more likely to lose than gain
power, as it proceeds beyond one hour. lie
closed as follows;
thuk see another and different era
approaching In our national history. Ii
no longer presents the image OF a fresh
bud rather viii it be that OF the fall
flower. Il Go not greatly err, the fearful
c.ent~ of the last few years, instead OF I'M
pairing the integral elements Of the staie.
nave swept away, with fiery bosom, all
those which threatened It's SullQitN- luc
Woutrous engines OF power, eOntriycd as 1t
on purpose TO overcome our greatest OF
-,acl5S Of space and time. are knitting
bond OF interest thousand told more dura-
bic than the metal of which they are com
posed W hat a majestic theatre IS rising
Def re my vision ~ think OF iti-a theatre
upon which every gifted citizen. If truly in
spirci hy the highest virtues implanted in
humanity. may. IN his brief career, help t.
confirm the noble prophecy OF "Uui1n and
inlepcndance forever held out by the
grea- tracies OF our early time. In con
irl,t with this ma -uihccnt picture. how trI-
lug appear the noblC~t aspirations OF the
statesmen Of the past They do indeed yet
speak from their graves, IN iuH warning ot
some Of the dangers that may vet cross our
Path. Lee their lessons Of experience come
IN and OF the h5roi-m OF the hour There Is
not youth in the hearing of my voice at
this moment, who, u he possess the rcqul-
site qualifications. may not contribute more
directly to the happy destiny Of America
than did all IL nnblc>t orators upon that of
either Greccc or Rome. Shall the patriots,
the holy teachers the learned lurists, tie
inspired bard~ prove themselves equal T.
the commanding station which 1t may be
the viii OF Heaven to summon them TO
assume