Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-13
PRIVILEGED MEN, BUT
NOT A PRIVILEGED CLASS
The New College Graduates viii Fall In
Their Duty II They Refuse to Inter
est Themselves in Public Affairs

"
more than year after his graduation from
college. This honor came to him because
ne mad decided on graduation that he ought
to interest himself in the government of his
country. He had no influential political
friends, but he joined the political associa-
tton in his district and showed a Willingness
to do his share of the party work
tie showed such capacity for politics that
within three years he was one of the Dele.
gates at Large from his State to the Repub-
Itcan National Convention. the other three
being the most powerful political leaders in
New York.
II would be interesting to know how many
OF the young men now graduating from the
colleges of the country have deliberately de-
cidcd TO take practical and active interest
in politics after the manner Of Roosevelt
II the colleges have been doing their duty
there will be large number. Government
IN the nit"d States has suffered because too
many educated men have been in the habit
of looking with contempt on politics. They
seem to have forgotten that the system of
public education in the United States was
organized in order to qualify the people for
self government. An ignorant people can
be influenced by demagogues and is hos
pttablc to impreSSionistic theories based on
fallacies. II was in order to enable the
voters to study public questions that it was
carly decided that every boy and girl should
be able at least to read and write.
Tho colleges were originally founded for
training men for the learned professions and
little attention was given to the study of
tho art Of government. II was assumed il
men thought Of It at all. that this art could
be learned by practiCing IL. As a result
few educated men besides lawyers have in
tereStcd themselves in politics and the law
yers have been politicians in many cases
because they could thus bring themselves to
the attention of the public and increase their
practice. There have been notable and bril-
liant exceptions. but they have merely served
to call attention to the prevailing rule.
The Legislatures Of other countries are
much NOR" representative than those of tho
United States. for they contain men of all
professions In large numbers as we'll as men
who have devoted themselves exclusively to
public affairs. There was n ruling class in
England for years from which the holders of
high office were chosen. They had been
educated for the duties they were to per
form. They went to the universities with
the deliberate intention of preparing them
selves for public service They were we'll
grounded In history, in international law
and in economies, and at the same time they
received instruction in what are called the
humanities; that is, in the great literature
Of the world and in the arts No attempt
was made TO train men to make a living
doubtless because the great majority of the
students did not have to trouble themselves
with such matters. Their minds were trained
30 that thoy could bc used as an efficient
instrument for use in mastering the details
Of whatever public duty presented itself so
We find distinguished scholars in the British
Parliament and men who have written great
books on subjects alien to politics. vet the
men are all able politicians
The French Parliament resembles the Par
lament Of Great Britain in this respect. for
the able men of the nation are summoned n
the law making body to participate in the
government Of the country. Members of
the French Academy. distinguished for their
achievements in history. literature or science
sit beside politicians like those who make
up the body of most American Legislatures.
and they receive the respect that is their due
II is customary in America TO snePr NJ the
SCHOLAR in politics because it has TOO
often happened that the scholar has devoted
50 much attention to scholarship that he has
learned nothing about politics. Woodrow
Wilson used 10 BE- classified in this wav be-
cause II was not until he was fifty years
old that he began to give any attention TO
the practical details Of politics Roosevelt,
who was as much Of a scholar as Wilson.
never suffered from This handicap He
might be learned man. but the politicians
with whom he dealt always knew that he
was as familiar as they with the practical
details of political management and with
th" means necessary 10 carry elections and
to obtain the passage Of laws.
The American colleges have changed rad-
CaIr within a generation, for they have
ceased 10 Civ" almost exclusive attention 10
tho work Of preparation for a learned pro
tesslon and are now engaged in preparing
Young men 10 earn n living in business of
ono kind or another Courses in business
administration arc offered whore there used
to be COURSES IN the Greek dramatsts or in
medIova Law. Courses in history and poll
tics have been enlarged, il is true but they
do not seem to have heen articulatcd with tho
lifo Of N" times
such governing capa"ity as has been Do
Ielopod hero has come about with little as
SiStanCe from tho colleges. Men with a sense
of duty have qualified themselves a Lincoln
qualified himself He read Shakespeare and
the Bible and "Pjlgrims Progress" It is
true, but ho also read the history Of the
founding of tho Government and studied tho
early documents in which the principles Of
democracy were set forth. that when ho
va, called to tho presidency he was prob.
ably better grounded in these matters than
any Of his associates, although many Of them
had had the advantage OF much formal edu
ration.
Tho colleges have failed unless they have
| inspired the graduating classes with real
| 2ation Of the Obligations of citizenship The
college graduates. although they have en-
| iovrd privileges denied to others, do not con
! stitutc a privileged class. They "aunot serve
| their country If they assume that they are
| better than the rest of US. for they are not
as they will find pretty soon when they begin
to compete in the open markets for thc prizes
of professional business and political life.
But they have had training which ought
TO make them democratic in their sympathies
and patriotic in their dcsir" 10 cooperate
with all Others In making government serve
It's ends more successfully.