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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1872)
P f f ', ? J r mmm yvC r A4MMMWMMMM 1 ,ko A ss;' Isfey.' V l uiru A - (uooAs qWip nt0' Rjj cmpS) tiRi!jp ts$ tecj tito cvinpn w TOf "jp lO' a J iyF jlyi aW M m VOL. i. University oNotoraska. . ! "X, i L NO. 5 .S N' J UNE it SU-t fffy&k Wfa -dr 872. J? "WHEKE THE MEN GOME FROM." candid historlanof Now England, is ono of Channlng and a host of others aro indls A somewhat remarkable papor, under tho above caption, appeared in tiio last number of the Student. Tiio paper was porhaps not more remarkablo for its ex parte pre sentation of facts than for the deficiency of its theory. Designing to show that Yale, Harvard and Michigan Universities have done little or nothing in tho training of tho leading minds of our country, our author first passes in review tho names of certain men, some eminent and some quite obscure, who were not graduates of cither of theso great Universities, then, with sweeping assumption, avers that they nro the only ones worth mentioning, and finally presents a striking theory in explanation of such a result. On llrst reading, wo wcro sure the paper contained within itself its own anti dote or corrective. From those not ac quainted with the facts in the case, its astonishing statements must provoke inves tigation; while from those who are con versant with the facts, these statements might provoko a little merriment, possibly a little indignation. It is for tho benefit of the former class that wo submit tho follow ing conunonts, and not, bo i't understood, -with Hiti)sl!irlitAct tntantfrm nLi,sm.'2iiii.tliQ. -wKoUyHnpotrtuous task of'ptorpoidng.a dcfcn'eo of these justly eclojlrated institu tions of loarnlng. Wo quote: "Yale and Harvard have hardly had the honor of send ing forth a single representative of tiio high est class in any department of thought or action. Their part is, at best, but second rate. Let us see!" To begin with, we will take the depart ment of history and of historical investiga tion. In this connection, the name that presents itself first to every American is, of course, Georgo Bancroft. This is the name of a man hardly less eminent as a states man than as an historian. "Whether as member of the Cabinet at "Washington, as Minister toEngland,or as atpresent, to Ger many, tho foremost State of Europe, or as the great historian, lie has conferred imperisha ble luster on the American name. He is, of course, a graduate of Harvard. Could not America have better spared a score of Frank Pierces than one Geo. Bancroft? A graduate of Harvard is, also, John Lothrop Motley, tho eminent historian of tho Iuteh Republic and of the United Netherlands. For graphic description, lie 'istho equal of Macauloy; for comprehen sive discernment and careful statement, ho is not surpassed by Halluiu; while, by rea son of his Catholic sympathies, his gener ous enthusiasm, his intuitive perception of tho tendencies of events, ho is at tho head, facile princeps, of tho historians of tho ago. Of Harvard, too, is "Win. II. Prescott, fif teen of whose solid, instructive, volumes onricli tho library of our State Uniuersity. Samuel Elliot, tho clear-headed, far sighted historian of Liberty, is also from Harvard, John G. Jalfrey, the able and her sons. Jarcd Sparks, whoso untiring research lias collected and collaborated most of tho materials of American history, Is not only a graduate of Harvard, but ono of her former Presidents. Francis Park man was of Harvard, while Richard llil dreth, Cooper and others were of Yale. Not ono eminent American historian from any of tho lesser colleges so much lauded by our author ! Surely hero was a strange oversight, indeed, in ono who', was estimating candidly the comparative merits of different institutions! "Yet Yalo and Harvard have hardly had tho honor of sending forth a single representative of tho highest class in uny department of thought or action!" Lot us try again l "Wo are correctly in formed by the writer that Jefferson, Mad ison, Hamilton, Benton, Buchanan and Taney were not of Yale or Harvard, while he seems quite oblivious of tho fact that Samuel Adams, Jas.Otis, Jos. "Warren, the two Presidents, John and John Qulncy Adams, Judgo Story, Edward Everett, Robert C. Winthr Walker and Hill Harvard: while of who aro dead") Chancellor Kent, ttalhounl tho two gifcat lexloogr-aphcriTOf tUblKapfflh iltfifffLvil op, Presidents Fclto? , ad libitum, tcera al of Yalo wcro ("of those' esldeiits" putably of Yale or Harvard. Indeed, in looking through Spraguo's "Annals of the American Pulpit," Vol. II., wo found that of tho one hundred and tbrty-onc Congregational ministers whoso biographies are thoro given, seventy-six aro of Harvard and Yale, and only sixty from all other colleges combined I . .Jn the department of magazine lltcrai.uro, Dr. Holland, an Amherst man, seems to our author, par excellence, tho leading rep resentative. Gladly do we recognize, so far as wo may, 11s peculiar merits. Tho stream of Ills thought Is shallow indeed, but it is usually pure and sweet. He has written much that is good, . even if rather common-place; A strong about life, manners and morals. Lor deep independent thinker, ho is not. Who would think of comparing him to that peerless critic, scholar, essayist and poet, Prof. Lowell ? or to that great master of pure and vigorous English, Col. Higgln son? or to tliat most genial, witty and hu morous of essayists, as well as poet, whoso "lyrics ring and sparkle liko cataracts of sliver," tho fascinating, charming Dr. Holmes? or to tho graceful aim facile Donidd'G'. Mitchell? or to Emerson, Alcott, rHnloields,. Jlpwelhj, Story, tho Adamses, and otli'ers-, tlVo editors ami most of the con- tribtitoVsfof the great magazines of the gifcat loScioofciaplicMr