Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-22
THE LIBRARY TABLE


The 1880 Pulitzer prize for biography
has been awarded 70 Henry James
for his "Charies w. Eliot" The author
Is son OF william James, the psychol-
ogist. and nephew Of Henry James
the novelist. Entirely apart from the
descent Of the laurel Of the Pulitzer
prize upon It, the Booklover considers
that Charles w. Eliot" Is one Of the
two best biographies which have APP
peared in several years: The other is
Daniel Webster" by Claude M Fuess
In handling and interpreting the facts
Of the life Of the great president Of
Harvard College, whose long term Of
ONCE lasted from 1869 to 1909 Mr.
James IL appreciative and admiring. but
not an undiscriminating hero
worshiper. He says in his predatory
note: "The purpose Of this book is tc
delineate his character, not to hallow
his memory or 70 chronicle all his
achievements. When q mans
achievements or failures have gone to
the making Of history, as did Eliot's
he invites our scrutiny for several rea-
sons, and one Is that all he did was
q compound resultant Of circumstances
and the man himself. Only when one
knows what were his peculiar endow-
ment, temper and limitations can his
conduct be comprehended. Only then
does 1t become safe for the historian to
use him as q symbol, test or measure
Of the age" Using President Eliot as
such q test and measure of his age
Mr. James concludes that Gin the field
Of higher education, at any rate, Eliot
stood head and shoulders above his
contemporaries for 40 years"
$3.50
For is years after leaving college
Eliot was q teacher Of mathematics and
chemistry. He liked teaching, but his
abilities were always administrative
rather than scholarly. In September,
1853, the presidency Of Harvard Col
lege became vacant. The method of
election of q president was complicated
The overseers mist FIRST pass q vote
consenting that the corporation should
elect new president. The corporation
would then proceed to the election
Then vote Of concurrence from the
overseers was necessary. At this time
the overseers did not consent to the
election until February IS, 1859. They
delayed and insisted on q discussion OF
policies and the duties of the president
When the election was finally per-
mttted, the presidency was offered to
Charles Francis Adams, who declined
1t. It was then offered to Eliot, who
knew all about the presidency, and
knew well how much there was to be
done. He needed to make no inquiry
about the nature Of the ONCE that was
offered him" But he did consult friends
for he found In his own mind certain
objections to acceptance. An entry
in the diary Of one of these friends
Theodore Lyman, tells what were these
CfHfMfftNrms al
(Louis) Agassis and others. 2. He was
very young. 3. He now occupied q
place In another institution and might
not come IN f1ttingly. 4. This was q
public position and the mark on his
face might take from its dignity" Eliot
was at the time IS years old and was
q professor Of chemistry in the Mas
sachusetts Institute Of Technology. The
mark" referred 70 was q birthmarh
which covered most of the right side
Of his face. Encouraged by his friends
Eliot finally accepted the presidency
His wife, Ellen Peabody Eliot, died the
following day, having lived long enough
to be told the news and TO murmuI
That Is . big hole for my boys boot:
TO I'LL"
The new president Of Harvard Col
AC8G AtAAAAAE4A1CC4y UCX4u 10 MAKE
changes which had been long needed
Mr.. James discusses these under three
heads administrative innovations, AGA.
demtc standards and college freedom
and the bracing up Of the four pro.
fessional schools. Some Of the specific
reforms started within. the next few
years were the creation Of the ONCE OF
dean IN every department Of the uni.
yersity which had Q faculty Of its own
the requirement of an annual report
from each department. the establish
nent Of uniform university calendar
the renovation and remodeling 81
buildings, to their great sanitary ad.
vantage: the 1andscaping Of the yard
revision Of the university statutes, unit
a booklet Of about 40 pages was re-
duced to one Of pages, and student!
were given freedom to act as adults
the attendance Of the president a.
practically all faculty meetings of al
the departments, the raising Of admis-
sion standards and examination re.
quirements, the separation Of scholar.
ship and disciplinary records, the
broadening Of requirements for gradua-
ton honors. the abolition Of the hon
orary M. A. degree, departmental or
elective system and a multiplication Of
courses. OF course, the accomplish
ment of ell these changes took many
years and involved much criticism from
conservative members Of the faculty
and the alumni. But President Eliot
highly sensitive as he was, was not .
man to 90 down before criticism. He
rather liked a good fight for cause
he believed In and was never at q los
for telling arguments or vigorous. honest
expression. To q distinguished alumnu'
who wrote him objecting strongly to the
new freedom given undergraduates and
on the subject, President Eliot replied:
"You ask my advice with regard to pub.
fishing your views. So far Is hurting
the college goes. think you may safely
publish whatever you wish. II YOU ask
me whether think your contribution i
q valuable one, shall have to say no
Your fundamental ideas have been pub
Iished hundred times during the. last
40 years by all sorts Of persons, from Dr.
McCosh and DR.. Porter down, and you
while rejecting both the past and the
present methods of Harvard College
make no practical suggestion as TO the
sort Of discipline which you desire" An
excellent model for a reply 70 any de-
structive to offer.
y
Andre Siegfried, Frenchman with q
German name, has constituted himself
the critic of America and Great Brit
ain as regards their social and indus
trial Development and ideals. In
America Comes of Age" mingled with
some truth, much cleverness and many
Gallo stabs, was great deal OF mis-
information. Some months ago the
Booklover had the opportunity OF tell
ing q Czechoslovakian author visiting
given in Europe that 1t was the out
standing book to be read for an under
standing Of the United States. Now M.
Siegfried has turned to England, with
"Englands Crisis" translated from the