Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-12-15
Foreign Correspondence ofthe Free Press and I mes
PRUsSIAN SCHOLANsHIP Az VIEW
ED ny AN AMERICAN ABROAD.
some trticisms ON Prof. Adams Phi
Beta Kappa Discourse.
BERLIN. Nov. Goth, 1916.

PRUssIAN sCHOLAWsHIP As VIEW
ED BY AN AMERICAN ABROAD.
Some Cratieisms ON Prof. Adams Phi
Beta Kappa Discourse.
BERLIN. Nov GOTH lo7G.
To the Editor Of the Free Press and Times
SIR - 1t is always an ungracious thing to
crlticise the utterances OF ones own guests.
If | were member Of the PHI Eota Kappa
Society. and could therefore be held even
coEstructively responsible for inviting Pro-
fe.sor Adams. of Michigan University, to de-
liver the address before that Society at the
last Commencement of the University OF
Vermont, the claims Of hospitality might
silence even the scruples of historical truth.
Such, however, IS not the case. Living far
away from Alma Mater have only Just been
enabled by the kindness of Dr. Peek to read
that interesting and suggestive discourse,
and to accept It's excellent lessons in the
spirit in which they were offered. But there
Is one passage to which. think exception
must be taken The impulse which leads
me to undertake such Il protest can only be
described by what Professor Adams calls the
Saxon" word-duty.
refer TO page - Of tie address as publish
ell, and to the following paragraph
" The little nation of two generations os1
fPrussill has not only become in higher
learning the educator Of the world. hut has
become tie strongest power Of Europe
When put 10 the test, It's generals could p.sa
q campaign which for mprehelsIyrueas AMI
uufaIling certainty Of result exceeded every
thing done under tie great Napoleon, and
the soldiers. after defeating tie proudest
legious OF the world, could recreate them
selves by writing and singing tie kut-cLke
Lied IL tAIrty-two lansuages.
have met tins pretty legend Of ,Ae nl..i-
tary linsaists before and III other forms
For SIX years now it has done faithful ser-
vice as We s4y in America, "a The platform
and il tie press as Al rhetorical eiabelli7h-
meut i, Is not without d certain value. What
can be better calculated to fill with zeal, or
despair. tie souls Of ambitions American
youth than ;lis picture ola German conquer
Inc army, two or three hundred thousand
men. singing the d. kut,chke Li,i, on tie
homenArI match. IN tie language oi the
Tcherem.ssians or the Samoyeles How
grand how .n-p ring If. alas 1t weI- only
true But tie word soldiers" may lee
misprinted, aud Professor Adams may ask
leave to reduce lis army Of scholars 10 Lalf
dozen. OF even to A SOLITARY execution # enc.
But even with this modification the statement
would De- rrepo.;,rous. Iv,nture t. deuv
and To challenge tine proof. that there is
single man. not siiui.ly ia til, German army
but II Germany NJ All. who ,tr. Translate tie
"netschk Lac" OF any other sou- into tIirty-
tao different languages. doubt If that feat
be IN the power Of more Than ono man in all
Europe. and he is al American Mr. George
7. Marsh.
Now lot Us see how this story will be -
duced under tie application If facts. Dur
ing the WAY with France tie m,rcils-s Prus-
sian constitution forced INTO the ranks
vouue professor OF the ancient languages.
He was in the habit Of corresponding from
the field with an older friend also T. profs-
sor and now and then lie ornancuteI Lis !
letters with bits n S.nsrrit In a lyrical
moment lie NAV ey,u have rendered tie
&. Kut.elt. T,el" iu,, that t5u.-r. T. SIN
happened that ore OF these letters .gil iato /
the hands Of NJ friend. DR.. Abel. Who Is /
himself one Of the finest German pLilolo-
sists, and be sent II as curiosity to tie I.
London Times. Doubtless 10 person wouIl I
be less likely than Dr Abel In af,irn, tl,... tho
German, army. ror.,rer.l the F-.,,,l, 40. I.
cause # was tbr,. inns rs lar... lut le-
cause II contained on. man WHO lne,, san
scrit. Ii IS certain that L,iil not foresee
the p-oces, of aecr,,ion oreyolutiou which
in SIX wears shoull transform his SINGLE lin
pui,tic couscritt into o the sollj4r,~ oC the
German army his siucle FOREIGN ianruare
into thirtv-two. and the letters written To
learned professor into SONGS chauted bv VIC
torious troops. Least Of all. can he have ex-
pected that in tins Inoustrouslv exaggerated
version, the story would be grayely repeated
by professor OF history before an educated
American audience Professor Adams is a
great admrer of German science he must
know that of their historical science one of
the chief clements Is q prudent and resolute
skepticism.
But even if the facts agreed exactly with
Professor Adams story, fail TO see what
lesson is to be drawn from them. Is Ameri-
"a to teach her male population thirty-two
languages III order that She may organize
and maintain "A military system like that OF
Prussia Or rather, Ii she to Introduce a
aw OF universal CONSUMPTION IN order to
make soldiers Of all her scholars and think
RS These seem to me to be the only pos
'Ible differences from Professor Adams Illus
ration in practice they are the only appa-
.,,, ,,,,.o..,,o,,.o. - -. -. =.
eN NO''' t"eHNe' VI '"sA'" 'i'''i!- '"'-
'ess has produced im'tators just where mi
alton was suggested Since the war France
md Russis bova ir,ro.1,.e,, ,l,, p,,,s,;,,, .,-.
euh oi UNIVERSAL eohserptioh ana the rus
ian system OF educating their officers for
he nossible demands of f,re;,,, so,,.;.o ,
-
'ut 'hey nave not i'aihed rom IFnsSil that ,,
scholarly class may be created without ,
buttipo the ambition, bcprcao;s o.,, Of oil
;,,
'Ae' iN''o f'N''en' PAIN" Vi PreleIiheA' 'ii'' :
free spirited and intelligent people is better !
han a Chime Of savanna fenced in bv n mill
,rx q social or5 = ro1;,;oaI ari.;o1r,.,,