APRIL 16, 1909
The Commoner,
DUCATIONAL SERIES
Influence of the College Professor
Franklin, Ky., April 11. By reason of
recent events the public interest in the Car
negie foundation fund and the acceptance there
of by the great universities of the country,
especially state universities, is made more man
ifest. Not long ago Dr. Harvey W. Wiley, chief of
the bureau of chemistry, made public his opinion
that benzoate of soda as a preservative of foods
was quite harmful and injurious both to diges
tion and health. This being the method com
monly adopted by the large manufacturers, quite
naturally, they sought to discredit Dr. "Wiley's
statement. As has grown the custom these later
days, the assistance of the president was in
voked to determine a plan whereby the con
troversy should be settled.
Note, however, that the real parties interested
were the public on the one side, who desire and
deserve pure and wholesome food; and the man
ufacturers on the other, desiring to market their
product in an acceptable manner at the least
possible cost by the use of this questionable
preservative.
The manufacturers prevailed upon the presi
dent to appoint a "referee board" which was
composed of the "professors of the great uni
versities" of our country. Such institutions of
learning as Johns Hopkins University, Yale,
Medical School of Northwestern University, and
the University of California furnished repre
sentatives on the committee. It was most nat
ural that the president should choose such a
board; and as questions of dispute will continue
to arise, it will quite likely devolve on just such
men in the future to settle questions of even,
greater magnitude. Therefore, the character,
the environment, the sentiments and alliances
of the college professor become at once ques
tions' of public moment.
Already there is a -great and increasing senti
'ment that capital and labor disputes be settled
by arbitration. As matters now stand all such
disagreements are settled by capital on the one
side attempting to starve labor into accepting
its proposal; and by labor on the other, attempt
ing to punish capital pecuniarily 'by ceasing to
work, thereby forcing oapital to accede to la
bor's demands. Such contests are a detriment
to the general public, unfair to both labor and
capital; but labor is less able to bear it.
In such a dispute how very natural it would
, be for some future president to refer the con
troversy to the professors of . economics in our
great institutions of learning.
While it might have been denied some few
years ago, yet it is now pretty well understood
even by those of moderate information that there
is a complete system of net work permeating the
entire system of the capitalistic class and any
man who is the beneficiary of one governmental
Industrial parasite might well consider himself
a beneficiary of any one or all of 'them.
For argument's sake, it might be admitted
that such men as our college professors are so
"high-minded, just and righteous" that a dona
tion or gift from an industrial parasite like the
steeL trust would not influence them in their
judgment. Grant that this be possible; have not
the people the right to be satisfied? Should
they be satisfied with anything less than un
biased, judges who are not the beneficiaries of
any of the parties interested in the dispute?
An honest judgment of a just and unbiased
judge demands at least the respect of the people;
and while the judgment might be the same,
If the judges, were beneficiaries, that it would
were they not; yet, that satisfaction which the
people have the right to feel, and that respect
which an honest judgment ought to receive,
would be lacking, and a spirit of unrest would
naturally follow. It is almost as important to
remove the suspicion which would cause unjust
criticism of an honest, intelligent judgment as
to secure the honest, intelligent, unbiased judg
ment itself.
How much criticism of the president's board
would the people make if they knew that the
board which discredited Dr. Wiley's statement
were beneficiaries of the bounties of the manu
facturers of food containing benzoate of soda?
How much confidence would the people have
in the decision of a board of professors wherein
the interest of one governmental industrial para
site was involved when those same professors
wore the beneficiaries of an Institution of the
same or like kind?
The question of receiving such donations by
our college professors, who each day ore mould
ing public sentiment and opinion is closely allied
in principle to the reception of campaign funds
by candidates and political parties. The men
tion of the one suggests the other. To receive
a gift is a serious matter, if one is possessed
with the ordinary impulses of human nature. It
immediately creates an obligation and an hon
est recipient of a gift must feel himself indebt
ed to the donor; thereby creating a natural im
pulse and desire to repay.
The people should know from whom "gifts"
are received by their public officials. No man
should be exempt from this rule, it matters not
what his reputation for "justness and righteous
ness" may be. There is more than human au
thority that "gifts" have their evil effects. Al
though there is the very highest political au
thority that "gifts" do not effect such men as
"I or Mr. Hughes or Mr. Taft." Now all would
agree that a gift would effect a weak minded,
corrupt man; but how about a "strong minded,
wise and righteous man," are not they affected
also, and to their detriment?
I pin my faith to that authority which has at
least a little more claim for inspiration than the
president's dictum.
Moses, the great law giver, said (another can
didate for the Ananias Club) Exodus 23-8;
"And thou shall take no gift; for the gift
blindeth the wise, and pervorteth the words of
the righteous." And again in Deuteronomy 16
19: "Thou shalt not rest judgment; thou shalt
not respect persons, neither take a gift; for a
gift doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert
the words of the righteous." On the other hand
in Proverbs 15-27, wo read: "Ho that is greedy
of gain troubleth his own house; (I suppose tho
revised version would read "congress") but ho
that hateth gifts shall live."
The effect on the recipient of a gift is plainly
told in First Samuel, eighth chapter, third verse,
wherein the character of the Bon3 of Samuel is
described: "And his sons walked not in his
(father's) ways, but turned aside after lucre
t.nd took bribes, and perverted judgment."
A perverted judgment is the necessary se
quence to the reception of a gift and from this
the moral can be easily drawn.
