New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-12
REPLIES TO MACDOWELL.
President SchurmaH's Opinion of
Music Professors Criticism.

At the annual dinner Of the Cornell University
alumni at the waldorf-Astoria last night. Pres
iIent Jacob Gould schurman. responding to the
toast The University discussed in his speech
the criticism by Professor Mcdowell OF Columbia
University. regarding the inefaciency OF fine arts
courses at Columbia and other universities Pres
ident Schurman said in part;
has passed l the three tSodsand marx In the last
decade our oldest universities have been cee-
6ratlng their orlglns-Haryard Two nghIIsu ana
fifty years ago ale two hundred and Princeton
one hundred and hIty come which Is put oI yes
dong may he lived IS stin actively engaged in lit
any Of these venerable sister institutions except the
II / may venture 10 eritcise the graduate work
done in American universities, would say that.
Il would have been vastly more stimulating and
valuable II me young lnvesJsaloTs mad had a
fore going Of into sPeciaiza tion along with that
that capacity FOR perspective which such gen
circus training is apt to develop. i plead not for
but for more Of 1t By better trained inquirers
generation ago literally educated man
one who at college had put most OF his time on
al Harvard and Yale also a man may graduate as
a Bachelor OF Arts who has not opened Greek or
Latin book between matricuIation and commence
There have been gains and losses in the course OF
mmedatsiv to the interest OF our Students and ne
average youth gets far more out OF history.
used 10 get out OF Greek and Latin. They yield
more direct training for citizenship IN the modern
Of view OF the students powers. think Il safe to
say that both his observation and reasoning are
hunanities than by the study Of the ancient elias
There is loss. however. as well as gain. Modern
cVllza ton IL the development. under the influence
oc Christianity of Greco Roman civilization. and
the knowledge OF that older civilization. which
once the common heritage or educated men, will
as the years go by. survive only the attainment
Of the specialist. But in the nature OF things, 7
see no reason why Dante and Shake pcare and
Goethe should not. quite efectuaIiy as Homer
virgil or SophocleS quicken and ennObls the
tiOns and the imagination Yet ii Is n fact that
rrodern educa+foD ~ +Lcs, -.
ties or literary and artistic culture 10 science and
The newspapers published yesterday a very Strfk-
ing communication from Edward Mcdowell. the
eminent composer. in which he explains the reasons
pa UNIVERSITY. oar young barbariaus." Mr.. Mac
loweH contends should be humanized By the study
or music painting; sculpture. architecture and
those studies. M MacDaweu draws the cheerIess
conclusion that 'the general tendency Of modern
education Is toward matsrialsm-"
Vow. the first observation I should make on +bfs
Indictment IS that institution can train uD u0etS
musicians painters other artists In the bseucs
~ natural endowrneuts and these a1liov~r,er+- -
suits. But given the requisite artistic canScit A.
ny KNOWING so that the studio or couservatOry and
not the university classroom or labOratOry seems
the proper place for IT. cultivation.
say; RAMSEY our colleges and universities do
NOT ana cannot train MP composers Ike Mr.. Mac
most We can do is TO bring the creations artistic
genius TO the notice Of students. end-avor 10
interpret these creations to them and strive to
produce n thr.r undev"lOued artistic sense some
and richer life.
J. cannot leave this episode however. without
pointing out fundamental fallaCy underlying Ar.
MacDowcIs position. For him "idealisu'' means
tho study o. art and 'rnaterialisn'' the study OF
any other subject or subjects. The student os
language. history. economics politics philosophy
mathematics or science Is. in this TECHNOLOGY, a