The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-17
TURMOIL Of The TINES
PROF. SMITH DISCUSSES THE SYMP-
TOMS OF PUBLIC HYSTERIA EV-
ERYWHERE APPARENT
SUGGESTS MANY QUESTIONS
The Chicago school Pension Law
Something About the ''Fads'
Value of a College
Education.
Special Correspondence to the Globe.

CHICAGO, March 15.-For the past
week Chicago has been under cloud,
literally, and we have experienced the
inconvenience of a climate that has
made Chicago famous" throughout the
world. Worse than London fogs is the
pail of the dark rainy days that en-
shrouds us, filing the streets with mud
and slush, blacker than the waters o. the
Styx, and suspendng SCOT and smoke in
midair, concentrating the atmosphere
and causing great bodily discomfort. In
the meantime the musician sings and the
artist paints the beauties of the city.
and the wise lecturer continues his dis
course about 1.-The City Beautiful
in few homes is there really any COM
fort. Out of this condition of things it is
not easy to select material for read
able letter, and yet the usual number Of
events has taken place, and the hopes
and expectations of men have grown and
f1ourished or died and been rUt away;
friendships have been found and broken.
and all the varied phases of human exist
ence have been again repeated. The
silent, quiet, effective workers in this
mighty struggle that never relaxes for
a day or a night are little seen or head,
the short and simple annals" Of an such
being recorded only in the hearts of those
who belong to these silent groups of man
kind. Those who reach the notice of the
usually from the clamorous and the non
productive throng, but they cannot be
overlooked. great majority of our peo-
pie desire to be let alone; desire to be
free to carry on their work, doing the
best that they can, and willing that
others should have the responsibilities
and emOlumentS of office; so that it is
possible for a man, capable of organizing
and drawing to himself the support OF the
irr eli md hn 70 haId
rule over many far more worthy than he;
and this is true not only in matters OF
off1ce-holding but in all bodies and or
CARNATIONS, whether social or political
The mighty movements that we so often
hear about are usually found to be only
in the minds of those who proclaim
them-but / did not intend to moralize
when I began this letter, but rather hop
ed to attract attention to something here
Of interest to your readers.
THE PENSION BILL.
I have several times called attentiNr to
the disinterested work of the Teachers
Federation here in behalf of an equitable
pension law that will make the old age
OF teachers serene and comfortable. Chi
cago has such law, but for some time
its friends have been convinced that it
was inadequate. l have often heard IL
cited by friends Of the pension in st.
Paul as successful in its operations, but
all now admit that it will ultimately fail
Of its object, unless it shall be radically
amended. For months the teachers have
been working on amendments and recent
ly submitted their report to the whole
body Of teachers and asked for a vote OF
approval. A large majority favored the
amended bill, but the actuary, who was
employed to ascertain whether it would
be effective, has made an adverse report,
and expressed the opinion that an en-
tirely new bill is necessary. There is no
hope now that such a bill can be prepar-
ed and passed during the present session.
and the probability is that the old law
will remain. I have referred to this mat
ter several times because / know that
many teachers in ST. Paul are deeply in
terested in such law, and 1t is mat
ter of such grave Importance that too
much attention cannot easily be given to
the study Of the fundamental principles.
on its taxes"
A POLITICAL ISSUE.
Judge Hanecy is making the manage
ment of the schools an issue in the pres
ent campaign. He vigorously assails "the
fads,' and deplores that so much money
is uselessly squandered on them while
the crowded primary rooms overflow into
unhealthy and disagreeable annexes You
ventences of anneXes, and have in the
past heard ''fads'' denounced, and will not
therefore be surprised to learn that when
he was closely questioned he had but a
hazy idea Of "fads.' He finally seemed
to accept the following view of the Sit
uation: Teaching of German in the
schools is not a fad because it greatly
aids in business relations, the kinder
gartends, drawing, music carving and
n no nod will aci+
ton, and then the judge abandoned the
''fads' and devoted himself to other is
sues. The Democrats say concerning the
schools: They are all right, behold we
have made them so,'' and it is not prob
able that the issue will amount to very
much.
THE OLD QUESTION.
The old, old question of a university
education is just now being discussed
with unusual vigor, and those who do
not believe that every one needs such as
education, or that the world would be
better off If every one had It, are quite
as dogmatic and severe as In the past
The immense increase in attendance upon
colleges and universities is attracting the
thoughtful attention of students of po-
litical economy and of sociology In the
United States at present there are forty
four universities, or colleges, that have
1lOIe LLdu 1,VUV STUDENTS edcH, ana Cnere
are six that have more than 5000 each
These six are: Harvard, 4,2S8; University
Of Michigan, 300; University of Mime
sofa, 3,410 of Georgia, 3,295; Chicago, 31S3
and California, 3025.
Northwestern university has 291 stu
dents this year; Cornell, 2.776; Pennsyl-
vanfa, 1861; Yale, 2,542; Columbia, 252l:
Princeton, 1902. The whole number en-
rolled in colleges and universities exceeds
100000, and the entire enrolment in
American schools of all kinds is It, 73S, 1853
That there Is an irresistible tendency
towards education must be admitted, but
it's effect-its meaning is not clearly I'M
derstood. 1t is not yet known how educa-
ton is to dignity labor, society-or to
counterfeit the inevitable tendency Of
severe manual labor.
Many who are now in college and many
who will seek admission to them in the
futuRo will of necessity go back to the
farTA and to the factory. Is the education
such as they receive from specialists
best suited to their wants, and will it
materially aid them in after life? The
education that such a man needs will en-
able him to go out into the world and
fight its difficulties, will enable him to
return to his class and to aid in It's eleva-
ton.
What problems of life does a university
education solve? is gravely asked WHY
is it better to spend time in trying to
establish themes respecting origins and
destinies than to study the needs. the
difficulties of the present; why waste
time in the study of theories relating to
social life instead of trying to improve
conditions? There are many who believe
that the university encourages thought
at the expense of action, and that por-