The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-26
HAMPER OF CHICAGO.
AFriendly but Discriminating Estimate
OF Man OF To-day.
Rro.n ne Madison STATE Journal.

From the Madison State journal.
Precedent Harper OF Chicago University,
whose end seems TO be approaching is y
thickset man, with a moon face, smooth
shaver, wearing speotacles. His eyes are
keen and comprehensive and resourceful
He gives the impression OF alertness. there
is nothing dependent about him: and no self
made man ever jeered contemptuously Col
iege Professor" as Harper passed by. He is
all business. a STRAIGHTFORWARD. even blunt
man. clear. logical. free from sentiment.
As young man he elected scholarship
rather than commerce or law. and he threw
into the study OF Hebrew the same energy
and enthusiasm that Charles P. Clark mani
tested in railroading and Russell Sage In
financing. Harpers idea twenty wears ago
when he was a subordinate on the Yale divin-
ity faculty. was that everybody should study
Hebrew including old ladies with very littlS
schooling; and he had cInsses at work all over
the East parlor groups even. lie had a
strong body and was noted even then as q
tremendous worker travelling nights to
meet engagements and debating articles for
International lDag lines on the trains. And
he me; his classes o theoloSues. as usual.
OF course such a man was not to work
ever in a pent up Utica. Mr.. Rockefeller
got hold OF Harper and the latter proved
equal to the Chicago situation He was born
in a little town in Ohio and graduated from
the small college" He is one OF those Mid
de West men new American type. strong
in body. sense and zeal, that students OF
American trends haze too Ions ne elected
This Middle West man is born on n farm and
earns his way through college in printing
ONCE, and takes his Phi. l.. at Johns Hopkins
and adds foreign culture TO knowledge OF
the soil and an understanding OF simple peo-
pie at the crossroads, and later he breaks
bread with kings. He II the man OF to-day
Harper BELONGED to this generation with
Albert Shaw and the Fnlays aud Beyerdge
and Mcclure and the others.
As he is to-day President Harper embodjes
the idea OF modern college president an
executive Whether building a dormtory
or supervising an athletic council. or writing
an essay on Immortality. his method is the
same quick reasoning from sound PREMISE
a clear. direct conclusion and press on tho
eectri button that his secretary may show
In the next gentleman We don't altogether
admire the type, or rather We have a senti-
men tai longing for the old college president
with his le!surely grace and restful charm
and hi morning prayers. but Harper lives in
Chicago and iypihes It's spirit Nor does
the type fall short on the spiritual side The
i'd ga OF service to his generation las mastered
him This tyne substitutes character for
EN- otionsl forms Of goodness. He is too busy
to lie pious. When you ask for his personal
EXP, rieucc. he crs you the conclusions Of
and the uncovered Truth OF his archRlogy
that shall mako men free, and his pupils who
are tolllng in the slums ard sensing the uulss
OF the child OF the tenement as a result OF hs
inspiration made possible by the pile Of
stone and mortar and tho men whom Harper
has induced Rockefeller 90 sustain
The dying president has his life organized
no clustered saint ever more so. He Is max
ing his arrangements for Paradise with the
same care for details. perfect system and des-
patch with which . hundred times he has
packed his grip and instructed hi deans be
fore taking some tw eutieth century limited
for New YORK or Berlin or san Francisco 10
hring Rockefeller under the spell OF person
allty or to lay the cornerstone Of "A librar,'
dedicated 10 Truth. or 10 instruct tho great
Baptist denomination on the real significance
OF the original phrases that stand FOR con-
version. and what 10 means TO Ii sc forever
great man President Harper He has
done IN his short life OF fifty years Nh hat were
n credit 70 T. thousand men. Sometimes II
seems as N Il would b- wiser education
that sought 10 create an occasional individual
leader Ike William q. Harper than 10 throw
II away on generations Of triflcrs and LIGHT
weights 10 Toll away their time ana patter
ana pretend. But he himsel! thought othc--
wise