The San Francisco call., 1903-12-04
CLASS DIVISIONS
HARM SOCIETY
Colonel John P. Irish
Pleads for Broad
Education.
Tells University Men That
Thinkers Must Solve
Problems.
Berkeley Office San Francisco Call
Pas Center Street, Dec. 9.

2l4S CenLer street, DSS. u
Colonel John p. Irish delivered an ad-
dress before the College of Commerce
Club this evening in Stiles Hall on
The Effect of Our System of Educa-
ton Upon the American Commercial
Genius" The speaker said it remains
for the school system to send thinking
men into the world, men of character
who will be armed with the ability to
turn the American people from their
prejudices and the class Nominations
that have lately sprung up, otherwise
American character and ingenuity VIII
decline In part he said:
This system of education wisely ad-
mlnistered is in my judgment the final
cause of American manhood. But II
we are going to have high walls built
around us and let tyrants rule AFTER
our independence and character has
been secured, then our system will be
absolutely useless. The purpose of edu-
cation is to equip us with those ele-
ments of thrift and economy and en-
ergy that will fit us for a battle with
the world.
But we can't do this thing altogether
in the universities. We must begin in
the lower schools. And unless we begin
early and stimulate the youth of this
generation there will surely be de-
cline. The future will trace the fall OF
our empire, and it will be signalized by
the withdrawal of opportunities for
young men and the overcrowding OF
the professions and trades.
Now, l believe in higher education.
/ hear some people say that the univer-
sity is seeking TO establish an aris-
tocracy of learning. But 1 would have
this understood-that all occupations
are honorable. 1t is not for us to sneer
at them, let them be what they may.
I believe in this university because it
teaches men honorable labor-to go
into the fields and work and kill moths
and the things that would ravage our
crops. This university is doing great
work for that reason. 1t is teaching the
roots of the soil as well as the roots of
Greek. And we can live on the roots of
the soil, but not on the Greek roots.
There are a good many sentimental
obstacles put in the way of the educa-
ton of the American youth nowadays.
The time was when we were proud of
men who sprang from the hardy occu-
pations, which built up that character
that gave them leadership. Those men
were the men of their time. They had
the saving quality of what is some
times called horse sense There were
never any classes in those days. 1t was
never intended that there should be
any classification of American citizens.
This modern idea of class was import
ed from Europe. You can't pick up a
paper now but that you see something
about the demands of labor, as if labor
is the only one of the classes. I've OBJ
served this about these classes-that
there is a set determination to prevent
a man from escaping them. That's
VIII t is going to impair our American
ingenuity and enterprise unless philoso-
ply and common sense come to our
rescue. We don't want any class un-
less it be the noble.
These are subjects on which the
school system should induce it's stu
dents to think 1t is not for us to re-
main idle and Indifferent, but to do
Just as the generation before us did.
These things came to US from past
generation, and it is for us to think
about them"