Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-07-23
Professor Norton Rebuked.

A short time since Professor Elliott
Norton, of Harvard college, in an ad-
dress before the students of that institu-
ton, sneered at America and Americans,
and stated that the people of the United
States had acquired a varnish of civil
lied life, but their natures were still I'M
refined. This language coming as it did
from an educator in n of the oldest
universities in this country caused much
adverse, comment in the public press,
but it remained for Senator Hoar, of
Massachusetts, to administer a singing
rebuke to the presumptuous and super
cilious pedagogue, richly deserved. In
an address on "Americanism and Amer
lean Honor delivered at the summel
school of Clark University, at Worcester,
a few days ago, Senator Hoar pointed
to the perfect reconciliation between
the North and the South as one of the
benefcient results Of the present war,
and then turned his attention to PROBES.
sor Norton in the following words:
"In strange constrast with these tok.
ems of respect are o few discordant and
Earring notes which are heard at home.
1 see that Professor Norton, of Harvard,
is quoted as telling the youth of the uni
versity that it Is characteristic of the
American people to be trifiing; that they
have acquired a varnish of civilized life,
but their natures have not been refined,
"Poor Professor Norton, color blind
and music deaf! At this day, when the
North and South are coming together
when Mother England is learning tt
know her daughter and to love hel
again, he says that it Is characteristic O.
the American people to be trifling, ano
that he feels, with Horace Walpole, tina
he should be proud of his country If /
were not for his countrymen.
Heaven knows that l do not say thi'
from any desire to inf1ict pain, but it /!
due to the youth of the country, 1t is dut
to Harvard, that somebody shall say
this. If such utterances from our fore
most university are to 60 unreproved
manhood and courage and honor will
follow athletic Yale, or will follow elias,
steal learning at the English Cambridge
There can be no worse lesson. 1t Is 9
lesson which never will be taught ir
Clark University; to tell the youth OF {
country that their country is base. Thu
feeling of dislike and contempt for u
In England, which the utterances o
Professor Norton and men like him hav'
done so much to foster, is giving way II
better knowledge. l do not believe |
can be revived again by such %utterance
as these.
"The best instruction which the you'll
OF q country like ours q have Is 1t
own history, and the best result of tina
instruction is a good hope. If any maj
attempts to tarnish or des troy either, |
1t be due to ignorance, 1t Is pitiable; |
it be due to arrogance or c0nceit, 1t Il
criminal.
"1f these utterances came from an en-
thusiast for a loftier ideal, from a desir
to raise the country to q nobler or loft
Ter plane, we might forgive them. Blu
the men who utter them have neithe
enthusiasm o ideals. 1t is the doctrin
Of arrogance, OF contempt, Of pessimism
Of bitterness, Of despair"
This Is not the first time ProfessO
Norton has taken occasion to show hi
contempt for the people and institution
Of his native land and who support hil
and give him q good living. During tn
Venezuelan boundary dispute he Ian
pooned the Monroe doctrine, and jus
before the war with Spain began, he &c
vocated peace with dishonor rathe
than war, and since, he has been quit