The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-11-18
SCHOLAR IN POLITICS.
MANY IN OUR COUNTRY.
Mostly by Appointment.

PhstndetphsG Record.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Senator from
Massachusetts,, is credited with the
phrase the "Scholar in Politics." In
the United States there are not many
scholars in legislative life, though they
have been we'll represented in our dip
lomatic history. By the scholar in
politics one naturally understands q
man whose public station has come as
a recognition of his work in science or
literature, rather than the man who
took to writing after he had achieved
fame. OF the latter type are 7. III.
Benton, J. G. Blaine, General Grant and
John Sherman, whose published recol-
lections are largely autobiographlcal
and find their interest less in their lit
erary execution than in the great scenes
through which the "reminiscences move.
Lodge himself is an example of the
former type; Tor he was lecturer on
history in Harvard University, an edl-
tor of reviews and recognized blogra-
pher of merit before he planted his po-
lltical ladder. Another example was
the late Rev. DR.. julius H. Seelye,
President of Amhurst College, who
served in the Fort y-tourth Congress as
an influential independent, until which
ri mo bo u,oc Lpoup cY p,pfv oc q foachor
of philosophy. OF kindred character is
Mr.. Wilson, Postmaster General in
Cleveland's 8 second administration. He
went from the Presidency of West Vir-
ginia University to Congress, and to
Washington and Lee University on re-
firing from Office. He was a potent
man In Congress from the day he took
his seat.
In general way our literary men
have received their best public recognl-
ton at the hands of some Adm1nistra-
tlon appointing them to office. The
diplomatic department has been most
generous to them, as with three gener-
ations of the Adamses, of Quincy, the
brothers Alexander H. and Edward Ev-
erett, Washington Irving, Motley, Low
ell, Bancroft, ,Whitelaw Reid,W. w. AS
tor at Rome, John Hay and Rasmus
Anderson at4Cnpenhagen. at II there hs
added the Consulates that have
giveo to literary men, as Liverpool to
Hawthorne and Venice to Howells. or
the adm1nistratl positions IT the De-
partments at Washington, recalling
such names as Benjamin Pierce, Joseph
Henry, Simon Newcomb, Langley, FL
liot Cones, Frances Wharton and hum
dreds of others, it will be seen that the
public rewards of literature and science
are very considerable IN the United
States Indeed, one might we'll con-
celve that superiority in these lines
opens to men in this country almost
any diplomatic or departmental posi-
ton to which scholar might aspire.
Yet in this respect our practice DIFF
fers somewhat from that of Southern
Europe although it is not unlike that
of Great Britain. Thus when Verdi is
made an Italian Senator for life it is
using public Office in purely compll-
mentary way. Victor Hugo's appoint
ment to like position in France can
hardly be seen in any other light.
Spain also has been kind to her litera-
ry men Canovas won his place by vir-
tue of his leadership of bis party, but
he was an historian first. CASTELAR, is
more the scholar than the statesman.
| When one considers the eminence won
in France by her students one reaches
quite a revelation of the confidence
given to them-a trust often justified
bv their administrative ability. What
sequence of names it is Gufzot,
Theirs, Carnot the physicist, Jules ST.
mon, the Philosopher, and Berthelot
the chemist. And now comes DAN
nuzio, the naturalistic novelist, who as
pires to seat in the Italian Parliament
on the ground of two or three unrecom-
mendable books.
In Great Britain literary men receive
ample recognition in Parliament and
diplomacy but here these positions are
not complimentary. For nearly thirty
wears each of her Prime Ministers IN
succession has been a maker OF books
the Earl of Derby with his Had, Dis
raeli with his novels, Gladstone with
his Homeric studies and religious trea-
tises and Roseberry with his biography
of William Pitt, the Younger. Even
Lord Salisbury might be added were
his remarkable address before the Brit
| ish Science Association in 1894 on
scientific limitations to be reckoned
| rather by its matter than by its size.
| There are now twenty-seven journalists
holding seats in the House OF Com
mons, best known of whom is Labou-
You may eat cheap food and not be
seriously hurt by it; but you cannot
take cheap medicines without positive