Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-08-07
AXIOM NO. |.

And the learned professor touching
ia coronal bone with his index finger.
ordered, and pondered deeply. "This !
ypo'hetical syllogism doth greatly I
,erplex," quoth he. 81 have analysed
t, have synthesized 1t. and yet to
he it is heterogeneous mass, inca
,able of certain analysis, Or dGiomdtic
;ntuiti0ity. In my anxiety to accom-
)lish great work, that is to discover
IN the human formation those elements
which befit men for certain great &C
complishments, 80 that they may be
traced with absolute certainty and
known when found. / have studied
mans anatomy, have dissected his
bones, cartilages, ligaments, tendons,
epidermis and membranes, aud IS
have marked "even "have not reach
cd an automatic intuitivlty with ref
erence to those qualities, though have
often been able to determine in my
oaUn mind, whether in some individu
al cases, the human b. ing in question
be fitted for certain requirement 3.
have decided, after Studying in Euro
pean Universities and after great labor
at home, that a person with one leg
shorter than the other shonld not be
chosen to enter foot race. That one
who has lost an arm may not compete
in boxing contest with one who has
two arms, that one who in his youth
had been afflicted with eurviture of
the spine would not be the person to
chose as the center rush on foot ball
team. Cases such as these ] would
with reasonable certainty decide with
out apparent hesitency. but if where
the conditions are normal, that is
where the body is we'll developed and
the brain apparently so, l should be
called upon to decide whether the in
diyidual in question might not become
great general, or great lawyer, or
great teacher, or a great executive
officer, or if not great in these, whether
the subject upon which Was to pred.
icate my conclusions would be capable
of doing even we'll the thing under
taken or proposed, or vice versa, 1
would hesitate before ! emerged from
my dilemma, and delivered thesis
based upon any a priOgi reasoning
| Now should lay down the following
syllogism
A man to be fitted for the presiden-
cy of great university must be man
of character.
Mr.. Blank y not man of charac.
ter, therefore Mr.. Blank is not fitted
for such an office, the logic of the
situation would be perfect, provided
this PREMISES be correct. But
suppose Mr.. Blank is man of charac.
ter. might the whole reasoning not
fall to the ground ? If, however,
should lay down the following syllo
gism:
i A man without characteristics is
untitled to be president of a great
} university.
Mr.. Blank is without characteristics,
therefore, Mr.. Blank is untitled to be
the president of great university
the whole proposition would become
laxiomatic because the human mind
cannot conceive OF man being fitted
for the presidency of a great un1ver.
sity without characteristics, therefore
show me man with characteristics
and l will show you a suitable man fol
such presidency, or show me a mar
: without characteristics and l will show
you "a man wholly unfit co be such
president. This indeed is an 1ntuitiye
axiom. If not a self-evident truth"
And the professor tapped his coronal
bone with that kind of tap which tells
that great truth has entered there
But when the cOnclaYe of professors
met they were not of one mind. The
first syllogism WAS adopted the second
discarded and they clapped their hands
in glee. as doth the astronomer when
he discovereth comet with four tails.
80 they all wrote in their text books.
"AXIOM NO. L."
"a man to be fitted for the presiden-
cy of great university must be man
of character
Mr.. Blank is not man of character.
therefore, Mr.. Blank is not fitted for
such an Office.''
And thus possibly for all time would
this new axiom have remained an
axiom, had not a suggestion been
made that Mr.. Blank is a man of char
acter. When the learned copclave
heard this they hastily met again and
revised their text books and now
axiom No. /" has been so modified as
to read.
A man without characteristics ia
untitled to be president of a great
university.
Mr.. Blank is without characteristics.
i! therefore Mr.. Blank is untitled to be