The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-08
HUNGER CANDIDATES.

Emperor William of Germany is not
afraid of speaking his mind. He claims that
the evil of the age is the over production of
highly educated people," that journalists
are high school products run to seed" and
that their ranks are recruited from a class
which Bism arck christened "hunger candi-
dates" He has reached the same conclusion
respecting journalists that the late Simon
Cameron, the manipulation Of politics, reached
when he said that they were dam literary
fellerS.'
The Emperors idea is that the German peo-
pie would he happier and better off if they
were less educated. He does not absolutely
sing the praises of ignorance but he holds
that study OF German history, the German
language, German institutions and the prin-
ciples OF German unity, with suitable bodily
trai ming, constitute a sufficient education
for the average German. If Young man
possesses these he can disI ense with science
and letters. In other words his Majesty re-
CARDS the private in the German army as the
ideal of an educated man. He is so con-
WINGED that his views are sound that he an
n0unces that he will license no more high
schools which try to teach their pupils any
thing beyond the elementary branches which
are above specified.
1t is singular how afraid these autocrats
are OF knowledge. A terror of intelligence
pervades them all-from the statesmen who
detected incipient revolution in the discovery
OF printing 10 the slave-owner who made it
mlsdemeanor 10 teach slave to read and
write. In the deepest recesses of their minds
the rossessors OF usurped power realize that
the diffusion Of knowledge will be fatal to
their claims. They feel that when men be-
gin TO reason and to familiarZe themselves
with history and science, institutions which
rest on delusive and ancient customs will
be likely to 90 by the board, and their bene-
fciaries Will go with them. Henry A. Wise
OF Virginia, one of the last champions Of
slavery, thanked God that there was not
single newspaper in the district he repre-
sented: and just so William of Germany
prays God that there shall be no high edu-
cation in the empire which he rules.
There is a foundation for Bismarck's
sheer that journalists are "hunger candi-
dates" His meaning was that large pro-
portion Of the graduates of German uniyer-
sites feel that they can do something more
to their advantage than count bags of flour
or weigh out parcels Of sugar, and drift into
Journalism for the sake Of bread. That may
be misfortune for Germany; it certainly
.
is no calling in the " GRID which offers so
lew prizes as journalism, or for that matter,
as letters generally. The average news
paper man earns less money by life of I'M
RENTING toll than the average book-keeper
or salesman in merchants office, and the
chances OF his emerging from position of
subordinatlon to a position of influence AID
profit are less. But il was not in the interest
oil journalists that Bismarck spoke. His
concern in the matter was reused by the
supervision which, in spite of his press
laws, the newspapers OF Germany exercised
over his policy; and the Emperor's concern
springs from the same source.
What these autocrats want is people so
Ignorant Of their rights that they shall
tamely submit to whatever burdens the Gov
eminent shall lay upon them; and coun-
try so benighted that it shall contain no
newspapers to keep watch of public affairs
and to give the alarm when a new wrong is
committed by persons in high places. 81
am not opposed to newspapers" said the
hrst Napoleon; quite the contrary. We
ought to have an official newspaper to pnb-
lish my speeches and my dispatches, and
there is no harm in a few other Journals,
which shall print temperate and respectful
comments on these, without venturing to
criticize acts which the editors do not un-
derstand. Beyond this journalism is per-
nicious and viii not allow i. to exist"