The San Francisco call., 1896-04-03
DEPEW SPEAKS
At PALO ALTO,
The Gymnasium Is Packed
From the Floor to the
RafterS.
SOLID SENSE AND HUMOR
Education and SelfMade Men
Discussed by the Great
Orator.
TO SUCCEED WE MUST WORK
II Come as an Elder Brother" He
Said to the Young Men
and Co.Eds.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, CAL, April
2.-This afternoon the Stanford gymna-
SUM was filled to its fullest capacity,
the audience being drawn thither by the
announcement that Chauncey NJ. Depew
had consented to give short lecture there
Fully an hour before the time for the
speaker TO appear had arrived the floor
was packed, windows filled and rafters
covered by those who had failed to find
seats elsewhere.
When the speaker appeared he was
greeted with prolonged cheers, which did
: not cease until DR.. Jordan stepped for
ward to introduce him to his audience
In substance Mr.. Depew said:
Mr.. President, ladies and gentlemen, boys
and co-eds: 1 have spoken at great many
places in my lifetime-out of doors indoors
ana from pulpits and platforms-but this is
the first time 1 have ever addressed an audi
ence in gymnasium. Notwithstanding that
l do not propose TO deliver an athletic address
You will not expect from me to-day COM
mencement Grafton nor anything which has
about it the Horstian flavor.
When I received the invitation of your presi-
dent here our party had upon us heavy pro-
gramme in doing the material part OF Califor-
mia, and we did not anticipate when leaving
home of coming in contact with its schools
colleges, universities or this particular life
which is represented here. However. who
could come TO California and pretend to have
seen California and not have seen Stanford
University? l come 10 you in the capacity OF
an elder brother. come TO you from Yale
We have behind US a record of 200 years and
we are proud OF our productions and of the
long line OF our alumni and associations and
our family tree. We come out here TO find you
in full ,yigor and prosperous youth In the
United States it is possible for liberality and
munifcence such as characterized the founder
OF this institution to do the work OF century
in day. In this country we differ from the
older nations OF the world from the fact that
with them education has been for centuries
privilege, while with us it is both a necessity
and duty. Two great universities have been
sufficient for the higher educational needs of
England for hundreds of years and eight or ten
have been found equal 10 the necessities of the
people upon the continent OF Europe But in
the United States we have 800 universities
We are criticized about them and told that
most OF them are nothing but academies |
have visited and am familiar with most of
them and find they are like the Kentuckian's
whisky-all are good, but some are better thar
=: others.
We find here in this country that it is abso-
Iutely necessary 10 have these universities and
such institutions scattered all over the land.
Tor the mum Der OF young meI.-and now hap
PLY, young women-who are determined to
secure liberal education has become so great
that ali the older institutions put together will
.notequal the demand. Duplicate, if yon will.
Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and Yale and
reduplicate fifty times, and they are not equal
TO the demands OF the country. And so il is
source OF honest pride 10 America that all the
states OF the West have State universities
All have felt the need of great college in
which the youth OF the State can be brought
into contact with learning, making them good
citizens OF the whole country and citizens
OF the world. And it has ever been a salts
faction TO US in the East that your State with
It's Liberal ideas, and the one grand man who
appreciated American liberties together have
given two great universities TO this coast
American liberty is a great principle. Ameri-
can liberty means that that government is best
which governs least
Alter the police and sanitary arrangements of
the country, state and town shall be taken care
OF, then the individual shall be left to his own
resources, equipped as best he can by educa-
tlon from taxation OF the people, after which
he makes his own career The charter founded
in the Mayfower has been the fundamental
principles which has made the United States
what 1t is to-day, and the man who founded
this university was an exponent of American
principles de II was, coming from nothing
created great everything, and having created
II recognized the responsibility resting upon
great success TO use it wisely for the benefit
of the public OF the State where he lived.
We hear great deal in our day about self
mace men. is there anybody in this country
who amounts 10 much who is not in some sense
a self-made man? But the usual definition is
man who has accumulated wealth and done
nothing else. His motto is 81 seen il and I
done it," But we ignore entirely the self-made
man who has equipped himself for the great
duties and responsibilities of life Nine-tenths
OF all the boys in our colleges are self-made
men when they come out. ] remember self
made man OF the type who is always calling at
tention 10 the fact that he made himself who
had head as clear of hair as billiard ball A
remark was made TO him by one OF the wittiest
men who ever lived, who said: 'Well, while
you were making yourself why didn't you put
some hair on your head?"
But the nobiest type of self-made man in the
United States is the type represented by that
man whom We all recall with pride and admi-
ration, General Garfield. He had that pride
which belongs TO what is called American bra
vado and is not bravado at ala toiler in the
harness, who lived in log cabin and had
worked fifteen ana eighteen hours a day; all
the children in the family worked equally
hard. That is not bravado, it is American
pride, because from these quarters have come
most OF the Presidents of the United States.
most OF the great generals of the army, most
OF the men of letters and statesmen General
Garfield worked to assist his mother on the
farm, at night reading by the freight going
out on the tow path that he might add little
to the family till, al the same time preparing
himself for college and later, by teaching, to
work himself through college; becomes princi-
pal OF a college, learns to be a lawyer and a
good one, too; goes to Congress, goes in the
army as major-general and dies President of
the United States This is type of the self
made man.
Now, young gentlemen, am not here for the
purpose OF giving You moral lesson-you
ought 10 know that well as I-but for the
purpose OF giving kind advice, which is all too
cheap; but will say as result of personal
experience and observation in the world that
there is one fault in every college, and it is al
ways an injury, and that is the belief thai
genius can enable man to do anything with
out work. l have known fellows who would
idle around all day long ana work all night
long, with the windows darkened and cracks
in doors puttied up. trying to produce the i'm
preston that learning was obtained through
the pores. Such men are a nuisaece in every