Nothing should be permitted to be done in
the name of patriotism, charity, or morality that
would in effect tend to stifle the free expression
of the unbiased opinion of our college professors.
They should be free from all "entangling alli
ance.'
LAURENCE B. FINN.
THE CAHNEGIE PENSION FUND
The Lincoln (Neb.) Trade Review, edited by
H. M. Bushnell, formerly postmaster at Lincoln
and one of the best known of Nebraskans, prints
this editorial:
"Andrew Carnegie has set aside $15,000,000
worth of bonds of the steel trust, the income
from which is to go Into a pension fund for the
professors in schools of higher education. He
requires in the case of state universities that
the legislatures give a receipt for tho funds in
the form of an acceptance. A bill providing for
an acceptance of the fund on the part of the
University of Nebraska was introduced in tho
legislature of this state. The action taken on this
bill was to decide whether or not Mr. Carnegie
would be taken into partnership in the support
and influence of this state's greatest Institution.
"As to whether this Is tainted money or not
is a question of individual opinion. If there are
those who believe the millions of a few men
were earned as honestly and under methods as
free from criticism as the dollars of the many, it
is of no great profit to dispute their opinions.
Truthfully has it been written of monarchies
that 'kings rise to eminence over men's graves.'
Truthfully does the record show that the oil
and steel kings of this nation have risen to their
ownership of unnatural millions through the
crushing competition, the destruction of indi
vidual lines of business, through special privi
leges, through labor held in grinding toil with
homeless homes filled with suffering and children
forced into channels of Ignorance. If thoso who
aro to be tho direct beneficiaries of tho pension
fund, who reach with avidity for it, whoso teach
ings aro to mako for freedom and opportunity
and character If those can accopt theno funds
with no touch of conscience thoro aro others,
many, many others, not U. this class, who do
not want to seo tho University of Nebraska riso
to eminonco iu this way. Every argument ad
vanced In favor of this fund and its acceptance,
thus far mado, hns carried with it a dofonso
of tho fund showing that whilo It is pronounced
clean by tho lips that tho heart fools that It
needs dofonso. It is asserted that tho gift In
not a ponsion. Litorally this is truo. It is a
purchase with tho Intent to buy tho good opin
ions of good men; to purchase a 'higher educa
tion' that will lead thoso who come after to for
got the wrongs of tho past; that will oducato
them to render unto Caesar more things and to
God less things; to honor material success re
gardless of how achieved. Were these funds
a pension in tho truo meaning of tho word thoy
would go to tho pensioning of thousands of mon
who gave of their strength to make tho millions
at a wage that loft them nothing for old ago.
If it were a ponsion it would go to tho support
of lower education, to tho assistance of tho
humble teachers whose work reaches tho igno
rant and deserving and who aro tho genuine
molders of character through contact with child
life.
"The glory of tho University of Nebraska is
in its individual possession by tho people of this
state. That it is their own with all tho keen
satisfaction that comes with self-ownership.
Every man in tho state with a tax receipt has
his full share in tho ownership and support of
the university in proportion to what ho is worth.
The spirit that has mado tho university all that
it Is rests in this fact. That spirit has sent tho
student body out from thousands of homes; that
spirit has loyally supported tho institution in
the past, generously supports it in tho present
and, if uninterrupted, will more gonorously sup
port it in tho futuro far Veyond tho tomporary
gain of the so-called pension fund. Divided sup
port of the university will inevitably lessen the
support of the school instead of augmenting it.
Divided support will lessen responsibility. Ac
cepting the gratuity of today will lead to neglect
of direct support in the hope of greater gratuity
tomorrow. Soon we will bo soliciting tho dollars
of the kings of corrupt finance to assist tho stato
in the annual support of the university and bo
standing with outstretched palms waiting for
millionaires to remember our great educational
institutions in their wills. Has this splendid
state come to this and Is tho spirit of its people
rightly judged in thinking that they want theso
things? Abundantly is this state able to care for
its own. Far in advance will its standard bo
planted if these insidiously sought associations
are declined. Infinitely stronger will bo thoso
who instruct and those who aro instructed if
the University of Nebraska remains both in let
ter and spirit literally tho school of tho people
of this stato with no divided allegiance. To
paraphrase the words of him who became tho
greatest in this nation and whoso education was
not achieved or influenced by pension funds,
let the thoughtful and unselfish of this stato
highly resolve that this state university of tho
people, by the people and for the people shall
not decline or perish in spirit and purpose."
NOTES OF A TARIFF DIARIST
Or, of course, you can take the point of view
that you don't need stockings, and consider
cheerfully tho bare legs of tho "hardy Scots."
"Sugar!" you may hear the homespun, stand
pat statesman snort, "Sugar! Why, molasses
or good old sorghum in the coffee used to bo
good enough for our pioneers. We've been
getting too much luxury of late, anyhow."
"Gloves!" says the cheerful idiot; "give mo
the good old days of home-knit mitts and chil
blains." "What's all this talk about high priced raeat3,
any way?" asks the statistician. ''Statistics
show that one pound of boiling meat contains
three and seven-tenths as much nutriment as
an equal measure of fried chicken." (This
man never heard of what happened to old
Foulon, who told the people they could eat
grass.)
"Dear me," says the old timer; "now hero
are the women taking a hand in politics and
talking about the cost of living. It used to bo
that woman's sphere was enough for women.
Let them darn stockings like our grandmothers
used to do." Kansas City Times.
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