The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-18
IN DEFENCE OF PROF. BURGESS
SAID TO HAVE BEEN MISREP.
RESENTED IN BERLIN.

the Text Of His speech 20 President
Butler Before He Went to Germany.
Prof. John William Burgess, whose nama
has flashed by cables from Berlin a great
deal since he made his statement to a Ger.
man audience that he believed the Monroe
Doctrine was obsolete, Is the senior dean
at Columbia University. He il the man
who Is responsible for most Of the improve.
ments in the educational system at Column
bia, unique In many ways. and whose ad-
vice has been the basis OF almost all the
reforms that have been instituted.
To no one in the Columbia faculty is hs
better known than 10 Prof. Munroe Smith,
who has been associated with Prof. Bur-
CESS for nearly ~thirty-four years both az
a pupil and colleague. Prof. Smith is a
stanch adherent OF Prof. Burgess. and what
he had to say about the senior dean yester-
day helped to clear up what was considered
a blunder.
prof. Burgess was born in Tennessee
about 81 years ago. said Prof. Munroe
Smith, and was graduated from Amherst
in 1867. After that he read law in SPRING
field, Mass, and was admitted to the bar.
I do not think that he practised for any
length of time. In 1889 he went to Knox
College to be professor OF English literatura
and political economy and stayed there for
two years.
He spent two years thereafter study
ing at the German universities. OF which
Berlin was one. I think that from bis
stay there and from later travel in Germany
he got to know the temper Of the people
well. He returned to Amherst in 1879,
when l was a senior there, and was pro-
fessor Of history and political science.
Il can remember very well how he won
us to him. He presented the subjects
that he taught with much that was new
and fresh that never before had been shown
| tous and IL was a great delight to cs to meet
him. / went on to the Columbia Law School
and presently he came to Columbia to be a
teacher, so that again my acquaintance
with him was renewed.
IL came TO be associated with him in
1880 as an tructo in the department Of
political science, which he founded at
Columbia. 1t was a detail of his unfailing
courtesy that In the management of that
department he never treated the men
who worked with him as subordinates.
but let them manage the developments
of their courses in their own way. 1t was
only natural that when departments came
TO be headed by deans, which i believe
also was his idea, he was made dean OF
the department Of political science.
he IL so courteous and suave in hIs
/ manner that he makes friends easily and
his tact is 80 great that he has been able
to accomplish a great deal. IL is just tho
matter Of his tact and judgment that made
me feel that the Berlin reports were founded
more on sensation than on fact. His judg-
ment always has been excellent, and {
believe that when n man gets TO he 81 years
old without having. made mistakes he is
unlikely to start in then.
Prof. Burgess has visited Germany
many times in the summer vacations,
spending much Of his time in Wilhelmshohe.
near Cassel, where the Elector Of Hesse-
C~asselused 10 have his palace and park. Prof.
Burgess was in Germany in 1905, when DR..
Butler was there, and met Kaiser Wilhelm.
who was very favorably impressed with
him. DR.. Butler then was arranging the
terms OF the Theodore Roosevelt professor
ship Of American history and institutions
in the University of Berlin.
Il am given to understand that il was the
suggestion OF the Kaiser that Prof. Burgess
would be very acceptable to him as the
first lecturer which caused the Columbia
trustees to nominate him. Prof. Burgess
also was asked by the Kaiser to give in
struction to one of his n He returned
TO Germany last summer and again met the
Kaiser.
II have had the pleasure OF speaking 70 -
man who in the past summer heard the
inaugural speech read by Prof. Burgess at
Wilhelmshohe. He read it before DR..
Butler, toy, 80 that the latter might sng-
gest any amendment he thought wise.
SO that I know from the context how little
Of the sensational there was in the speech.
I believe that Prof. Burgess started off 10y
saying certain things To put himself en-
r rapport with his audience which were
merely the things that any man might say
in starting a series OF lectures.
Then he remarked how much freer he
was in the position OF an academic envoy
than ii he were a diplomatic envoy. A.
near as | can rccollect II the idea was that
as an academic envoy he was in a position
to say just what he believed and would be-
hampered by nc fear that what he might
say would reflect anything but bis own
personal opinion. Then he added by wav
OF Instance that of his own part he believed
that the protective principle of the Monroe
pootrine was worn out, conditions being 50
different now.
81 know from what he has said TO mo
and to others that that was his opinion.
based chiefly on tho fact that the lu,ted
States when it asserted the Monroe Doc
trine was only a small nation on the e3st
coast Of the United States with good reason
to fear the possible inroads or the Holy
Alliance II Il established outposts in South
America. Now there is no ~republicdnisW
and no democracy in South America; the
countries there are military despotism-, u
NAV be said roughly.
Those are fairly the ideas that he had n
Ihluu Wttn Ne maze the rneeCn IN hpIIIn,
IL was a deviation just for the sake of Prov
ing his truo Independence az he had stated
IT., He did not. ! I'm sure. pause 10 con-
slider the effect 1t might have on his Amer
can hearers; he was speaking solely TO Nh"
Germans. II was unfair 10 take thIs
out OF the context, especially after making
It appear thai he was in a way the repre-
sentative Of President Roosevelt or Of tho
American people. instead Of being solely
an American citizen.
The Introduction into the Cablegram ~
q letter from President Roosevelt which
Prof. Burgess read to his Berlin auditors
was done in a way to seem to show that
Prof. Burgess was furnished with credentials
from the President. At a matter Of fact
1t is known in this country tina thi- is ul-
true and that Prof. Burgess represented
nothing II not Columbia in the lectures.
having made his case in point he went on
with his lecture Of introduction.
Il do not doubt that later, when iTo'.
Burgess comes to take up the feature, ~
the American Constitution. he cannot
fail 10 say things that may sound to the
Germans like unfavoTable criticism Iul-
piled II not expressed--of their institutions
They may choose to be offended. but o. =
almost inevitable TO point things out 10