The San Francisco call., 1899-10-11
WHEELER SPEAKS
TO STANFORD MEN
Education and Athletics
Go Together.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Oct 10
President Benjamin Ide Wheeler of the
University of California addressed the
students of Stanford in the university
chapel this afternoon at O'Clock.
DR.. Jordan in introducing the speaker
paid a hign tribute to President Wheeler,
saying that his coming to California was
one of the most fortunate things that ever
happened to the State.
President Wheeler spoke as follows:
II feel at home at Stanford already. 1t
reminds me of Cornell, where l spent
thirteen years of my life, when 1 see the
spirit you have here and Cornell man
as your president. At Cornell there is
a fraternity spirit of academic discipline
permeating the whole college life, and 1
understand you have it here. l miss the
rowing crews to which | became used at
Cornell. | cannot conceive of university
students of Stanford, go down to the bay
and row. Do it for the benefit of the
University of California and add this to
your many benefices toward her. Row
ing is better than football 1t teaches
eight men to cooperate perfectly. 1t
does men good to get out on the water.
Get boat and row and make it hard for
the boys of Berkeley to beat you.
Il love to be here with you students
to-day. One reason | hesitated to accept
my present position was because | feared
1t would shut me up in an office away
from the students. | want you Stanford
students to feel that l am interested in
you and you may be assured that | shall
be interested in you even during the next
football game.
Just as much as I believe In the diff
ferentiation in athletics and studies,
believe in the differentiation among col
leges. When men from the small col
leges come to me for graduate work |
find that they are quite as well prepared
as those from the larger universities to
carry on any advanced work. SO | dis
like to hear any one disparage the small
would not be interested in colleges at all
II it had not been for their relation
through the churches.
"! want you to feel proud of your State
University. And I also want Stanford
men to go before the people of the State
and get them to give to the State Uni
versity. You work with your instruments
and we work with ours, but our common
end and aim is the same. Everything we
have is In common, even our only enemy
-barbarity Is common property
II have taught classes day after day
in Brown, Harvard and Cornell, yet |
have never been disappointed when my
boys turn up and tell me that they have
forgotten everything. about Greek. The
real education Is rubbing up against men
and learning the problems of life, and not
memorizing few subjects. The bureau
drawer idea is not my idea OF a univer-
sity. 1t Is not place to isolate young
men from life In order that they may
wait nor to postpone the problems of life.
You don't hear much to o-day about uni
versity men not being prepared for busi-
ness. for they are going into all the offices
editorial rooms of our largest journals.
''If a man has appreciated the opportu-
mites of his university training he goes
out with accumulated power to shake
things You must learn to study so that
you can continuously think about things,
while at the bottom there must be en-
thusasrn for your work. You are engaged
same goal that we are over at Berkeley,
and l wish for you only the best and bid
you godspeed''