The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-07-06
...r .cnoLAR AND TuE STATE.

r,r SCHOLAR AND THE STATE.
p..b.o Henry C. Potter, of the do
,f Nv York. in his address before
mp, Beta Kappa Society, of Hazard
1-,i,,r,.ty SAID:
..rs, holar and the State; this is
home during the few moments
. ,..r rare favor vOuchsafes TO me.
r,,,e me If / speak to it with the
r.Igues,. which, as / am profoundly
r...,1sei. the hour demands, even
!, rlgr judgments may not quite APP
.Ibs Republic at this moment is con-
...rf.! bv three conspicuous dangers.
..r,.l. while they may not be those
,.Eichall of US may own as most grave,
l.,e. nevertheless. typical and rep
tentative character whose significance
.+,.r1f easy TO OveTestmate. Let me
.,.st of them briefly for a few mo-
r..rf.. and then Of those more particu-
fr obligations which their existence
sa,.I,,s upon scholars. No system OF
.-.v.rrment has won more hearty en-
..-Ilms from those trained under alien
.t..- aud rule than our own. and no
..r.uhp has read the remarkable re-
,..u ot cur political institutions by
I. eminent and gifted English
mao. Professor James Brice, TO
...u We owe the two volumes
....I.I Tine American Common
-.I,n. can rise from them without
,r..0ui q sense Of the great possibilities
molly conceived and so firmly
fsUreed a system Of government IN
.rrurd under conditions so exception
sl.v favorable 10 It's success. But, as
T.. rocuu5ville pointed out long ago,
t.e exceuence aud Gelicacy OF a vast
civic mechanism only the more de-
uards intelligent, prudential reVerent
handling. With that rare foresight
and penetration which Will make him
for AL time teacher 10 this people. he
wrote. nearly three-fou-ths of cen
tprv a.,o: 1t would seem as If the rulers
of our time sought only to use men to
make things great. | wish they would
lry little more 20 make great men,
t6qt thrv would set less value upon the
-Ore aud more upon the woikmen;
..t ,hry would never forget that a
n,,.p can 10, long remain strong
,,lrr.,ory mau belonging TO 1t Is IN
I,...Uv weak, aud that 10 form or
e.umnauon # social policy has yet
l.oa devised 10 make az energetic peo-
rI. ont of community OF puslllaul-
-u.u, aud enfeeblvd citizens.
And vet one would think that no
.,.ta.u mad ever been devised more ef'
f.rt.ally 90 disparage the work and TO
DEGRADE into pusiilanimous and eniee-
BLEED citiz sushiu the wOI kman than that
svstem of civil service which, Tor the
last ff.v wears. aud never more insist
entity Dian Of late has been trying to es-
tablisa Itself among the people. A
policy of f4yoTitism which MAKES par
ti-su service q e substantial basis ior
u5ntical prelerment and fine dlsdain
for the element OF personal htness'
whatever tbe place or tack, when
aNscts only 30 much competency as can
r,-cue the place holder from absolute
....,r,ce. this has come 10 be the war
CRY winch treats every political contest
a. sinplv scramble for political emol-
,meut. That such a view OF the
..rvice Of the Government should
ba held by some Tuscan bandit escaped
out az the Transvaal pine Businesses to
prey upon,our uDsuspectlng institutions
would not be occasion for surprise.
gut that d has come TO be the dellbe-
rate conviction Of men in high places
..mog,. ps. and that this new gospel OF
uuscrupu Gus self-seeking Is openly
proclaimed a. the only spell po~erful
enough % maintain healthy ana ac-
tive lutcros. in our pontical lnstltu-
-i,u--taat. in other words. there Is no
in.;iact OF patriotism strong enough TO
cou-irain q man TO active participation
in the political life Of the nation unless
There dangies before him all the while
lhe possible pIize which he may snatch
uut n thess.rdid and shameless strife
ehi.. certainly. is a teaching which may
r,cA make all honest people hush with
fc.n and Indignant shame. For. IN
cIo-. tauch with It. there stands plainly
enou.,h .he inevitable cOrOllary that no
man who rerves the State only
from spch motives will scruple
ro sacrifice public interests 10
Drivats ends whenever he can
-9fe'y do so. And. Indeed. that no
higher sense Of civic obligation than
This is widely prevalent Is indicated by
the painful fact TO which one finds IL
difficult. 10 allude with becoming deli
c.cy aud reserye) that great parties and
Great personages are able 10 this matter
=, affirm on platform and ia Official
nfonupciamentos and with such uuctu-
.u. ,,lemnity virtue which. IN prac
gice they find il no ieEs easy with open
arl brazen impunlty 10 iiout aud jus
J-g.gd. Such situation. gentlemen
aI-gui.a j. or dispute II as men may
never can be belittled or urged as a
mere parti-an issue. IL Is an issue oil
morals: it h. a question II common
honesty: for men IN civic power are
simply the servants Of the State. and
the public service IS a public trust
abuse or peIyersiOn or malfessance IN
which is not a less, put greater crlml
than uniaithfulness TO a private trust
And that briggs me 10 speak Of an
oihsr danger which threatens the safety
of the public. and concerning which
think The duty Of ali scholars is equally
clear aud imperative.
.Out Of Ihe evils TO which have jus
referred there has grown. not unnsIu
rally. another, which. 10 It's enfeet lInl
and coriupting possibilities, is matte
II portentOus import. Nr. Lecky. II
his History Of European Morals" ha
drawn an Impressive picture OF the de
cadence Of Roman greatness uoder tb'
deteriorating Influence Of Roman con
quests. Enriched by the wealth wruni
from her baTbaric neighbors. with a dom
inan, class, flushed with success and de
biitated by self indulgence the lmperia
policy soon became one pre-emineptI.
Of pIOfuse indulgence. II was easier u
bribe the unemployed TO silence than &
devise efficient methods fortheir employ
ment, ard powerful citizens provided TO
their trains Of dependents by largesse
Of cOrn and Of money paid directly from
the public treasury. There was thu
secured 10 them docile and OBSERVER