The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-12-11
THE PACIFIC
Commercial AOOertisrr.
S4TURDAY. EMB II


A PROFESSOR in one Of the American colleges has
recently been lecturing on the condition Of politics
in that country, and be called upon the scholars TO
come into politics, whereby everything would be
made prosperous AMI pure. Press critics on the pro-
fessor are Of the opinion that there is a great deal OF
nonsense written about tie necessity Of inducing
men Of high education. college professors, writers
and orators to enter political life. Occasionally a
scholar ike Gladstone or a literary man ike Disraeli
may prove himself a tatesman but the great results
that have been achieved in craftsmanship have. as q
rule, been the work Of men who we're il no sense
scholars, but who were great in The possession Of
clear common sense and executive power. What Is
wanted in politics is the Intelligence and experience
Of business men Of integrity. The same qualities
which ft a man to manage q business successfully fit
him to be o legislator or q minister. The American
people understand this well enough, and prefer a
man like President Grant, for example, who cannot
make q speech or write q review, to a popular orator
OF a writer of eloquent essays. The problem Of the
day in that country as elsewhere is how TO bring
business tact and business integrity into Office. The
scholar in politics may be to q certain extent orna-
mental, but he is By no means what the necessities
Of a country require. Scholarship,-says the Ro-
chester Democrat and Chronicles good, and its
Importance is in no instance to be reduced by any
theory that may be presented; but at the same time
it is the man that makes the man, and between
scholarship and practical knowledge, SO the two do
not happen TO be combined. there is but one choice.
Mr.. Sumner was one Of the ablest men in the United
States senate; but if the people had to depend on
the legislation Of such as he they would starve to
death. Speeches and scholarship are not needed for
practical purposes-in nine out Of ten cases they are
membranes. Craftsmanship means that which
does the best for the greatest number and does 1t
quickly. The hard-headed men, the small potatoes
of our legislative ~assemblies, the men who know o
dollar at sight and value it according to its exact
worth, the men who have learned business by doing
business-this is the class of men that is needed to
make laws. There Is such q thing as knowing too
much, provided the brain thus visited hasn't the
capacity to carry the lesser as well as the greater
knowledge that falls TO it. Craftsmanship is not
theory and oratory. 1t is not a search through the
past and a cropping through the future and after the
infinite. Read the speech Of Charles Sumner on the
"nepotism - and some other of the things attributed
to President Grant-the most superb mass of nicely
rounded trash that ever fell from the lips Of q
scholarly idiot. What the people want and need is
business. If it is scholarly so much the better; but
they want legislation suited to their needs. One Of
these days we trust that everybody will be scholarly,
so that the legislation which goes through ancient
history in order to make bread cheap and money
plenty will be appreciated; but at present this is ex-
p~ecting too much. A scholarly fool is just as much
q fool as if he were not scholarly, so far as the par
ties depending on him are concerned; and if a re-
preventative man, in politics or otherwise, knows
enough to do that which is expected of him, and no
rhetorical or other nonsense, he is just as much the
coming man as if he had had commissions over the
classics. For the fun of the thing, let the reader
look over the list of successful men, from president
down-in politics, in religion, in business and social
matters-and see precisely what excessive. scholar
ship amounts to. We by no means intend to lessen
the importance of scholarship; but when the scholar
" gentleman elevates his scholarly chin above his
scholarly cravat and proceeds to enlighten the public
as to the salvation which depends solely upon him. it
is time he began to learn somethir G. As a rule, the
thorough scholar is a thorough snob. A thorough
scholarship should teach him TO be exactly the oppo-
site of this; but you can't educate the bone as well
as the brain, and foolishness is bred in the bone.
There are two systems of education--the one a bust
ness affair that fits the young man for real life, and
the other a cropping after the impossible which can.
in no event, be entirely satisfied. Every one should
have both; and if this is impossible he should have
the one first mentioned. Success in life is the main
object, and the hereafter is pretty likely to take care
of sE~alF