The Formation of the American Humanist

Extract

It Happens occasionally that, inside or outside of my university, I am asked about possible replacements of emeriti in the humanities and when, as is quite frequently the case, I have to report that I have no suggestion to make, I meet with the surprised reaction: “How is that possible? There must exist among 150 million Americans at least one promising young man who one day may become what his predecessor was!” And often some promising young man on whose record achievements are still to be inscribed is indeed appointed by the faculties, with the result that after a few years his record is still pure and the faculty decides to accept him as a hope of the past. This question: why do we not find more easily today adequate successors to the world-renowned pleiad of American-born humanistic scholars we had in the previous generation, the group of Armstrong, Blondheim, Elliott Ford, Grandgent, Lang, Marden, Nitze, Northup, to mention only the medieval Romance field—this serious question I shall attempt to discuss, well aware that my audience may find answers different from my own, but confident also that I have carefully weighed the pros and cons of my opinions in the fourteen years of my American career.