The San Francisco call., 1908-05-14


IL Is q delusion and a snare for souls.
BE perfectly clear, make mistake
about Il; you cannot use the oppOrtuni-
ties OF a public Office TO advance your
private interests and repay personal
favOrs any more than to get bribes and
dlch from public funds. Both are
graft. Graft Is the mixing up of prf-
vate and public. The holding of pub
lie Office, ff IT is TO be biessing, and
not n curse, must be treated as an op-
portunity 10 help and serve and give
not get-"-From address by President
Benjamin Tde wheeler TO graduating
class at commencement day exercises
at the University of California.
BERKELEY. May Is.-In the pres
ence Of large audience, Benjamin Ide
Wheeler, president Of the University of
California, delivered an address to the
graduating class at the Greek Theater
this afternoon, the keynote OF which
was the paramount Importance Of work
Riches as mere wealth were condemned
by the head of the university. With
firm voice DR. Wheeler declared the
dangers Of public service when de-
voted only TO the attempt at private
gain. he spoke for the men who
should go into public life, but he
warned the students who were about
10 leave their alma mater that public
good. not TO further private gain and
Advancement
DR.. Wheeler sounded IN no uncertain
words the doctrine Of the new politics
the politics which means organization
Tor the public veal organization for
the whole people. the conservation Of
the rights Of the public. In his trench
ant, tefse comment, DR.. Wheeler pointed
out clearly that the new politics means
the death OF corruption in public life,
for he warned his hearers that the
holding OF public ofiee must be con-
sidered as an opportunity to serve and
give. mot get"
The annual commencement exercfses
were held in the Greek theater this
afternoon. Degrees were awarded to
several hundred students for compile
ton OF their four years work as under
graduates.
The academic column made q diEni-
fed procession to the theater from the
university buildings. where the faculty
and candidates for degrees assembled
Headed by President Wheeler the aca-
cemic line wended its way respIendent
in varicolored gowns from the library
building to the groves OF the Greek
tneeter. In sets Of twos members of
the class OF 1908 followed in the wake
Of the faculty members and took their
places amid the applause OF their
y
IN the academic procession a notable
figure was Mayor z. r. Taylor of San
Francisco, dean Of the Hastings college
OF law.
Among the prominent guests were
Lang Ching KivaI special Chinese edu-
catlonals commissioner TO the United
States, and Hsu Ping Chen. consul gen
eral OF China at San Francisco. They
were escorted by Professor John Frver
AFTER the rendering Of the invocation
by the Rev Earl Wilbur. dean OF the
Unitarian school Of this city, President
Wheeler delivered his annual address
ne said In part:
Toll to help and serve: live TO upbuild. Two
men l.sn 4SooI @ al the same task; one is dead an
ttnet ives Two make Ike gain OF fortune or
honor; one carries II ss q senseless burden
ana makes himself and the world better vystb
Some Of you may 20 into professional careers
give may commercislize your talents ana Von- o1T
SOUS, and because in these fields the tests az
apparent success seem to pay more attention
70 money values. you may FOR time bide
me failure OF your lives under the noSsessson
Of oi goods, but the inevitable Judgment viii none
The less overtake you with lis convincing c,,-ss
of hollowness and folly
There Is no form OF parsimouy more fusidious
tnan that which grumbes at everv lack ~
recognition and chafes at every slight oy r,ts
nueflre cation IT is vain toll 10 spend a Hfe's
strength IN claiming and correcting and IN nav
cheerly doing ones work The hest -sr,e11
eor S..ae1ts SaIt Is more health, and the cure
that couats. a1d so sure exercise breeds
ne ne, resi s aealth 50 sure does giving yield the
No one has lived the fullness Of his life
Who has not enriched II with loss and saeri6ee
ms is matter of plain everyday obserration
and experience after all II was onlv : cooi
Worlcly wisdom. what we cali piain roo6
sense which spoke in the words OF the car
psn.er son when he taught that be who
would save his life must lose II snd be
who would be the greatest must be the servant
julius Klein. graduate Of the mi
Nersity with the class Of 1907. who rem
resented the graduate department. Of
the university. made plea for more
laboratories and better equipment for
them. He said IN part:
laboratory is not necessarily . co,lect,or
oI physical instruments and material things
The laboratory IS the workshop OF the sfr5e5f
investigator his tools and materials OF what
lirtie oluereDce whether they be jars OF tadpoles
OF BaDylon bricks. whether they be fuhss
~ mercury q the latest pamphlets OF labor
union- Jne Bancroft collection and the sr,nSns-
rooms are laboratories cutie as u,uch ss a.
Lick observatory and the Ia JolIa experir,e1t
station. The invest gator in any fieid nnst
learn 70 arrive at the truth after an a-s-S 4sSSe
nation OF certain primary evidence whafever
he the form which that evidence NAV sssnro.
The criticism which one freouentIr hesrx
~ mis- season OF the year on the minuteuess
ana spparent uiviality Of masters and doctors
one or two years investigating the sufhorSbso
n the Nulgate or the Abyssiuian origin al fbe
word spool II matters very little how highly
Specialized the work mey be- Il is the ssniri.
~ the thing that counts. We must hear II
mind that this Is essentially perio6 of 49,
premiership; and while sf Is undoubfedlx ~
Sirabie 70 accomplish something materially CON
sirucrre. we must nevertheless remernber ths%
the attitude Of mind, the habit Of thorouehnezs
sno intellectual Independence IS the only ef-
feet that viii live
TIE far west has much 70 learn IN the
course of its growth toward the true ideal
q university Aftsr all university in
these Gays Is not simply a collection Of books
rs Carlyle put II. We must have books but
far more. we must have laboratories: We rnuSf
have teachers For these VIC have been more
or less dependent upon the east and Furone
for many years But il needs no prophet 70
tell rs n the coming OF the new era Ia things
aeademic in the west. That era IS here vrifb
rs now. The west IS already come to IFS
majority II has past Of which It has good
10 be proud Calisornia's history did
not begin IN lS49 Nor does California make
up the entire west
Our friends beyond the Mississippi have
learned IN recent years that the west also
has active workshops Of learning busy labora-
tories great teachers. in physiology. in agricul-
ture. in physics and IN many other so-called
exact sciences. The acquisition Of the famous
Bancroft collection Of materials on western his
tory by this university puts the west IN pos
session OF one OF the worlds 6nest laboratories
FOR the study Of history and for the training
of historical scholars. Let relations with
the universities Of the east and Of Europe be
fraternal rather than hlfal. Filled with all
~ the YlFor and energy OF Young nation,