The San Francisco call., 1904-02-05
DIR. ALBERT SHAW LECTURES
AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY
Morals of Trade"
Is Editors Sub
ject.

GCI.
--
In the presence Of a large audience
thar hued Hearst Hall last night Dr.
Albert shaw. editor Of the Review Of
Reviews delivered the first annual lee
lure under the Barbara Weinstock lee
tureship on The Morals Of Trade"
This lectureship was founded by
Henry Weinstock Of Sacramento, with
an endowment of $4,000. a sum sufi-
ciert to allow Of one lecture a year.
The general subject for all the lectures
Is The Moral. Of Trade" a theme that
viii provide many thoughtful discus
sions in the future In order 10 under
stand Mr. Weinstocks object in Great
ing This lectureship. his statement TO
President Wheeler at the zine Of its
founding may be taken into account
IL reads as follows:
J was prompted 90 make the endowment be
cause in my business experience / nave met
llanF Youne men who have but one standard OF
success and that b. 10 make money. and who
seemed t0 think that it was not possible 10
succeed in trade without more or less OF
sacrifice of the ethical side OF their natures
While this view ~ the trade Is not 80 uni
7nrsaI to-day as it was thirty forty years
ago. if nevertheless widely prevails. The pur-
Jose of fhe lectureship rs 10 do Whatever can
he 0one toward correcting such mistaken no
iQls oN educatlng the mlnQs OF men, inlIe
especially OF young men who are preparing
themselves FOR commercial career TO the
belief thar success IN business IS more prop
able and more lasting II conducted upon a
high ethical plane and that true success lies
in developing character rather than in heaping
up eol1.
AGE OF COMMERCLALISM
DR.. Shaw declared that he did not
propose 10 warn his hearers to study
penal codes or 10 study the definitions
Of grand and petty larceny in order to
fully understand the morals Of trade.
He then referred to the various recog
uized professions and the ethics that
govern them, and said that no man
was a TRUE member Of a profession
who did not admit. both in theory and
in practice. that he had a public func-
ton TO serve and that he must fire.
Quentlv be at some discomfort or dis
advantage because OF the calls Of pro-
fessional duty.
The lawyer bears an important pub
Die relation in the dispensing of jus
lection Of the innocent and feeble. The
physicians public obligation is in part
prescribed by the laws of the State and
by the codes evolved by the profess
sion itself for its own guidance. / need
not refer TO the unselfsh devotion Of
most Of the members Of the clerical
profession. for this is evident TO all
observant persons.
l. IL
professional man. that he is false to
his profession and TO his plain Obliga-
lions if he shows himself TO be ruled
by the anti-sOcial spirit that is to say,
il he considers himself absolved from
any duties toward the community about
him
In the category with the three pro-
fessions above mentioned the speaker
added those Of teaching. architecture.
chemistry. engineering and electricity.
mining and journalism.
POSITIVE ETHICAL STANDARDS.
In speaking Of the professions men
toned Dr. Shaw went quite deeply into
the subject. in part he said:
Tn all these calings il is demanded not
merely that men shall be- subject TO the pri-
Nate rules of cOnduct-that they must not
cheat, or Die. or steal. bear false witness. or
he bad neighbors or undesirable citizens-but
in addition and in the most important sense
that they shall be subject TO positive ethical
standards that relate 70 the welfare Of the
whole community, and that require Of them
the exercise oi "A true public spirit.
After a scholarly analysis Of the
ethical characteristics Of professional
life Dr. Shaw said:
The whole thesis that 7 wish TO develop is
fuIr flls- That however I'd have been
in business lie in times past there has been
such tremendous change in the organiza-
ion ana methods of the business world and
also in The relative importance OF the func-
ucns of The business man in the community
TINT ire distinctions which have hitherto set
arart the professional classes have become
obsolete FOR all practical purposes in many
branches ana departments O. the business
AZ 1east the work OF the responsible leaders
Is no longer DO be- regarded as essentially a
thing q private concern and free from public
fesipns ibilitt- AZ the business world is not
sense of public duty in general. and. second
hf The special ana technical sense Of public
oDlieauQn that pertains ta particular kinds
or departments on business activity tber 81
ls telling sh0rr ~ ifs best oDDortunftiee and
efaqlne lta profiaential tasks II is for the
modern business world % recognize the con-
oitcrs that have in the fuliness OF time given
lt - great power and SO dominant a posi-
that belong 20 u as fully and truly as they
belong 10 any OF the professions
CAPITALISM A BOON TO MAN.
Or. Shaw then said that the eco-
nOmic progress of the past century
often termed capitalism" was an i'm
measurable boon to mankind. He
said that the progress Of the last CEN
tufy had swept away many evils nv
forcing itself into a world of povertv
OF disease, Of depraved public life, of