New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-07
Need More Attention in Our UNIVERSITIES, Bays Dr Drown

pment.
On the train that day he contented HIM
self with reciting several Of the choice bits
Of nonsense promulgated by Gelett Burgess
In his onetime inimitabIe monthly scream
known as THE Lark" II never saw
purple cow" said the doctor, with aca-
demic mien. as the telegraph poles whizzed
by; Il never want to one. But this
I'll tell you, anyhow: I'd rather see than
be one" The applause that followed was
by no means Of the perfunctory. convention
floor sort An encore was demanded. The
doctor graciousy consented to declaim: "A
window has many panes; but one have l.
A windows pane is in its SASH wonder
whyw Now, that doesn' necessarily mean
that he is prepared to give the college yell
the minute he steps on the campus, but 1t
does indicate that he has saving sense OF
humor.
In more serious vein. 1t may be said that
the keynote Of his success In his chosen
field has been his administrative ability
and his systematic, thorough fashion or
finishing anything to which he sets his
mind. Though he has performed the rou-
tine labor of the class and lecture room,
the high lights Of his career are to be found
on the places where he !abored as execu-
tive. Before he was twenty he was prin-
ciral of high school, and by the time ne
rad reached the age OF twenty-three he
had been a city superintendent OF schools.
Then came executive work in organizing
the department of education in the Univer-
slty of California and later as member
Of the National Council Of Education.
In his office of United States Commits
sioner Of Education he has. as his CHIEF
clerk phrased IT, got rid Of the junk and
mt the thing on it's own legs" There
was. for example, when he assumed control
fin 1896. a conglomeration of books. pam
phlets, etc, known as library. There
was nothing the matter with the books and
nothing the matter with the library IL
was simply a case Of there being too much
ME" The huckleberry was all mixed in
with the custard and rhubarb Or. Brown
set TO methodically. He selected
certain lines along which he considered 1t
worth while to accumulate reference works.
His choice was varied. At the end Of the
task there were, perhaps, just as many
| different kinds Of pies" TO be had-but
every ono Of them was fresh baked and
edible: more than that. hungry man was
not compelled to wait until his appetite
had Toasted upon itself before his order was
filed. An orderly array Of some fifty
thousand volumes in the bureau now testi-
fes to the success of that undertaking.
In accepting the chancellorship or New
York University DR.. Brown is reluctantly
abandoning many plans that he has fos-
tered In the bureau. through Congressional
committees and in the field. The strength
of his arm has been felt clear up in
Alaska Through sheer personality and
the help of Influential supporters he has
managed 10 induce Congress to dig little
deeper into its pockets for the regular ap-
rropriation And this IS no easy matter.
Talk agriculture, or rivers and harbors, or
even the price of green cheese to Con-
gressional committee, and 1t will under
stand and dig down" But education
Never! Well. in the words Of "Pinafore,
hardly ever"
Dr. Brown Is, Of course, well known In
the literary and educational circles OF
Washington He may frequently be found
at the Cosmos Club, where gather for pom
derous chats many of the country's greatest
literary, scientific and educational lights.
He lives much within his own home.
His wife is ever free TO roam with him, In
perfect companionship, in the realm Of
things literary and musical She is herself