The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-11
THE SCHOLARS IN POLITICS.

THE SCHOLAR IN POLITICS.
It has not been many years since the
public was introduced to the scholar in
politics. His advent was heralded with
trump and banner. He was introduced
were vouched for by the most respected
Of the social forces. Magazine writer's,
of labored articles of ponderous diction,
We'd with each other in doing him honor.
Critics before him fell-confounded fell
and made debasing signs to catch his
eye =
The newspaper paragrapher announced
him in misty sort of way. The school
boy. ''downy of lip and chin" hailed him
as the savior Of our ruined political
world, and pointed out, through him, the
road to the political millenium. The
scholar in politics. The combination
sounded well. and more than that, the
idea was eninently respectable. The call
for the scholar was universal and was
universally responded to-
Just who was meant by the term
scholar in the original discussion we
do not know. We do know, however,
who appropriated the term and responded
to the call. 1t was the small college and
university professor; the man with one
idea. and that a borrowed one; the man
whose views of the world are obtained
through a prism, microscope or gil
gantic social or economical tense The
belief became fixed in the mind of this
creature that he had been divinely ap-
pointed to adjust the social and political
systems to the theories laid down in the
books which he had studied He at once
entered the arena as champion Of al
solute free trade. Economical conditions
and matters of transporta ton did not
concern the scholar Were not all the
great writer's on political economy free
traders? Was not free trade an integral
part of the freedom vouchsafed by the
declaration of Independence? Do not all
the propositions prove themselves Ike a
weil-hept set Of dcuble-entry books?
On the subject of finance he was
equally positive. Why should he not be
! positive. Did not Professor A say this,
and Professor 3. say that, on the subject
Of bank notes and the per capita of cir
culation medium necessary to a healthy
condition of business? Are not these
laws Of finance well established and laid
down In the books? Did not President
A. prove beyond doubt that the ratio
Of is to is the natural ratio. of gold and
silver?
Why discuss the question of the consti-
tuition following the flag? Did not the
president of Knox college, in a learned
article in the st. James Weekly, demon
strate that it does not? And so on and
so forth through the realm of political
! and economic controversy. The scholar
came, saw and conquered. each and en-
cry knotty problem, and gave the result
of his conquest to the eager world. a..
Cut off as is the scholar from the af,
| fairs of actual business; knowing com
! merce, and manufacturing and finance
only through books; having only a speak
| ing acauaintanee-witha aetual forces
of the nation; viewing politics only in
profile as it is silhouetted against tinted
cloud of theory, the scholar in politics
became on nearly every subject con
firmed political rainbow-chaser
In constant association with imma+ 1iTa
minds; accustomed to receive marks OF
respect for supposed mental attachments,
the professor in politics" became posi-
tive and arrogant He seized his lance,
clothed himself in scholastic ar1nor and
went forth to do battle with the econ
omic giants. How well he Jared the re-
suit of popular elections during the last
fifteen years have shown.
The practical sense of the country
smiles at the puerile efforts of these
learned monks Of politics.
The world listens with courtesy due to
their eminent responsibility, but to their
carefully written treatises it gives the
attention Of good natured tolerance,
then goes its way as if the scholar in
politics had not been. 80
THE moving finger writes, and having
writ, moves on