New-York tribune., 1905-01-08


9f$&x know whether it was the Yale
~ who quoted Thoreau Or
was it the who boasted that
he did not go to college? According the structure
OF Mr.. Lewls'S sentence, it was the former; the
context intimates that it was the latter)
l am aware that the testimony of subjective
experience" even if it accessible would not
be conclusive. 1t satisfies the individuals who
possess it, but those satsactions even if tabulated
in statistics, would not be altogether convincing
to one who considered life the of certain other
SatiSfaCtionS.
What Mr. Lewis seems to use as the measuring
rod of comparison is the amount of "honors and
emouments." If he will take his yardstick and
go beyond the prejudice of intimacy which calls
men by their first Names that he will
hnd that the college has Just good chance
to come into these despite his four lost years Last
year the Secretary of the State Board of Regents of
New-YOrk permitted me to see some statistics
compiled from two biographical dictionaries the
one containing the names of Americans no longer
living who had achieved sufficient distinction to
justify the inclusion of brief record of their lives
such book. the other the names of living Americans
adJudged deserving of mention shall not quote these
statistics OF hOnOrs and emOluments, for they
not to give a nOn-COllege enough of a chance
AS l remember, they showed in their total that the
college mans chance of Success according
the definition of biographical dictionary is about
forty times as great as the man known in Mr. Lewiss
article the ''Other man" | admitting that
this standard is the most reliable of values but
think it is much the that employed
used.
That statistical test puts several men of supreme
greatness in history in the non-coege total; but
without exception | think they anxious to
to others what they could not have for them
selves. Moreover it must be remembered that in
the DAYS of the Revolution Gn which Mr.. Lewis re-
marks the paucity of college among the signers
of the Declaration of Independence and those who
fought for independence few young men were edu-
Gated except for the ministry. If the comparison IS
confined the days since the Civil War it properly
may be- it will be noted that every President, except
one, elected by the people since Lincoln, has been
college or West Point the exception prepared for
college and one may infer from his English had very
good fitting in Latin. He IS active member of
a university board of trustees.
The statistics of success show to show, that
the college man has vastly better chance to come
into Mr. Lewiss "hOnors and emOlunents ~ and If
in few cases he is standing the street curb tossing
flapjacks IS driving trOlley-car Tor anxious Tor
the opportunity, while a nOn-college man has come
into the Presidential chair opinions must not
lump too hastily to a conclusion | happen to know
college graduate, who made his living in doing
much the same sort of work which the publisher.
quoted bv Mr. Lewis CharacterZes so contemptuorsv,
and who is now himself of the foremost editors and
publishers in this country, giving many aspiring
writer the opportunity of bursting into literature
l once set up a college with waffle outht; he
managed with that to make his way into professional
school: and now l suppose he is doing much tor
his generation of the rest OF us who write about
things | wonder if Mr.. LeWis's curb-stOne caterer,
after all NAV not have succeeded in his ambition
We must wait till the game IS played through; and
even then we cannot always tell who has won.
But l am not willing to measure the values OF a