The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-29
'CUL TURE OF
AMERICANS
President Schur-
man Criticises
It's Quality.
WHERE THE OLD
WORLD LEADS us
America Has Not Yet Produced
a Great Leader Of the
Worlds Thought.

| ITHACA, N. Y, June 21.-President
Schurman of Cornell University, in his
address to the graduating class. praised
American mi1lionaires, who hold their
wealth as stewards of the people. men
| tioning Carnegie and Rockefeller He
declared, however. that, save in poll
ties and invention, America was far
behind the countries of Europe, es-
pecially in the domain of higher Gull
| ture President Schurman said in part:
Look at the gifts which Mr.. Rookie
teller and Mr.. Carnegie are making for
churches, schools, colleges, universities
and libaries-gifts which assume the
proportions of millions of dollars for
single object Mr.. Carnegie breaches
| the gospel of wealth, which makes it a
disgrace for man to die rich; and, II
he lives long enough 10 carry out his
purposes, I doubt not his life will illus
trate his teaching.
THAT our richest men have come 10
regard wealth as trust which they
hold for the benefit of their fellow-men
NAV be regarded by the future his
torian of American civilization as the
most significant feature of our day
The American habit of giving to col
lleges and universities is one Of the two
l. most encouraging features of our intel
/ Iectual life. The other is the pubic
school in which the children of the
people are freely educated at the ex-
pense of the people.
1
Undoubtedly we may well be proud
of all the material agencies and instru-
mentalities of our educational WORK
Nay, the product so far as general av-
erage is concerned, is also subject for
congratulation
1.-The indictment lies elsewhere. 1t Is
that, while in the industrial sphere we
have developed world leaders, in the in
teliectual we are content to be under
llings In art, in literature. in scholar
ship, in science. we are long way be-
hind Europe.
| Let me speak with the utmost frank
mess. Apart from the domain of poll
tics, invention and trade, America has
not produced a single man or woman
whose name will shine in the intellec-
tural armament with Raphael Shakes
4
Goethe and Darwin.
While we congratulate ourselves on
the prosperity of the nation, on the
tbeneficence of Its rich men, on the null
[titude of our schools, colleges and uni
yersities. and the variety of excellence
of their appliances, let US also recognize
the far less pleasing fact that in let
ters, science and philosophy we occupy
at the present time a position distinctly
inferior to that of European countries,
and In all our history have no name to
compare with their greatest.
'In all things material we are the
winning empire of the world In things
OF intellect we still live on the bounty
of Europe"
When questioned tonight regarding
| the statements in his commencement
address. President Schurman said:
.It is undoubtedly true that in Am
erica there have been no frst-class
creative productions Of the human
mind like those of Dante Shakespeare,
Goethe and Darwin. Americans have
been compelled to be content with lit
erary productions of the second class,
and with developing to the highest de-
gree the mechanical or industrial arts.
The fact is. however, that we are liy-
ing on Europe for the best there is In
poetry, art. literature and science and
the great danger is that we are apt to
be content to go on living on Europe
and neglect to use our, own creative in
stincts. Therein lies the greatest dan
ger The Chinese had the rudiments of
science centuries before EurOpe's great
est genfuses rose. and gave them these
rudiments. The Chinese did not use
their own creative genius for higher
development, and therein los the cause
of their low standard of civilization to-
day."
Flow, then. would you raise this
standard in American" he was asked.
WHERE LIES THE REMEDY.
Before any betterment can be ex-
pected," replied President Schurman,
eve must come to realize that we do
occupy an inferior place in this sphere
of culture. We must forget the fact
that in many things we lead the Old
World, and this is the hardest thing
for us to do. When I made this state
ment in my address an alumnus of this
university was so indignant that he
said to a friend who repeated 1t to me
that had better go to Europe and live
there If thought it so much better
than America. Realizing our position
then. / would say that I believe
that the hope of the country is in It's
colleges and universities. Education
will not produce genius, but it will nur-
ture and tend to develop 1t. 1t is I'M
possible to say how many generations
1t would take to put America in her
proper position. 1T may take fifty
years or 1t may take 500'
I SCHURMAN REITERATES HIS
VIEWS.
NEW YORK. June 22.-President
Schurman of Cornell University Is
quoted in Herald dispatch from Itha-
ca as saying in reply to a question last
night regarding the statements in. his
commencement address concerning
American intellectual barrenness In
lcertain directions:
1T Is undoubtedly true that in Am
An n