The Republican journal., 1886-08-19
Mr.. Blaine's Guantanamo Addres,

Mr.. Blaine was among the visitors at Chau-
tAuqna y Assembly camp At frvcbur4 Auy. ,.
and IN the afternoon spoke briefly regarding
some Of the tendencies in modern college cdl-
cation.
lie hnl long wished. l.e said. to visit one
Of the thaUtauqua assemblies to learn more of
thelr modes Of procedure and expires, his adj
nratlon of the >inguarly efficient work of this
as>ocmtion-'ioing 30 modc>tlV and with such
SINAI cost he members are indeed accom-
pli>hn- what Sidney Smith declared the found
er> OF the Eiinhufg Review have prescribed As
Then ann IN their classic maxim. which freely
Translated, he said, meant that They were trans
alli9 lltcratur" on little oat meal. The or
gahlzatlon which Dir Vincent has 50 at,iy per
tcrtcd is novel IN design and would have been
absolutely impossible before the era Of rail
roads and telegraph. Or. Vincent has founded
popular university in which students can be
admitted without regard to are or previous
culture. and which by a large stimulus i'm
lfited by cooperation. l. producing hundreds
0t thousands earnest and serious reader, in the
country. It Is self instruction. guided m the
right channels aud made efficient bv Il c0ulnre-
hen,iVc and mastery organization. some of
the features Of this Chautauqua organization
might teach useful lessons to many Of our col
legt~. The danger hescting our higher c,luca-
ton j, its expense and beyond that the sill
greater danger Of permitting 4 dcmoraizine
and c0rruptivc expenditure bcvond the uecr>-
which have come down to US from the colonial
period, the ancient habit was to arrange BOYS
lll class roll, according TO the recognized So
rill rank of their parents
he establishment of national republican,
government as the result of our Iirrrs,fiIl
rev 1lutlon broke down this ariStocratic pretcll-
tloh and the names of students were thence
forth called alphabetically. But in the remark
able acquisition of wealth on the part of 50
many ~ the nlted states another was grow
me MP i'll our highest colleges. even more otlrn-
sivc than the ancient oue--a distinction which
me cqu;ultN OF all men as set forth in the
declaration of independence would not endure
Of all the forms of social superiority. Most
uncomfortable is that founded on mere wealth.
unaceOmpanied is il often j. bl learning by
virtue, or by good manners. The sense Of
inequality forced upon the poor boy. or the
boy OF moderate means. by the lavish eXprnHi-
tlre OF the rich boy will prove in the end
destructive to the usefulness of any institution
that permits it. The military and naval acadc-
mics of the national government have been
opposed often i'll Congress on the ground that
they are ari>tocratic Institutions That is n
great mistake. There are no institutions in
the country in which equality of right and
equality OF position are so absolutely maiI-
tanned as those at West Point and Annapolis.
No cadet can spend more than another and
each Is limited to some $40 per annllm ON
that amount SON of Mr.. Van Buren,. when he
son of the tailor who was making the cadet
uniforms We're each and alike compelled 10
live. The university in the United States
which can establish democratic equality in the
style OF living among its students ard tolerate
no distinction except those based Oh aristocracy
OF talent and requirements will inevitably be-
come the centre and source of the highest
culture in America and will contribute to the
elevation of learned professions in civil life in
as high degree as West Point and Annapolis
have contributed to the military and navy
prestige of the republic
Another feature of modern colleuiate train-
ing to which exceptions may be taken is the
long time employed. Admission to college
now, is, on an average, at the same ace at
which students i'll the preceding generation
graduated TO Il very young man favored by
ample means the course runs thus: Admit
ted to college at IS, graduates at y, completes
his professional studies al %. goes abroad to
hear lectures i'll a foreign university. and re-
turns home at - or d. If he be heir to a
great fortune and intends to lead life of mere
leisurely elegance this form of preparation is
very good, but if he is compelled to depend
ultimately on his own labor for his bread. he
Is sincerely to be pited for he has contracted
habits and tastes quite out of harmony with the
people with whom he is to live, and uncongenial
TO the clients upon whose favor and confidence
he must depend for success. He finds that con-
temporary who opened law office at twenty
strong foothold in his profession. and while he,
with his European training, may know more
iii many fields, he knows less in the field essen
tial to success. He finds himself junior to
those OF his own age, and finds he has wasted
IN general culture some precious years which
should have been devoted to his special calling
in life. The disadvantage to which Young
man would be subjected in the learned profess
sions is vastly increased when he intends to
enter upon business career; a banker, mer-
chant, a manufacturer, and in either case his
fate is not unlikely to be that Of il discouraged
life. would not put forth this judgment with
such confidence. said Mr.. Blaine, if | didn't
feel Substantially the opinion of one of the abIcst
men who ever taught in an English tongue.
An English gentleman, the late Mr. Forster,
widely known as Secretary for Ireland in Mr.
Gladstone's cabinet, was a sOn-n-law of the
ilustrious Arnold of Rugby, and in a CONVEX
sation on the subject which / am now discuss
ing Mr.. Forster told me that it was the opn-
ion of DIR. Arnold that the young men of Eng
land were making mistake of the delay, and
it were better if they should be engaged in
their life calling by q or % years of age.