The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05
rHE STRENUOUS COLLEGE MAN.
10 . New Type Repiaeang the Mere SensA-
two and Noyerent Scholar ar tine Past2

To rHR EpIToR OF The SuN--Sir: A writer
In the Independent recently bewaiied the DOS
sible results upon the type Of American pubic
man Of the extraordinary popular influence OF
President Roosevelt This writer nnds In
the Chief Executive plentiful lack OF the
simple dignity. the tenderness. the sensioility
of such men az Lincoln and the plain men OF the
people Of periods prior to his. The President.
according to the writer. has less Of the dreamy,
the poetic. the reverent than many OF our
previous men Of action In the new manner
strenuous. frank. pointed. even at times I'M
polished. and certainly without the outward
elegances of art, the writer finds the influence
OF the great city and the college football Held.
Possibly the football field has not hitherto
been regarded as a training ground Tor Presi-
dents. though it is certainly the home OF men
Of action and strenuous life The great city
Il unquestionably the best field for men OF
affairs. for reasons so obvious that II would be
superfiuous to name them. That reference
to the football field. however. sticks In the
mind, and when ii Is con dered sufficiently. it
leads to the conclusion that the writer in the
Independent ought to have formulated def
nitely an Idea which he had In vague shape.
namely. that the qualities which he pointed
out In the President were those Of the typical
cole ge man of to-day
to the tendency to retire the academic depart
ments of universities behind the technical
schools. Cornell. for example, is almost
wholly technical institution Yale and Har-
ward have large and growing scientific schools:
C0lumbia's engineering and mining depart
ments are her pride and even ut secluded and
scholarly Princeton the scientific school shows
steady gain of students over the academic.
This tendency is the result Of some deep
popular belief. and that belief seems to be in
the superior desirability OF studies which are
to be Of practical and daily use In the business
OF life These studies are more and more
coming to be esteemed beyond those which
make for culture pure and simple. those
which contribute less to the strenu ousn ess than
to the imagination and grace Of the mind
No one can minsle often with young college
men in these days without being struck by
their utter want Of all sympathy with the
decorations Of life They care nothing for ar
tistic music. for painting or sculpture. for
poetry or the higher forms Of the drama. Nine
men out Of every ten In a college club prefer
Duss to the opera, and The Wizard Of o.
to Duss They will not read a book Of any
kind. and they never go to a serious play
They know nothing of poetry and art and
deride those who do Yet these are the youn q
men who are stepping into their fathers shoes
as the active men OF affairs IN this town Ihey
are all football enthusiasts. and they know
baseball and rowing The spirit Of college
athletics is strong among them. and they burn
with the fame Of the strenuous life
Doubtless the colleges will continue to con-
tribute to the world their share Of philoso-
pliers. scientists. poets. painters and archi-
tects The percentage of reserved, intro
spective, studious, creative minds is about as
large among college men as it is among others.
But there can be no question that the typical
university training of to-day. which is COM
pounded OF elements contributed by the cur
riculum of the class room and that of the field,
does not tend to produce tender. poetic, sensi-
tive natures
Whether such natures are of great value
in this aepublic at the present period OF its
history may be open to debate; but one Trims
is pretty certain and that is that the vigorous.
active man of affairs. the doer and the Garner,
Is the type to which popular admiration is
accorded The pendulum has swung to the
farthest extreme from scholastcism. The
West Pointer and the Annapolis man are
crowdinS the students Of the classics. Latin
and Greek are sucoumbing to logarithms and
football W.
NEW YORK July l.