Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-06

Mahy other people of Albuquerque
will recall the visit of DIR. George
II. Parkin, head of the Rhodes
scholarship work, TO this city last
year and the notable address de-
| Ivered by him at the Rotary club
luncheon. After travelling for more
than year among the colleges of
America, he returned to London
and contributed the following art
icle TO the London Times of Sep
TENDER %:
| Universities and colleges in Ameri-
ca have a more direct Influence upon
public opinion than is the case in this
country or in any other, with the pos
slble exception of Germany But in
the case of the United States that
! influence is untrammelled by any con-
nection with or depedence upon the
central government. No universities
in the world guard more jealosly their
complete independence than do those
of America. They are also closely
in touch with the life of the people.
Above all, they consider themselves
more or less consciously, as guard
ians of moral standards in their diff
ferent spheres of influence.
There were special reasons which
greatly deepened this sense of re-
sponsibility in connection with the
present war. In every university
prominent men who had lived and
studied in Germany. Many had been
deeply influenced by the great Ger
man teachers of the last generation.
During the last quarter OF the 18th
century the possession of a German
| Ph.D. degree was a most useful
for academic promotion. Qualifica-
ton.
There was therefore not a college
or university of any importance in
America to which the war did not
gring much searching of soul. Young
! America in the class rooms and un-
| Informed America outside waited for
| the judgment of those who knew
/ Among these last there was much
perplexity. Recollections of kindly
homes and friendly German fellow
| students acted as stout buffers against
! the first reports of German barbar-
! ism. That the barbarism-eVen if
| true-was deliberate and under Of
| fetal direction seemed past belief.
! On the whole. the initial predisposi-
! ton was. I think, in favor of Ger
| many Inherited sympathy for France
was more than balanced by deep
| suspicion of Russian autocrocy and
German propaganda was everywhere
! prepared and actively at work;' the
voice of the Entente was only heard
at a distance and through confusing
media. The kaiser himself had TAX
en- special pains to cultivate the good
will of exchange professors and other
representatives of American univir-
sites. President Wilson made an
early request that a strict neutrality
in word and deed should be observed
and this was Loyalty accepted by the
universities as command. But
thought could not be repressedi
through its expression was held in
check. Every university became a
center of inquiry and keen discus |
sion. Princeton sent a special deputa-
ton to Belgium to learn the truth |
at first hands Other institutions used |
parallel means to the same end. Ger
man war literature. not taken serious |
ly before, was explored with care, and |
the extraordinary correspondence be- |
tween German theory and German
frightfulness in the conduct of war |
was established. The blue. white and |
yellow books in which each nation !
stated its case were studied and COM |
pared by men trained to critical in |
veStigation. Long before the popular I
mind or that of the politician was |
made UP, the university mind as a /
whole had come to decision as to
the fundamental questions of right
and wrong as well as those of fact. /
Germany had been convicted by open
trial in the house of those who had |
many reasons to be her friends. and /
those who. as teachers of ethics law, I
history and citizenship. were bound /
to make their verdict known.
Some Notable Cttcranccs.
1T is difficult to appraise the rela-
tive influence of university. press, /
and pulpit in creating the public opin-
ion which mainly justified the presi-
dent in bringing the country into !
the war, out l am convinced that of |
the university was not least. Presi- |
dent Hibben, of Princeton. startled
q mass meeting in New York with |
the opening remark: 81 am a peacer
at-any-price man." Amusement was |
changed to enthusiasm when he adj /
ded: The present price is war. and !
| am prepared to pay it." Ex-Presi- /
dent Eliot's clear and sustained anal
ysis of the Prussian challenge to DEM
ocracy had a widespread effect. He I
has argued vigorously for close al
lance between our Anglo-Sa dem
OCTdCieS DIS inc necessary keystone
of any Peace League of Nations, and
he authorized me to make any pub
lie use of his fixed opinion that. in |
the interests of civilization. the Ger
man colonies should not be returned,
and that, whatever arrangements may
be made for their future control. the
Allie should at once boldly announced
this as q part of their peace policy
His successor at Harvard President
Lowell, has uttered the strongest
warnings against any tendencies to-
ward premature peace.
Since the declaration of war the
universities have taken q large part
in the nations effort. Not only have
they supplied in unusual proportion
the Junior officers of the army, but
many thousands of students have en-
rolled themselves in the ranks. At
the present time no fewer than 400
universities and colleges great and
small, are planning under the direc-
ton of government. and with its fl
nancial support to give military