The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-18
Hall Of Fame Elections.

Hall Of Fame Elections.
The designation by New York Uni-
versity Of Mr.. ROBERT UNpERwoop
JOHNSON as director Of the Hall OF
Fame brings TO that office q gentleman
whose acquaintance with American
history makes certain the intelligent
handling of delicate task. Next
year Eve names are to be added to the
panels of the university colonnade, and
there will be, we suppose, the usual
difficulty not Of finding worthy Amer
leans but Of eliminating or postpon-
ing the less worthy.
Two famous names are already In
nomination: JOHN PAUL JONES and
RoGER WILLIAMS. Under the original
agreement between the donor Of the
hall and the university foreign born
Americans were excluded. This rule
shut out not only the sea fighter and
the founder of Rhode Island but also
ALEXANDER HAMILTON and LOUIS
AaAssIz. These four were elected to
separate hall for notable foreign
born Americans, but In 1915, just
after the discrimination was removed,
their names came up for election to
the hall proper. HAMILTON and AGAs-
sIz were successful, while JONES and
WILLIAMS remained in nomination by
the general public's vote. and their
names will come before the one hun
bred electors of the hall next year.
AS GROVER CLEVELAND has been dead
more than ten years his name lie ell
gible for consideration. There are q
number Of other familiar American
names not eligible for voting on In
1915 but eligible in 1920, and as the
public choice has in other elections
shown a range as wide as a thousand
different selections 1t Is likely that
next year some ballots will be cast
for JOHN HAY, JOSEPH JEFFERSON,
THOMAS BAILEY ALDRIcH, RICHARD
MANSFIELD, AUGUSTUS SAINT GAU-
nENs, EDMUND CLARENcE STEDMAN,
RICHARD WATSON GLIDER, EDWARD
EVERETT HALE, SIMON NEwcoMB and
RUFUS w. PEcKHAM, all of whom
died in the FIVE years preceding Janu-
airy 1, 1910.
The names of Eve women are also
to be selected to adorn the hall for
American women, which now contains
tablets for MARIA MITCHELL, EMMA
WILLARD, MARY LYON, FRANCES e.
WILLARD, HARRIET BEEcHER Stowe and
CHARLOTTE CUsHMAN. The names of
JULIA WARD HOWE and CLARA BARTON
naturally spring to the memory as
possible nominees, but neither will be
eligible until the election Of 1925, as
Mrs. HOWE survived until October II,
1910, and Miss BARToN did not die
until 1912.
1t is the custom to place upon the
tablet of each famous person In the
hall not only the dates of his birth
uhd ucuth OuS SClcIllOn llOu HIS
writings. If the name of GROVER
CLEVELAND should be mounted In the
hall we know of no brief utterance of
his which better expresses his rugged
strength and his unfaltering Ameri-
canism than this one, written to the
Congress when foreign Power
threatened the Monroe Doctrine:
The doctrine upon which we stand
rs strong and sound. because It's en-
forcement 10 important TO our peace
and safety as a nation and is essen
tial to the integrity OF our free in
stitutions and the tranquil mainte-
nance of our distinctive form of gov
eminent 1t was intended to apply
to every stage of our national life
and cannot become obsolete while our
Republic endures"
That was true then, is true to-day.
1t is a rock which no demagogue, no
dreamer, can overturn.