New-York tribune., 1922-10-01


comesl Recently President Ernest M. Hop
hihs OF dartmouth gave them the opportu-
nifty. He spoke in his opening address Of "the
ar1stocracy Of brains" and declaimed against
propaganda" Naturally, the editors began
asking what is brains and what is propaganda,
and when these questions are raised it be-
comes evident quickly that thespresident Of
dartmouth was using phrases as loosely as
Bryan ever did.
Yet President Hopkins had an idea. What
ne seems to have meant when he talked about
the American colleges promoting an "aristoc-
racy OF brains" was that our present college
plants are restricted in their capacity FOR pro-
ducton and that there should be some limi-
tation upon the material which they shall try
to turn out as college men and women. He
was clearly seeking some rule by which to
: limit the students who should go to our col
leges. And he seemed to think that the pres
, ence or absence Of what he chose to call
"brains" would make measure by which to
try applicants.
But no one knows what brains are. A. col
lege entrance examination will not reveal
them. High grades in college are not in
fallibie tests for brains. It Is easy to show
that the honor men Of given class In any
college generally do we'll in life. But until
record Is made Of what the men In the same
class did who barely squeaked through, the
story of the honor men proves nothing. And
the colleges have no statistical records Of the
gay lads who got their education from the
college life.
Brains should mean certain. high capacities
to know things, to correlate them, SO to form
wise judgments and to act In accordance with
them. In other words, to produce Gods per-
feet child There is no such creature In
the meter Of life force Of will counts for
much in certain kinds Of success; persuasive
power produces another kind Of success, and
person with too much or too little thyroid
may live we'll and be the envy OF his neigh
bors as giant or a dwarf with no brains, no
will power, no winning ways and no accumu-
lated capital whatever. The world is no safer
for President Hopkins Drains" than 1t is for
President Wilson's Democracy"
And as for propaganda" there ia another
juggler's word. It Is always safe to denounce
propaganda. Every one is against it, For it
Is the thing which no one believes in. Indeed,
anything which any one disbelieves Is to that
man propaganda, and that is all propaganda Is.
The church is a center OF propaganda to the
unbeliever. TIE endowed college is dissem-
1nator OF propaganda to the social rebel. The
literature Of revolt Is propaganda to the cou-
pom clipper. The staid press associations
spread what the Socialist regard as propa-
ganda, and the labor press is nothing but
propaganda to the Chamber of Commerce.
Moreover, it is always "jnsidious propaganda"
"Insidious propaganda" is phrase as pet and
inescapable as 'the unspeakable Turk" And
1t is always as safe for man to cry out
against 'sinsidious propaganda" as it is to
abuse the Rum Fiend in prohibition state.
Looss phraseology Is the prerogative of the
Newspaper man, who has to write hurriedly
and so often thinks casually. But when we
catch college president at one Of cur own
tricks, how we do Ike to tease him. Presi-
dent Hopkins gave the editorial writers a
a1erry quarter Of an hour when he talked
about the "aristocracy Of brains'' and sthe
dangers OF propaganda" And what was fun
for the boys should not have been SO yery bad
for the frog. Perhaps he, too, enjoyed It.
The President
4 YEAR and half, crowded with big events.
has passed since President Harding went
to the White House. 1t is fair now to measure
him, and many newspaper men are doing so.
1t is unlikely that any other event vii! rise in
his official life that will develop any new trait.
nor is it probable that any characteristic will
be strengthened by the two years before him
in the White House. What he has shown us
he will continue to be to the end
30 let us look at him as the times have re-
vealed him. First Of all, we and a kindly
man. de lis digniEed but a1yyays cent,a He