The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-05-20
CLASS OF'O9 GIVEN
STANFORD DEGREES
Prof. P. j. Hall of Chicago Dis
cusses Government Owner
ship of Public Utilities
fSeeeial Diseaieh 70 The Gail

GSseoiol Dispatch 10 The Call
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, May 10
The 1903 class of Stanford university
is now but a memory al this institu-
tion. The hnaI exercises Of the com
mepcement week were held today in
the assembly hall and were impressive
in their simplicity The number OF
students who received their bachelor
of arts degrees was one OF the largest
in the history Of the university wnlle
the number of advanced sheepsklns
conferred was in an equal ratio. The
exercises were held in the morning. be
ginning at 1880 in the big assembly
lisu and were attended by hundreds OF
local residents. friends and relatives OF
and many graduates and visitors from
The nearby Towns.
Address BY DIR. HALL
The exercises consisted in the ad-
dress 10 the graduates by Prof. r j..
Hall dean Of the law school OF the
University Of Chicago. and the bestowai
OF the degrees and farewell words OF
advice by Or. Jordan, president or the
university Music was rendered be
tween speeches. and at the end of the
exercises DR.. ID. Charles Gardner. the
university chaplain, led the gathering
Or. Hail spoke on Business and the
Nation" dealing with the feasibility
Of government control of public utill-
titles He questioned the advisablllty
Of the government extending the post
office system TO handle freight and the
ultimate control of the railroads. he
said in part.
The Iasi Few wears have witnessed unusual
amount of discussion regarding federal control Of
business activities in this country, considerable
amount of Important federal legislation upon
ihe matter has been enacted, and much greater
amount has been proposed in various quarters.
il is OF interest 10 the average intelligent citizen
10 know something Of the fair possibilities OF
such regulation. what may reasonably be thought
10 be within the powers Of congress and what
nor, ~ the present time
power like those concerning banking the cur
rency. bankruptcy. patents and copyrights me
principal powers that may be used by congress
- institute sociai and economic reforms are the
postal powers the power 10 regulate interstate
and foreign commerce. and The power az taxa
ton
POWERS OF CONGRESS
II has long been settled that congress has the
largest measure Of control over the mail service
of the country. II may make IL government
monopoly. and may prescribe vigorously what
NAV be carried. in what amounts. ana subject 70
what conditions. Could ii not increase the limit
Of weight for mailable matter so as virtually 10
take over all Of the express business OF the
countrvs This seems likely. Could II not in
crease the limit OF weight and enlarge the char
acter 81 mailsble matter 50 as 10 include even
freight and thus secure control Of the railway
transp0rtat ton Of the country This, OF course
Is much more conjecuural but is possible
source some time OF gaining complete control OF
the c0untry's railways. II government ownership
ri rbis SORT should ever seem necessary. II is
also likely that the government might take
charge 0f the telegraph and long distance tele-
of6ce as is commonly done in European coun-
Professor Hall was followed by DR..
Jordan. who spoke on The Standards
Of the University and reviewed the
situation at Stanford, touched on the
troubles of last semester and dealt
with the university question in broad
manner
DISCUSSION OF DISSENSION
He attributed the violent dissension
OF last year to growing pains" such
as are prevalent among young chill
dren. and therefore found among young
universities he said in the course Of
his address:
Within the last few years we have heard 8
good deal Of the breach between professors and
students, the growing divergence in their ten
denotes and points Of view and the dire evils
10 which this divergence may lead.
This has not been matter Of Stanford uni
versity alone, in any important degree.
Whatever breach may have existed here. or may
have been imagined 70 exist is now healed and
sfects all our universities alike. The universi-
ties Of America are al young; not one Of them
Thus an afflicted at about the same time
with the same growing pains. the same aspira-
tons FOR change and Improvement and the same
chldrens' diseases and complaints Of adolescence.
ON IDLERS AT COLLEGES
II has been gravely argued IN England ths Z
should not insist high scholarship as q
necessary character Of the colleges at oxford.
oxford should be rather A place where young
" Caf rs
with the least possible danger Of personal in
inere have always been fdlers and rakes in
every college. but until lately they have rarely
claimed TO set the pace They have gone their
wsv. but with half apology from themselves
end their friends. Now. In some quarters. these
claim 10 be the college. They show the CON
tempt they have always felt for the dig and
the grind. for the man who tries Loyalty 10 gain
from bis college life the best that the colleges
Palaces have been reared for the .,tender
rich.' Charles Eliot Norton used 10 call them.
and provision has been made for their grooms
and their grooming that the forms OF the col.
lege may be preserved. even where all semblsnce
Of intellectual effort or Of moral stamina has
II IS perhaps true that training schools should
be established for men Of this type. as Downing
college was once built for them at Cambridge:
but these institutions should not take the name
az college or university names long sacred
10 Intellectual effort and moral uplft. A better
name is sanatorium," or. If idleness be not re-
gsrded as sanitary. one might call them by the
The professors should know their students not
for the men they are but for the men they
ought 10 be. IT serves great end for the pro-
fessors TO gather in the men for purely social
purposes. nor for the purpose Of ingrafiatipg
themselves by baby talk on football and track
possibilities.
DUTIES OF PROFESSORS
II is no part Of the professors duty 70 coax
or court student popularity Smokers and after
noon teas count for nothing unless there is an
Interior purpose TO make them worth while
To ingrstiate self with the boys is worse than
useless. II the purpose and result IS not moral
and mental uplift. To have drunk from the
same canteen IS 10 bring men together il the
fellow feeling is incident Of the narch-if
the men who drank together were striving TO.
gether as well. To drink from the same beer
keE. when there is no common uplift or common
effort does not tend toward warmer friendships
or higher standards. The difference in the
morning is the test by which the comraderr
among free spirits, 'Cemeingeist unter freien
CeisterB. may be distinguished from its many
limitations.
Tie divergence between professors and stu
dents IS therefore in the long run and in all
cases the measure Of the lsxitr of the professors
If the professor upholds the standards intrusted
10 him the student viii respect these standards
and VIII respect him The snap course is dis.