The herald., 1898-07-15

theories crassly obnoxious to modern New
England thought. In the meantime the
great city Of Chicago. as firmly welded to
the golden calf as Providence, has availed
itself Of the opportunity to secure a
broad minded man for superintendent Of
its schools, and Benjamin Andrews will
soon come west, bringing with him all
Of his belongings. including the 16-to-1
theory. This will close the incident so
far as Brown university IL concerned, and
the old institution may be expected to
lapse gradually into that condition Of in
nocuous desuetude that characterised 1t
when Andrews was nrst called to the
helm.
Now the war has broken out In an
other place. and Boston's cherished edu-
cational institution has become the storm
center. Professor Norton of Harvard Is
sound enough on economic questions to
suit the most exacting goldite of the Hub,
but he has been guilty Of the gross i'm
propnety of entertaining personal opin-
ions regarding Americans and American
isms quite at variance with the subli-
mated patriotism of Beacon street, and
the old college IL to pay the vicarious
penalty. In an address to the sixth an
nual summer school Of Clark university
the other day, the venerable Senator
Hoar, who has developed a shocking
gaiety since the phantom ships Of Spain
disappeared from Cape Cod, referred to
the reconciliation Of the north and south
by the war, England's sympathy for the
United States, and expressed gratifica-
ton over the prospective closer union
with the mother country, adding:
In strange contrast with these tokens
of respects are a few discordant and
Earring notes which are heard at home.
see that Professor Norton, OF Harvard,
is quoted as telling the youth of the
university that It is characteristic Of
the American people to be trifling. They
have acquired 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 the south are coming to-
gether, when mother England is learn
ing to know her daughter and to love
her again, he says that 1t Is character
istic Of the American people to be tri-
fling, and he feels with Horace Walpole
that he should be proud of his country
If 1t were not for his countrymen.
Heaven knows that do not say this
from any desire to infiict pain, but 1t Is
due to the youth of the country, 1t Is
due to Harvard, that somebody shall say
this. II such utterances are to 60 I'M
reproved from our foremost university.
manhood and courage and honor will fol-
VI It'll A-v1
ical learning to the English universities
It is far from our purpose to defend
the reasonable utterances Of a pro-
fessor in "our foremost university" for
we can readily see the effect which they
might produce upon Spain, in encour-
aging the dons to renewed efforts and a
needless prolongation Of the war. Once
they come to regard Americans as tri-
fling, they will only smile at our daily
threats to send Watson's fleet
over to lombard their coast cities, bag
ging Porto Rico on its way. Dewey
and Schley, as it seems to US, have sue
ceeded in convincing the bellicose Latins
that Americans are terribly in earnest.
and 1t is debatable if a disloyal university
professor should be permitted to dissipate
the wholesome impression that has been
created by the episodes in Manila bay
and in the Santiago roadstead.
The rebuke administered by Senator
Hoar may therefore be justified, as war
measure, but we submit that the threat
by United States senator of boycotting
an American college that has survived
New England passions for three centu-
ries, and in the interest of 1.-THE English
universities" is too much. It anticipates
the baleful influences that are expected
to follow, but which seldom precede, a
devastating and demoralizing war.