Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-22
ADDRESSES TO STUDENTS
Charles Francis Adams Lauds Home
and Name Of University.
ADVANTAGES OF CAPITAL CITY
F. w. Hackett Eulogizes Country's
First President-Midwin
Convocation of Institution.


the administrative city of a mighty peo-
pie, or a more inspiring name than that
| of Washington
The foregoing was asked by Charles
John Adams. the second President Of the
United States, at Masonic Temple today,
where the winter convocation of George
Washington University was being held In
the presence of hundreds of it's friends
and well wishers. The remark was fol-
lowed by prolonged applause.
"A university is a place OF concourse,"
Mr. Adams explained land it's site must
he at some spot like this of Washington,
where students may come from every
quarter for every kind of knowledge. 1t
is a place where inquiry is pushed for
ward, discoveries verified and perfected;
where rashness is rendered innocuous and
error exposed by the friction of mind with
mind and the collision of error with
knowledge: where the professor becomes
eloquent as a missionary and preacher OF
science, displaying it in its most COM
plete and most convincing form, pouring
it forth with the zeal Of enthusiasm and
lighting up his own love of it In the
minds Of his hearers; where the catechist
makes good his ground as he goes; a
place which attracts the affections of
the young by it's fame, wins the Judg-
ment of the middle-aged by its beauty
and rivets the memory of the old by Its
associations: seat of wisdom, a light of
the world, q minister of faith, an alma
mater of the rising generation
Duty Calls Him.
Mr.. Adams. who was listed on the
program for an address to the gradu-
ates, explained that he had not expect
ed to be present. but finally consented
to come for a few informal remarks.
because of the deep interest he felt in
the university. He thought an address
to graduates should be prepared with
great care and thought, and because he
had not expected to make such an ad-
dress, and had not the time to give to
SO important matter. he would re-
frain from that service and give ex-
preston to some thoughts he had in
connection with the university's exer-
cises.
The speaker began with tribute ia
President Stockton of the university
whose training, he said, from his point
Of view, more eminently fitted him for
his high Office than If he had occupied
the tutors office or professor chair IN
a university, because, following his course
fled in the school discipline in war as
| we'll as peace. and as the head Of the
War College. Discipline. Mr.. Adams
pointed out, is too lax in latter days and
a defect in Anglo-Saxon methods.
Ideals Of Great Institutions.
Every period, he said. had its ideals
Of great institution. In the middle ages
it was the church and the cathedral.
The church took no account of time or
money in building it's great cathedrals
They were erected for all time. He COM
pared a recent structure of architectural
| beauty with the old cathedrals. Each is
built upon a certain tract, within given
time and for a certain sum of money
Neither time nor money. but growth and
development were the factors in the
erection of such an institution.
He had marveled, he said, that an in
stitution of learning with the fame and
bearing the name of the George Wash
ington University should be struggling
for existence, when 70-odd per cent OF
| $500 100000 was being spent for war
| past. present and to come
l think, he said, we cannot but feel that
| the resources Of the country as a whole
are not being applied as they should be-
1.-The cost OF one dreadnaught. if set aside
for George Washington University, who
can measure the resultant good of it?
| will leave it to Rear Admiral Stockton
its president, who can better say than L.
Capital City's Function.
Mr. Adams then said that in every grea,
country the capital city becomes a sort OF
university. the chief city, the seat Of ad-
ministrative government. of high society
of politics and of law, Astounding in H.
braries. museums, academies. learned and
1 IT,
dow it with the functions of q university
Where come up youths from all parts OF
the country. the students of law, must
clans and the fine arts.
It's atmosphere is one of intellect and
| learning, the speaker said: and he pic
! tured Washington. the capital of the
| United States. as the ideal home OF q
great university. He further declared
| he knew of no name better suited &c
| such an institution than that of George
| Washington, the founder of the country
| President Stockton of the university
| presided at the convocation and intro
| duced both Mr.. Adams and former AS
| sistant Secretary of the Navy Frank
Warren Hackett as the speakers of the
| occasion.
Embodies Eulogy of Washington.
Mr.. Hackett's address, embodying a
eulogy of Washington as appropriate to
I
rent interest. He felt the educated man
should interest himself and identify him.
self more with public affairs. he said
Much of the present unrest, so called, in
his Judgment, he added. was due to the
decadence of one of the great politica
parties, torn by dissenting views which
removed the check upon the party in
power that was Indispensable in our form
| of government
| Men must not merely seek to be in.
| formed, he said, but they must think
and. thinking, must act for the public
welfare and make themselves felt in its
affairs.
| The attacks upon public men should be
watched and resented. when proper, from
| Washington. From Washington should
radiate the sentiment to uphold and sup
| port them in their public efforts. Some
he said, were prone to deplore that the
| craftsmanship of the present day did no,
| compare with that of the past but re-
Gently, he said, four or five speeches hac
been made in the Senate of the United
| States, in connection with the PROPOSE
| ton to amend the Constitution and pro
| vide for the election ii fsnatOrS by the
people. which showed lat the same pa
! triotism and the sane iQtty quality OF
craftsmanship still lived ind asserted it.
self when necessary.
Mr.. Hackett instituted comparisons be
tween books, magazines and newspapers
and expressed an opinion concerning pend
| ing legislation affecting them.
Rev. DIR. George Williamson Smith de
liyered the invocation. The program Of
| exercises was interspersed with musica
| selections by a section OF the United
States Marine Band. under the direction
Of Lieut.. Santelmann.