Evening star., 1925-08-31
THE CAPTAIN
By E. W. Ho,ce, Editor and author

Glenn Frank, until recently editor
Of the Century. now president OF the
University of Wisconsin, lately wrote
a good thing And good thing in
print is somewhat rare, as every read
er knows. Mr.. Frank said:
I'VE would do well to throw into
the fire all the merely optimistic
literature regarding Western civiliza-
ton that has been written by human
chandeliers, whose only contribution
to cotemporary discussion is a loud
crow for Utopia. We can neither pre-
vent a new dark age nor produce a
new renaissance by the voluable in.
antics of the booster. Such achieve.
ments wait upon the technic of the
builder. A new renaissance must de-
pend upon engineers rather than
cheer leaders. The problem of our
generation is to bring knowledge into
contact with life, and to make it
socially effective
A Worthwhile Sermon.
versity president and magazine editor,
Mr.. Frank somewhat weakens his
excellent sermon with too-fine phrases
but IT will pay the reader to go over
the quotation. simplify IL. and get
the sense.
For here literature and education,
combined In magazine editor and uni
versity professor, agree in an opinion
long held by the practical world. This
opinion is that the main trouble to-
day is that the people too generally
follow the fantasies of the booster
and neglect the simple, true, impor.
tant things taught by experience.
The booster has only to think of a
desirable thing to claim il as a pos
sibility for next year, and that we
should earnestly strive for it. And
unhappily, most of our teaching,
preaching and writing Is done by
boosters, who exaggerate the future
as they exaggerate in obituaries of
the past. In the United States the
booster has become our weekday
prophet and saint, and led us into
serious difficulties with his good.feI
low doctrines.
Mr.. Frank advises that our real
prophets are the engineers, bankers
farmers and mechanics, the practical
men OF every kind, and that in future
we try the experiment of needing
their advice.
The Why of u CAPTAIN.
When ship is sent on a dangerous
voyage, the man placed in charge is
always the sailor in the crew who
has had the most experience. This
man is called captain. and directs his
course by charts worked out as a
result of other voyages. No booster
can convince him that he may make
his port in 10 days il the charts
show it has never been done under
weeks.
No eloquence or optimism can in
duce the captain to neglect a, sharr
lookout when in the iceberg zone
Every passenger. every member O,
the crew, is under strict discipline
TOR the safety of all. The CAPTAIN 3
knowledge is based not on eIoouen,
poems or orations by boosters. bu-
on science. experience, the learnine
OF practical men.
Every successful human enternriss
is directed by a captain selected ir
sharp competition with other men
and the qualities demanded in can
talns are efficiency. sobriety. experi
ence and intelligence to apply its les
sons
These are the men commended nv
MT. Frank, and his advice is thai
their Judgment be accepted more in
future, instead of the judgment n,
the booster, who is too apt to hons
FOR pleasant weather when tbs
barometer is steadily going down.
tCopyright. 1e25.l