Omaha daily bee., 1908-04-14
BRYCE TALKS ON JEFFERSON
British Ambassador Speaks on Found
ers' Day at Charlottesville, Va.
EDUCATION AND THE POLITICIAN
English Scholar Discusses Its Effects
and Comments Upon Views of
the American states
men.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va, April 15.-
The 165th anniversary of the birthday Of
Thomas jefferson and the eighty-ninth an
niversary of the foundation OF the Univer-
sty of Virginia was celebrated at that in
stitution today, the chief address being de-
livered by the British minister James
Bryce.
President Alderman, in introducing the
ambassador, referred to the fact that Tarle-
ton soldiers chased the general assembly OF
Virginia from the town Of Charlottesville
and caused Mr.. jefferson himself to leave
Monticello somewhat hastily. 1--WE are
very fortunate today" said DR.. Alderman,
''in having as our guest a representative
Of our great mother empire and Of his
majesty King Edward VII. Twenty five
million people have come to this country
since the revolution from all quarters of
| the world, and very few of them have been
Englishmen. 1t is perhaps fairly accurate
to say that rural England and the south
ern states are the most English parts of
the world today. stil this republic is an
English land"
Value of Knowledge.
Mr.. Bryce then spoke in part as follows:
No one can stand here without thinking
| much and wishing to say much about
Thomas Jefferson, the founder of this fam
Gus university, and next TO George Wash
| ington, one of the two or three most re-
markable men that Virginia has given TO
| the United States and 70 the world.
When one reads jefferson and examines
| mis- conduct, considering on the one hand
| his faith in the people aud on the other
| hand his high sense of the value Of knowl-
edge and the efforts he made to spread
| university instruction, three questions are
presented to our minds-questions of perm
anent interest for all students of politics.
The first of these are: How far is II true
L a
you would express il here In familiar terms.
| Is the average man-the farmer or the ar
tisan-fit to run democracy with success
| II freedom alone is enough-if the impulses
! of man are preponderatingly good, the
| average man ought to be able to DO so. Yet
jefferson evidently had his msgivings
Though he refrained from the condemnation
he ought to nave passed on the eXcesses
| committed by some of his French revolu-
tionary friends, he knew well enough that
mora than the abolition of monarchy and
| aristocracy was needed to secure good
government; and his own experiences In Of
! lice was amply sufficient to show him now
many knots there are tnat the average man
| cannot unite.
This question is so large that must not
attempt to discuss 1t here. am content 10
| commend il to your reflection as one OF the
most momentous that has ever occupied
mems minds.
Education and Politics.
A second question suggested by Jefferson S
| ideas and efforts is this: What will be the
effect OF education on the Mighty eoucaleu
man so far politics are coDcernedY VIII
knowledge and training give him deeper
sympathy with the people ana greater
fitness tor leading the people or VIII II
1 rather cut him Off from the masses, max
ing hiTa detached. perhaps snpercillous
! possibly @even soornfni and cynieaig
| L will not attempt TO decide 10 which side
the preponderance of men distinguished IN
| literature and science belongs, put sucn
men taken as a whole are more generally
| conservative in temper and less heartily
| daTnocratic In ODiniOn than men of the
| same type were in 1883. Why is this
| Partly because the liberty formerly sought
| has now been attained, while the evils
| which then excited Indignation have now
been largely removed. Partly, also be-
! cause experience has disclosed evils incl
| dent to popular government which were
not felt while arbitrary government held
the field, and because demands are now
made i'm the name OF liberty for further
changes which are deemed to be danger
Gus. Democracy has not brought with II
all that was hoped, so there has been a
| certain reVulsion of feeling against democ-
racy. Many of the most powerful minds
are occupied i'm trying not to broaden and
deepen its channel. but to erect barriers
that may check or guide it's flow.
The finest kind of mind may be according
to the circumstances of his time. either a
liberal or conservative a man who cries lrL.
| Warily But he will usually be one who
rises above the passions and prejudices OF
the moment, who refuses to follow the
| crowd who is not moved by popular cries
1t is well that this should be so-provided
| always that the detachment OF the inde-
pendent thinker does not go so far as to
put him out OF touch with the sentiment
of his country and so prevent him from
serving 1t.
Duty of the University.
This brings us to the third question
which reflection upon Jefferson and his
faith in university education suggests
What should university do for its stud
ents in the way of fitting them for life
of learning, or a life of public service
That Il should give them knowledge is
obvious enough But il should also give
them what is better than knowledge, that
is wisdom-the power to apply an intelli-
gent criticism to facts and ideas--tne
power of getting principles out of facts
and of testing the worth of ideas by
their conformity to facts.
II should also teach them public spirit
and the love OF truth. Still more evidently
is II the duty of university TO instih q
devotion TO truth knowledge and wis
dom and shrewdness are needed in al
walks of practical life. Rut for the work
that is TO be done for the permanent bene.
fit of mankind, be IL for learning OF
scienoe-be il for theology or politics
and for all the highest kind of work thai
the service of the church or the state de
mands the one vital and supreme requis
lite Is a desire to find the truth and a re-
solve TO follow IL when found.
President Alderman followed Mr.. Bryce
with an interesting statement concerning
the life of the university for the present
year.