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. tf i m m i "-jfjwSWIAr,U''rfiiUrli Uiirtfrnit---