Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19


breaking down, why is 1t that of
the last five Presidents of the
Il United States four were college
graduates and the other attended
college?
Why is the president of the largest
American bank today--in fact, the
most powerful bank in the world-a
college graduate?
Why Is the president OF the world $
greatest corporation today-an Ameri-
can corporation---a college graduate?
Why are our foremost lawyers, min
listers, tinanciers, even dramatists, col
lege graduates?
That is Chauncey NJ. Depew's YER
dict on the worth of a college educa-
ton and IA reply to a recent SenSa-
tional indictment of our colleges.
Last week Roger Babson, one of the
most highly respected, Sanest and
most eagerly listened to thinkers in
America very conservative man,
accustomed to weigh his words-told
me that higher education in America
had broken down, and that unless
conditions changed our colleges, un-
der the spell of raCcoon coats, big
business foot ball, fiaternities and
proms. would be supplying the nation
with only sluggards, snobs, athletic
morons and amusement-craz youths.
Our colleges must make an about
face at once or higher education is
doomed" he said, perhaps recalling
the prophecy of the British novelist,
II. G.. Wells. that a century from now
Harvard. Yale and Princeton would
have been discarded by the sensible
parent as the height of intellectual
uselesSnesS.
A Real Veteran.
Chauncey NJ. Depew is a college
graduate of 20 years ago. When the
great Wing party was launching its
last candidate and the mighty tongue
of Webster had just been stilled in
death, Mr.. Depew entered Yale Col
lege. 1852. In public life for many
years, serving for IL of these as
United States Senator, one Of the big
business men of the nation, noted wit
and after-dinner speaker, regent of
New York State University and mem
Der of the Yale Corporation, and to-
day chairman of the board Of one of
our most powerful railroad systems
at 80 years young. Mr.. DepeW has en-
joyed unusual opportunities to look
the nation over in it's expansion and
to know a great deal about the prog
ress of education in America.
While l chatted with him / couldn't
stop rejecting, He knew the great
emancipation, heard Ingersolls famous
'plumed knight and armed warrior
speech, heard Henry Ward Beecher,
William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phil
lips lecture at Yale, knew intimately
such figures of the past as Horace
Greeley, William NJ. Evarts, Roscoe
Conkling, Rufus Choate and every
President since 1890"
Senator Depew," I said, Mr.. Bah
son says that our colleges are not pro-
ducing, not supplying the nation with
a proper quota of leaders. He feels
that our future leaders in America are
TODAY out on the streets selling papers
or peddling their wares through train
aisles. What do you think about that
CHARGE" I asked.
College and Politics.
Well" smiled Senator Depew. the
vav to get at the truth of that charge
is to make a brief survey of the Ma
ton. Hand me that blue book, he
requested.
l reached for copy OF the Con-
gressional Record of the Sixty ninth
Congress-the last Congress.
This" said Senator Depew, will
tell what colleges are doing for poll
tics. Let's see If many Of our public
men are college graduates"
Here is what we found:
Nearly two-thirds of the Senate are