The sun., 1909-12-29

HARVARD PRESIDENT TALKS
Y 10 AMERICAN HISTORIANS.
sPhysieiogy ef Pssitics" His subject
Direct Primaries . Failure In Bos
ton Are Now Being Agitated Here
Or. Hart on Hist 0rIcal FalsehOods.

Direct Primaries q Failure In Boz
ton Are Now Being Asitated Here
--Dr. Hart on Historical Falsehoods.
/ President A. lawrence Lowell Of Har-
ward University told the delegates OF the
American Economic Association as
I sembied In conclave with the American
Historical Association yesterday that the
hrst duty OF every political economist
was 10 pursue diligently his search for
truth. Not until he has found the truth
/. BY relentless and unbiased observation
and 10 sure that he has discovered IL can
the economist dare to attempt practical
sspplicstion OF his new found truth to the
AFFAIRS OF men. It is the province OF the
a economist. warned Harvard's president.
x 70 discover the principles that govern the
political relations OF mankind and to
tsach these principles to the man who
may be best suited to put them into effect
A the actual practice OF government.
The Physiology Of Politics. was the
topic that President Lowell chose for his
address, which came as one OF the many
activities In the crowded day that the
delegates OF the two associate ons and
kindred organizations meeting with them
Nod set for themselves. Yesterday was
! ~ down on the programme as Columbia
day. and from 10 o'clock In the morning
until after that hour last night there were
meetings. lunoheons and receptions all
over the college campus. 49,.
When he arose to address an audience
4 e hundred and more in the Horace
Mann auditorium President Lowell began
= " saying that the science OF economics
was bereft Of one characteristic which
distinguished the branches OF natural
< ocience; 1t had no nomenclature which
was beyond the intelligence Of ordinary
man to comprehend. and whereas the
natural sciences grow in scope by seq
msntation, each division having a vitality
Of its own. the science OF economics was
constricted to the sole topic Of the govern
ment Of man and the things man uses for
HE comfort. The speaker then turned TO
the genus reforrner as 1t is exemplified In
politics.
Earnest men overnowing with public
npifit sometimes remind me OF wood
psckeF I saw in Cambridge some years ago
Nho strove loudly for an entire forenoon
~ drill q hole In copper gutter pipe. All
reform movements need for criticism a
devil's advocate who is not. however. be-
jeved to be In league with the devil: or
F1tncF, tncy uoo0 auNiCe ITOm peOplo WpO
are really familiar with the actual workings
* many political institutions. In short.
they need men with q scientific knowledge
Of the physiology OF politics.
4 Reformers are always prone 10 believe
that any new device OF their sponsoring
viii work as they believe II surely will and
when IL does not they are tremendously
diss sppointed. They are far too prone to
mink that they have panseea which will
~ ~ Aasu avxaN x-A L.
likely to remain as he was before he tried
their scheme-some good. some bad. and the
mass Indifferent to matters which do not
touch their personal interests.
if We hear much Of the excellence of mu-
nicipal government abroad. but how much
have we heard about tho real causes OF that
sxcsliencer Men In public life are inclined
% disregard suggestions from academic
regions even when based upon a study Of
sssults. The subject of direct primaries
q burning one at present Public opinion
on this question is In a strange state OF
chaos. The campaign for its adoption In
New York is In full cry at the very time that
In Boston IL has been abolished as failure.
Substantially every one In Boston, includ-
the leading politicians OF both parties and
Feformers. agreed that either system was
better than the method Of direct primaries
which had been tried for several years.
There Is need at the present day of a
greater study Of the ply ysiology OF politics.
More extensive research OF political phe-
nomena should be encoura eed. Such re-
search In not easy. Shams In government
processes must be guarded against. In the
ttudy Of politics we must use the labora-
tory method. but must not err by thinking
That the library ID the laboratory OF political
science. In the outside world Of public life
The phenomena OF politics must oe sought.
q btblioGraphy In not q compiete catalogue
- sources. The student OF politics derives
lncalculable benefit from q personal IA
mfliarity with public life. There is no such
chastcnins Of crude conceptions as rough
ccntact with the world.
Many good people stand ashast at
methods In public life which they commonly
smpioy thsmseives in more private anairs.
They rail st q political machine OF any kind.
when they are In fact conducting with great
complacency q little machine OF their own
IN come society. They regard a. abnormal
b politics q mode Of conducting business
which they adopt naturally In carrying on a
club or even q reform movement. They
fail 10 distlns suish the things that are tn
evitabie and legitimate In party organiza-
tion from those which are reprehensIble
And should be opposed by all good citizens
eometimes politics are not so heated or
Active In q State central committee as in a
sewing circle.
T. Dr. Albert Bushnell Hart OF Harvard,
the president OF the American Historical
Association, discussed In q speech deliv-
cred before the morning session OF that
association In the Horace Mann audi
tofium the interesting phases OF lapses
from truth on the part OF historians DR..
Hart was kind and called such lapses
lima gination In History
/, Inaccuracy was one OF the pressing
dangers OF the day, according to DR., |
RArf's viewpoint. The daily press had |
little regard for truth. he said. because |
every evening paper was constantly try
tAg 10 convict every morning paper Of |
tAlBehood. The Congressional Record, |
august publication as that is, IL full OF |
ep6eches which were never spoken and |
.omIts much OF the raciness OF actual
debate
sEven historical scholars are not with
Nut their failings, their prejudices and
their falsehoods,s said the speaker. with
0ut trying TO settle the moot question |
whether Fronde was a liar or an innocent |
third party or one OF the worlds greatest |
historians. some sympathy should here be |
txprceeed for those umlucky historiog-
fAphers who on matters Of truth know
not their right hand from their left.
."Is there no penal code for those who
undertake TO write history out Of some
thing other than the records7 Il IL the
duty Of a sober and studious body like
khe American Historical Association 70