The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-21
GOVERNOR HUGHES AS A WIT.
Careful Analysis OF His Words 70 Columbia
Alumni,

TIC THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-,sfr: Not only
does Governor Hughes exhibit a most particular
discrimination in the selection Of his words. as
you say. but he exhibits a profound wit through
such selection. In his address to the Columbia
alumni at luncheon on June IL he made a few re
marks approbative Of the position taken by college
men in the affairs OF the world during a compare
lively short exercise of the better judgment that
is the result of a technical education rather than
edmonitive TO the ineXperence of q class OF young
men Just entering on Its Network. In making
these remarks he not only showed his knowledge
of an assured e4pedlency, but pointed 10 an I'm
Alterable law of nature which has been adopted
into the law OF reason. "All there is In education. :"
said he, IN unison with nature. is In the develop
ment OF the capacity for making discrimination. All
there Is In government, all there is In any of the
Institutions which we prize, Is the emphasis that
Is placed upon just and proper discrimination"
Nature herself is thorough discrimination. and
abe ia relentless in Furnishing undiscrimination.
II Is through discrimination that she realizes re-
lstion or conformity, through conformity that she
realizes order, and through order that she realizes
harmony. Nor Is her secret OF power ended here:
for through harmony she realizes consonance.
and through consonance she exercises attraction.
Because our nrst crop of technical college men
know this law and have been applying 1t In bust
ness for the last score OF years to an astounding
improvement In method, the present attack of
unreason Is upon them. Reason Is discriminate
and therefore rational: while unreason ia indiscrimi-
hoNN' VI % phl' VI n ~ Nc oNh
wants. This Is a state which Messrs. Roosevelt and
Burroughs designate as simple instinct.
The greater the disparity in nature. the greater
must be the dlscrimina alton TO establish harmony,
and therefore attraction. The diversity or want
OF conformity Is nowhere greater than In human
nature. where II amounts TO disparity In many
forms: men are honest and dishonest, prompt
paying and slow, businesslike and exasperatinR.
lenient and exacting. painstaking and careless 10
destruction, helpful and hindering, unselnsh and
avancious: the disparity is not q matter of living
on the north or the south side OF the street, of long
or short stature, other things being equal. To the
insect all peas are alike; to q naturalist they are
diversified: but even the insect will discriminate
between peas and peppers. There are certain
ideas OF uniformity" says Montesquieu, which
sometimes strike great geniuses. but i~nfallibly
make an impression on little souls. They discover
therein a Kind of perfection, which they recognize
because It is impossible for them not 10 see II.
. . = And does not greatness Of genius consist
rather in distin gushing between those cases in
which uniformity is requisite and those In which
there is a necessity for differences"
When, therefore, DR.. Hughes says IL is the duty
OF reason 10 20 forward, and not to finch, what
ever the trial may be. what Is he II not witty
Scranton Pa June 10. GALLO.