The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-19
GOOD MANNERS.
Many College Graduates Seem Lack
ing in Them.

Many College Graduates Seem Lack
ing in Them.
Edward Everett Hale in the Boston Chris
tian Register.
At the Inauguration of Miss Hazard,
President Eliot, in a most courteous adj
dress to Miss Hazard, congratulated her
on the position she is to occupy as presi-
dent of Wellesley College. With his own
clear-sighted wisdom, and in that pro,
phetic habit in which perhaps he most
distinguishes himself, he said, in sub
stance, that the presidents of the womens
colleges have white paper to write upon;
they are not tied up IN the tangles of me-
diaeval traditions And, among other
hopes with which he illustrated this re-
mark, he said that he thought they might
be able to incuicate manners with more
success than the Old colleges had done.
This remark challenged some indignant
comment among teachers, and I am told
that it has called out some protests which
1 have not seen. 1t seems to me that this
must be from Misrepresentation of whar
he meant by manners, or perhaps from
that narrow view which should confine
manners" in the little realm of the ETH
quotes or decorums of ordinary social life.
In truth, however, the evils and dangers
which DR. Eliot had in mind are much
deeper than those which are discussed in q
handbook of etiquette They are not to
be ranked among the infehcities which
can be corrected by three lines in a la
dies newspaper addressed to Polite or
Maggie, who write for information.
For instance, I happen to know a man
who has taken pleasure for many years
past in sending through the womens CO..
leges young women selected from the pub
lie schools by their teachers as being spe-
fnI1vv Al
friend has paid the whole expenses of
these young women through their college
courses. at charge of I do not know how
many thousands of dollars. This year a
dozen of them, more or less. were grad
uated a. different colleges. OF that num-
Der one wrote to him to thank him for
his generosity and TO invite him to her
commencement. All the others took their
diplomas without one word to him or any
expression In any form of gratitude.
Again, a distinguished leader of this
community, who died a few years since
cautioned me with the caution which his
father had given him when he came to
manhood. The father said: Il think you
Will like TO help young men In their edu-
cation. Take care never to accept from
them any written obligation. Here are
two or three thick files of such obiga-
tlons which have taken, and which the
writer's have forgotten. 1t always makes
me cynical TO look at them"
Once more, the treasurer of large edu-
cational fund who had for many years
sent annually dozen or twenty checks to
students who received benefits, of that
fund, told me that In ten years time he had
never once had a receipt in acknowledge
ment of his payment. In the annual audit
of his accounts he always had to present
the checks which these young men had
been obliged to indorse
/ put in rrint tbpee three disaoraaa tia
anecdotes because 1 think they illustrate
a remark which ] heard made by the late
Mr.. Memminger of jefferson Davis cabi-
net. 1t was ut a club In Charleston S. C..
in 1913 that Mr.. Memminger uttered re-
markable protest against public education.
He said, virtually. that il cut the tap-root
Of gratitude. He said that, If the children
received this priceless gift from the state
il would wean them from the love of their
fathers and mothers. He said that public
education was destructive to the tender
ness of home, What was pathetic in this
was that it was said that he himself had
been brought up In an orphan asylum
and knew nothing Of that tenderness for
whose defense he was contendlng
May it not be fairly asked if some of
our children do not grow uD with an i'm
pudeut self-conceit. nursed and bred Nv
our declarations about public education?
Fools. speaking to them on anniversaries
tell them that they are the most import
ant beings in the world. They know that
the state taxes Itself for their training. as
Il does not for armies and navies And the
danger is that these little gentlemen and
ladies shall come TO think that they belong
at the head of the board, and that these
unfortunates who teach them, who feed
them, who clothe them, are a sort of He
lots. guile unworthy of any respect beyond
what a supercilious patronage may ex-
press.
The whole discussion of manners, IL II is