The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-21
THE COLLEGE MAN IN BUSINESS.
President Buffers Response at he Board
of Trade Dinner.

VI AIduc DluHcIs
At the banquet of the State Board of
Trade at Waterville, President Butler of
Colby University, made one of the brights
est responses OF the evening. His remark
on the part taken by the college man in
the world of business were received with
many expressions of approval. In re-
Spouse to the sentiment, "1he College
Man in Business, +" President Butler said,
in part:
Speaking upon this subject, one Curl
ously falls at once into a controversial at
tltude OF mind. One almost feels as if he
were called upon to maintain the mega
tive OF the proposition that a college edu-
cation 1nsures that q man will be fail
ure in business, rs If that matter had
not been decided long ago and as il the
general expression and practice through
out. the country did not constitutesa daily
expression of that decision. This is an
interesting example of the fact that the
spirit OF debate very often long survives
universal decision and agreement upon a
subject.
On the very evening when / received
the invitation OF your committee to re-
sP w cA..S souoiAouU, anu ofou Willie
gne comE1ttee's letter was in my hands,
| took up by mere chance copy of a
fresh magazine and read three or four
paragraphs giving specific instances of
the distinguished success of college men
In various lines of business. Ono of
these, Yale man, is partner in the
great grocery house of Franklin Mac
veagh q Co., in Chicago, and is now
President Of the Chicago Club, the lead
Ing club Of that city, club whose rela,
ton to Chicago is very much like that OF
the Union League Club in New York to
that CITY. Another, graduate of the
University of the City Of New York, is
now President Of the Nichols Chemical
Company, Is prominent citizen Of
Brooklyn, and a trustee of the Polytech-
mic Institute. T hsse, of course, are in
stances that might be Indefinitely multi
piled. One would only need sufficient
time to collect in every city and town
similar examples.
1t is interesting to observe the change
OF theory and practice in the relations be-
tween the colleges and the business world
that has taken place within the last
thirty years. Horace Greeley is reputed
TO have said once that he had no use for
college man in his office. Yet l think
I am correct In saying that before his
death he fully equipped the Tribune
offices with college men. His successor
in the management Of that great daily Is
conspicuous example of the college man
in business. And what is true OF the
New York Tribune, is true also Of the
Times, the World, the Press, the Post,
the Mail and Despatch. The manage
ment of great metropolitan daily is an
enterprise demanding. beyond doubt, the
highest business ability.
Probably no more able business men
H. L.
counsel who manage the affairs Of the
great corporations of the country. am
informed that the collector of the port of
Boston and the collector Of the port of
New York are Harvard men, Secretary
Whitney, of Mr.. Cleveland's first cabinet,
Dan Lamont, and Mr.. Olney, are ex-
amples in point. One has only to run
over in mind such names as A. T. Stew
art. Sloane, the great carpet dealer of
Now York, Abram Hewitt and Chaunoey
Depew, to be ready for the conclusion
that the business of the world is praoti-
cally dominated by college men.
When We speak of the college man in
business, Of course we have in mind a
realm oontrasted to these of divinity, art,
medicine, Investigation, literature. do
not think, however, that we can regard
the realm Of business" as excluding the
realm of law, since, as have already
limited, the greatest business enterprises
OF the country have their affairs shaped
and controlled, in very large measure, by
mon Of that profession, and to them these
look for wise and safe guild
ance
Much has been said regarding the self
made man and probably there is no dan
ger that too much will be said in praise
of him, provided it is wisely said.
Americans. of all people, should speak
respectfully Of the self-made man. In no
country has he accomplished such mag
nifcent things; probably no country
owes so much to him as America. But
what does the self-made man prove? In
eve y case, the self-made man who ar
rives at distinguished SUCCESS is man OF
extraordinary ability; and by his abili-
ties he succeeds, not because of, but in
spite OF the lack7of other aid.
In Illinois knew of a one armed man
who was one of the most successful
farmers in the region. This fact, how
ever would not warrant the generaiiza-
tion that a prerequisite for successful
farmer was to lose one arm. Place a
hundred men, without the training of
the schools, before the problems and con-
tests OF life, and where one of them by
his own efforts succeeds, ninety mine us
ually fail. heard of a boy who with an
old broken knife and block of wood
lutttlo q graceful luO(t6l VI UIl6 DoI6uQoF.
What then9 Shall we rely only upon our
unframed powers and discard all tools?
If you saw that boy at work, you would
say, He is a gonius." The old knife
did not do the work. And If you give
that boy tools and training. you know
that he will accomplish splendid results.
The college never made man. The lack
of the college never unmade man. But
if you have man of great gifts to start
with, the wise training of the schools
puts him in position to do his best One
of our citizens most pertinently said the
other evening: IAN educated man has
a sharp axe, an uneducated man has q
dull axe" But, OF course, il the man
with the sharp axe does not use it, the
man with the dull axe may surpass him.
There is great significance In the atti-
tude OF business men toward the college
and universities. Upwards of ton mill
ions OF dollars have been given within
the last year to these higher institutions
of learning in this country, and in many
cases these gifts have come from men
who themselves have not enjoyed the
advantages Of the schools, but who are
determined that their sons and the sons
of other men shall receive that, the lack
OF which they themselves 80 keenly feel.
There is no doubt good reason for this
change in sentiment regarding the rela-
ton of the college to business. It must
be confessed that the college is much
more broadly and nationally oonceiving
if.Q n FINN