The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-05

tors toward the native people they en-
counter. can hear the fatuous ex.
clamation, Look at all those funny 1T
tie woodsn houses = as the native village
I. approached. and as the Indians crowd
the river bank whom the steamboat
makes a landing. ] can see the disgust
which spreads over the tourists faces
"a they say. Why, they're dirty and
then to us--'Why don't you clean them
upr
what do they know. with their tiled
bathrooms and electric lights and hot
and cold water on tap? What do they
know OF the exiRencies OF life within the
Arctic sion for the greater part OF
every year? ] have little patience with
those who annot look beneath the
superficial dirt and zee the essential
humanity In IN people.
Sometimes II seems to me that the
Yukon River. upon whose familiar sur
face we travel all the winter. betrays us
during the short hectic intcrlude OF sum-
mer. In afording such easy access TO
tho bowels Of the land. Sometimes II
seems almost indecent that the naked
ness and poverty ~ the north should be
exposed TO the fastidious eyes and un-
Intelligent minds Of luxurious pleasure
seekers.
Now I hold no brief for dirt. 7 have
no objection to everybody and every
thing being cleaned up In reason. But
! am fond OF pointing out to certain
young physicians with whom I come in
contact that all living things arc neces-
sarily dirty. An artificial flower OF wax
or porcelain may be perfectly clean. bu,
the leaf OF a real rose. with Its damask
bloom and its delicious sweetness. IL lit
orally swarming with bacteria. A marble
hNsa ~ --.--G
cally sterile. but the antiseptic baby and
the ~prophylac,ic pup are forever mere
figures OF speech even In the best rcgu.
lated families.
You will recall that the medical nur-
sery rhyme referred to these two figures
Of speech:
! looked upon the rabbit with a Ioathina
For h: wn:n., d'''n'ee''d ana he WASH
And that IL exactly the way the
pharisee looked upon the publican.
would NOT push my parallel too far. bu'
l think there il a real sense In which II
holds good.
II am one Of that small and quie'
negligible minority. as II seems. who
prefer TO drink from a cup or glass tina
some one else may possibly have DRUM
from rather than from an exclusive anC
greasy paper bag I cannot bring my.
self to regard my fellow creatures II
general as the vehicles Of loa,hsom,
diseases which 7 must exercise e,erpa
vigilance 10 protect myself against.
cannot force myself into that attitude
II In too ~pronouncedly professional.
should not myself wish to be regarded
In that light. A. the girl In Our Mu,ua
FRIEND said to the enthusiastic articu
lator OF skeletons when she declined NJ!
proposal OF marriage and I cannot brinI
myself so to reEard the rest OF man
kind.
sympathy an Essential.
Let me repeat. here Ia no plea "a
dirt. I have no objection to being cleane,
up in reason. but II I had to choose
would rather be human and dirty tina
inhuman and clean.
o this you may be well assured. Ina
the process Of cleaning up. w~heresoeve
II he taken In hand. under the eguato
or under the Arctic Circle or here In Ne,
York. will be much more likely to sue
coed II IL be approached In the amateu
rather than In the professional spirit
II be attacked with the accompaniment
Of the sympathy FOR lesser undertaking,
for inErained human prejudlces. for IN
persistence Of human individuality an
even human ~peryers!ty.
THE lack Of sympathy. the lack OF
sense Of humor--and ! think no one ca
really persist In the professional att
tude who has a sense OF humor-th
lack Of a large comparison for the ir
hrmities Of others these lacks cut or
on from ones fellow men set one I
another class, detach one and M
planes OF severance, hut points Of cor
tact are necessary II one Ia TO inauenl
mankind, points Of contac, with the vi
clean as well as with the clean Sc
even with the ~unthankful and the evil
|, II think II Ia true that whoever go,
: out to serve his follow men e~fYectual
must do no in something of the spirit.
not In the name. Of the Lord Jesus. Az
there was nothing professional abo,
that spirit II was the very antithesis
r professionalism II was the purest am,
teur!sm Of benevolence II was one n
> merely for the love OF the doing but q
the love OF those upon whom II was don
and when His half trained discipl
showed upon occasion "a tendency
lapse into professionalism He rebuk'
them with the rebuke that they kne
r not Of what spirit they were"
. The Procession.
I The tree shrouded campus on Nor
r ingside Heights presented a wonderf
I setting when the long academic procp
1 sion Of students. professors. officers al
trustees began its march from the II
s Memorial Library to the gymnasium
= In sombre black the graduates of Colur
4 bia College and the engineering schoo
poured down the steps in a long streal
g Then came the women students fro
Barnard College. Teachers College a.
" the graduate faculties. their black gov
whipping In the breeze, disclosing whi
frocks that showed In startling contra
to the sombreness Of their acaden
garb.
I But when the professors came for
o with their brilliant hued hoods the p
ture underwent a swift change. T
r deep crimson Of Harvard and the roy
Q purple Of Williams blended with I
o light blue and white OF Columbia and I
deep blue of Yale. Dr. STUCK and Pre-
dent Nicholas Murray Butler broug
q up the rear Of the long procession,
. Tho commencement programme I
to-day has as it's feature the Column
College class day in the early afterno
o and n senior tea later, The Barna
College seniors will have their ella
!, dance in Earl Hall in the evening.