New-York tribune., 1900-12-02
TRIBUTE TO DAVID STARR JORDAN.
a CRITICISM OF HIS CHARACTER AND AT
TAINMENTs. BY PERSONAL FRIEND

TAINMENTs. BY PERSONAL FRIEND.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: Whatever criticism may be passed David
Starr Jordan because OF his lectures essays and
cent book "Anti-imperalisu and his fearless dis
cussion Of evolution and ethics his work on fishes
will stand forever OF TIE great monuments
Of biological science. For here Dr. Jordan deals
with facts and not with notions and opinions. But
from my warm, personal friendship with him. ex-
tending over twenty years, have learned that
he like every great scientist. Is also an idealist
And true to his nature. to all his teachings for
quarter OF century. true to the spiritual heredity
that has come to him through the long line OF
New-England ministers who were the direct fore
bears of DR.. Jordan and Mr. Emerson. he has car
rled his ideals over into action and into expression
at a time when they naturally attracted more at
tention and opposition than they could have pos
sibly done before DR.. Jordan into prominence.
Recent newspaper reports would indicate that
the liberty Of free thinking and teaching in re-
gard to economics has been attacked and threat
ened IN Leland Stanford University, as was some
time ago rumored TO be the case in the Univer-
sity of Chicago. II probably cannot be claimed for
any university in the United States that there Is
absolute freedom of utterance in regard to theo-
logical social or economic questions. Perhaps it is
best So Professors paid out Of great private
dowment or even out Of funds furnished by the
dominant political party to a State university.
should keep within the reasonable limits Of such
prescriptions as surround those institutions.
So far President JOrOAn mas secured the greatest
freedom and the greatest progress for his junior
professors Of any university president in the United
States But he has always held men subordinate
to measures and has promptly dropped them
when in the way as he has advanced them to
the upper ranks when he discovered capacity In
them And so he has created more great teachers
than any other university president or his time.
Leland 6a ssnf95d 55 fc aSf not depend alone on Pro-
DR. Jordan's views on expansion given at a
critical period In lectures at Indianapolis. Columbia
University and Harvard University. were IN oppost-
ton 10 the Administration, as were those or his
iTnmediate friend General Harrison. The course
of both OF these eminent men IS in keeping with
DR. Jordan's constant iteration, based upon evolu-
tonary history, that life without concessions or
CONDITIONS Is the philosophers dream, and that
sthere iE no alleviatiOn for the troubles OF men,
exceOt through absolute veracity or thought and
action and the resoute facing or the world as It Is
President Jordan has passed to the higher
snhere. he has become a fisher OF men, and has
Even sttempted the regulation OF the nations. and
ali This he has done with such force and cogency
as 10 get a hearing and to become himself the
o5iect Of criticism. His friends IN Indiana. thou
sands OF students and teachers VINO know him,
viii not worry about DR.. Jordan or the university
~ which ne has so far been the soul and centre.
He has shaped his life well and moulded his
,5aaIs into actually. He has builded rehabili-
tatsd three Western centres OF learntng-the In
Sis1s ITniversity Leland Stanford with It's $40 O0O
zoo Endowment. and incidentally the University Of
tSaIffornia which has taken new life and
Growth in sheer emulation OF the great school at
PaIo Alto And through all the years or this
Strenuous work as an educator. which lifts him
to the rank OF such university presidents as White,
FIiot and Harper he has carried on investigations
in natural history which put him In the very
T-ovt reDk OF systematic biologists, Is shown IN
the great work on Inc Flsnes OF NorIn ana
Indiarapolis Nov Is 1900.