try, Wobster and Worcester, Pr wards, Dwight, &c. Tho author should have homo in mi'iuTj) countrythe New Englandor, the Nortlj that, of the men ho mentions, (of IhosoJ who are dead) only two wcro from thof same institution, while altogether, their number is not equal to the number of those, certainly not less eminent, from Harvard alone. Let us lo'jk a little further. Our govern ment in casting about among tho great and powerful legal minds of our country for those best qualified to present our claims for damages before the high court of arbi tration at Geneva, selected Chas. Francis Adams, Caleb dishing, Geo. T. Curtis, of Massachusetts; J. Bancroft Davis, Win. M. Evarts, of New York. Of these eminent men, all but one, Mr. Evaits, are graduates of Harvard, and he received his L.L. B. after a three years course in the Harvard Law School, having previously received his A. B. at Yale. Harvard and Yalo alone then, It seems, In the estimation of our gov ernment, could produce men, fitted by their training, their scholarly attainments and general ability, to cope successfully with tho great minds formed by Oxford and Cambridge. To these names of Harvard men, eminent among lawyers, might bo added those of tho two Parsons, wlioso works aro -. indispen- blo adjunct of every lawyer's library; of Theodore W. Dwiglit, of the Danas, tho Qulncoys, and but we forbear since an end must be made somewhere. In tho Department of Divinity, tho great wight and names Clarl es, such as Edwards, and Dwl !c, and Thompson, Htorrs, He Hedge and American, tho Atlantic all from Yalo or Harvard ? To embellish his list of names, our author lias added those of Henry Clay, John Marshall and Chancellor Kent. He should have added, though this was not to his purpose, that neither Marshall nor Clay was of any'lnstitutlon, while Chancellor Kent, as wo have said, was of Yale. But porhaps, after all, it is tho Mlcliigun University, whose celebrity appears to our author so ridiculously disproportioncd to its merits. Again, wo quote: "Wo havo never learned tho naino of a single graduate of that institution by reason of anything lie lias done, although it lias been graduating men for more than thirty years!" Our author, albeit lie knows nothing of tiio graduates of Michigan University, ought to have known that the last assertion is incor rect. So grave an error, upon so important a point, Is hardly excusable. He should have known that Michigan University never had a president or a distinctive ofllcer or a substantive existence at Ann Arbor until 1850, twenty-two years ago! From 180 dates tho real history of that institu tion. It is true, that tho nucleus of the present great University was formed by tho union at that time of twb or three schools then existing in different parts of tho State ; but even though wo call these schools, ono or all of tlicin, the Michigan University, wo havo only to go back to tho year 1845, twenty-sevn years ago, not "over thirty," to llnd her first graduate! Ic becomes? a writer to bo careful in his assertions; iu regard to facts! Now then, to tiio question, what lias she done? Is she indeed, us im plied by our author, a mere mushroom, tilling a large space with little substance, or is her growth a substantial one; her work solid, earnest, enduring? Even with her comparative youth, remembering; that her oldest graduate is yet in tiio prime of life, is it true, as our author asserts, that her graduates aro excluded from "the pulpits, the professorial chairs," and other responsible positions, "that they aro led aud fed by men more happily moulded?" Looking over into tho State of Iowa, avp. llnd her nourishing Agricultural College presided over by a graduate of Michigan, President A. S. "Welch, an accomplished scholar and an author of no mean reputation. T. B. Cuming, Governor of Nebraska in 1858, is ono of her graduates, also, the Prosldont of rlrSjOhio Female College, Dr. Donclson; the President of Chicago Met- "" leal College, Dr. Johnson; Governor May, of Michigan ; O. P. Stearns, Uuitcd States Senator; Congressman Phelps; Con gressman Becker; Gov. Hinsdale, of Col orado ; the President of Fiske University. Beslded.'-so, ftt-jivc of her graduates arc . occupying professorial chairs in dltYevem) colleges .and universities, from Maine to California. Hundreds ot her young nicu aro tilling responsible positions, as School Superintendents, &c, throughout the Wed and East. Prof. Watson, a member of the National Academy of Science, is generally regarded a the leading astronomer of this country. Ho is author of a powerful astron omical work, accepted as an authority 011 that work. Profs. Evans, Adams and others are writers of a national reputation, as every reader knows. It Is impossible here, in our limited space,, to make anything like an adequate show ing of what Michigan has accomplished Sulllce it that not only has she far surpassed any other Institution In tho West, but he is threatening to take the laurels from Yale and Harvard. Why is it that Michigan has done so well and so much in so brief a time? Tho reason Is quite obvious. From the first, under the guidance of the wise and philosophical Dr. Tappan, she tool broad, high and catholic ground. Himself and tho remarkablo faculty which ho called around him, chanced to be, as no faculty ever were before, emancipated from many of tho narrow and exclusive dogmatisms of tho past, and to entertain somewhat of u profound idea as to what a University should bo, in order to bo adapted to the American pcoplo, to American needs, ami. to our own times. They were men broad minded enough, without ignoring, to m.- independently of tho educational experi ence of Europe and tho past, and to build, for the present and future. On the very threshold they set aside tho absurd prar- ffr fKSHVS N . n rv ". W