Jane Lathrop Stanford Papers

37

Besides his writings the other things to judge a man by are his teachings. Now I wish, Mrs. Stanford, you could talk with the boys who have graduated from my department, and really know what I am doing in the class room. Some people suppose that I have no better sense of the proprieties of my position than to fill up students with my personal opinions. Four years ago an eastern man inferred that because I was known to have opinions on the wrong question I must be rubbing these opinions into my students. I was able to tell him in the summer of 1896 Mr. O. G. Hopkins, a student who had taken my course in ''Money and Banking" the year before, asked ''What is Dr. Ross' opinion on this silver question anyway?''

The teacher has indeed a great advantage over the student, and can enfect that student with his own personal opinions, unless he has the Teacher's conscience. Only Dr. Jordan and my old boys can tell you whether or not I have this teacher's conscience, whether I present the facts and let the boys form their opinions.

Now I want to say something of my work which you may not know, but which Dr. Jordan can confirm in every particular.

The Economics Department has had more misfortunes than any other in the University and brunt of them has fallen upon me. Shortly after I came here in the fall of 1893, Mr. F. E. Clark laft [sic] us, and I took over half of his work on top of my own. The result was a nervous breakdown in February, which compelled me to go away for a week. The next fall Dr. Warner gave up after a few weeks, and pieced out one of his courses