HALL OF FAME.

Rules for Election Amended.

In our Thirteenth Annual Report (1908) we gave an official account of the Hall of Fame established at New York University in the City of New York in 1900, the constitution and rules of the Hall of Fame, a summary of proceedings prior to 1907, and the proceedings attending the dedication of tablets on May 30, 1907.

In our Sixteenth Annual Report (1911) we gave the results of the election of names in 1910 to be inscribed in the Hall of Fame, together with a complete roster of the names elected to that date, the names of the members of the University Senate and the Electors of the Hall of Fame, etc.

In April, 1910, the following statute was adopted by New York University:

"The Chancellor Emeritus is appointed Committeeman of the Council upon the Hall of Fame with authority to solicit funds for the same and to expend them for the edifice and for the addition thereto of statues, busts and other materials such as are included in the published plans of the same; also for an endowment for the maintenance of both the building and of the stated work of the foundation as prescribed by its constitution-provided that this committee shall make a complete report of everything done by it to each annual meeting of the Council. The Chancellor Emeritus is also appointed to preside over the Senate at all times when the business of the Hall of Fame is under consideration."

The chief responsibility for this Foundation is thereby devolved upon Chancellor-Emeritus Henry Mitchell MacCracken, D. D., LL. D., who informs us that the third unveiling of tablets will not take place before Memorial Day in 1913.

During the past year, several of the Electors of the Hall of Fame suggested the amendment of either the constitution or the rules of this Foundation, for the attainment of three ends: First, the creation of conditions more favorable than then existed for the election of names outside the classes of "Statesmen" and "Authors," which vocations, of necessity, receive exceptional publicity. Second, a closer scrutiny of nominations, especially now that the field for selection is growing narrower. An Elector

suggested that this might be accomplished by the submission of each class of nominations to a subdivision of Electors. Third, the giving of weight in the final ballot to such estimate of names as might be reported, after scrutiny, by any subdivision of Electors. Under date of February 12, 1912, Dr. MacCracken announced to the Electors that the Senate had amended the rules of election to accomplish these purposes. The rules thus amended are as follows:

Rules for Elections to the Hall of Fame.

I.

The one hundred or more Electors will be named in each quinquennial year in approximately equal numbers from the following four groups of citizens: (1) University or College Presidents. (2) Professors of history; Scientists. (3) Editors; Authors; Persons outside the seven vocations here named. (4) High Public Officials; Chief Justices of the highest courts; National or State.

II.

Every State or group of adjacent States having approximately one million inhabitants will be given one Elector. No person connected with New York University will be eligible as an Elector.

III.

On May 1st of each quinquennial year a preliminary list of nominations, arranged in the fifteen classes named in the constitution of the Hall of Fame, will be distributed by the Senate to the several divisions of Electors as follows:

IV.

Each Elector on receiving the names assigned to him is asked (1) to add any name which he thinks should appear in the class in question; (2) to erase any name which he thinks is not famous in America, according to the definition of the word in the New English Dictionary, viz., "The condition of being much talked about, chiefly in a good sense; or reputation from great achievements." Any name thus erased by a majority of the Division of Electors to whom it is sent will be omitted from the final ballot. (3) To designate by the initials "M. J. F." (more justly famous) those names submitted which the Elector places in fame above the others, designating thus not over one-third of the list. Every name designated thus by a majority of the Electors to whom it is submitted, will be indicated on the final ballot, and may be admitted to the Hall of Fame by a majority of the ballots cast. Every name not so endorsed by the Division of Electors to whom it is submitted will require two-thirds of the ballots cast to secure admission to the Hall of Fame.

V.

Each Elector is requested to return the preliminary ballot, described above, to the Senate of New York University by June 1st, whereupon he will receive by June 30th the final list of nominations.

VI.

Each Elector is asked to mail to the Senate his final ballot by October 1st preparing the same as follows: (1) Mark each name chosen by underscoring the same and by placing his initials opposite to the name. (2) Mark thus not to exceed twenty-three American men, choosing one at least from each of eight classes, being a majority of the fifteen classes of nominations. (3) Mark not to exceed five famous American men of foreign birth. (4) Mark not to exceed eleven famous American women (either native or foreign born.)

In submitting these revised rules to the Electors, Dr. MacCracken said that as more than two years remain before 1915, when the Electors will again be called to elect names, abundant time is available for the presentation to the Senate of any additional amendment that may seem to any Elector to be necessary or highly desirable.

Reasons for the Changes.

The following statement of the reasons for the changes, taken in substance from the New York Times of March 1, 1912, is approved by Chancellor-Emeritus MacCracken. The changes in question are designed to afford fairer terms of entry for famous Americans who, by the nature of their services, cannot achieve the exceptional publicity that comes to authors and statesmen and publicists; to bring about a closer and more careful scrutiny of nominations by having the names of nominees parceled out and passed upon first by groups of living authorities in the same or allied professions or occupations as the nominees; and, finally, to give weight in the final ballot to such estimates as these authorities may make, by admitting that nominees so indorsed are "more justly famous" and making their election possible on easier terms than other and merely "famous" nominees for the Hall of Fame.

Chancellor-Emeritus MacCracken, while on his journey around the world a year ago, received from several Electors requests that the rules for election of the famous might be amended along these lines. The rules for judges until now have been only three: (1) The judges were to be apportioned to four classes of citizens in as nearly equal number as possible-university or college Presidents and educators, professors of history, and scientists, publicists, editors and authors, and Judges of the Supreme Courts, State or National; (2) each of the States was to be included in the appointments, and when in any State no one of distinction from the first three classes mentioned could be found, the Chief Justice of the State was to be invited to act; (3) only citizens born in America were to be invited as judges, and no one connected with New York University.

Instead of the former three rules, there are now six. The first regroups the classes of Electors as follows: (1) University or College Presidents; (2) professors of history and scientists; (3) editors, authors, and persons outside the seven vocations here named; (4) high public officials and Chief Justices of the highest courts, National or State.

Under the second rule, instead of having each State (however small and however sparsely settled with distinguished men it may be) represented in the apportionment of judges of the famous,

hereafter "every State or group of adjacent States having approximately 1,000,000 inhabitants will have one Elector." For this purpose, the map of the country has already been appropriately subdivided into election districts for the national judges of the country's great men and women.

Most important, however, is the third rule, which works a radical change in the election rules. The fifteen various classes of famous men are grouped to correspond with the seven classes of the Electors. Thus, the names of authors and editors among the nominees will be sent to authors for judgment (a sort of primary judgment) as to their fitness for fame; the names of musicians, painters, sculptors, philanthropists and reformers will be sent to the group of editors for primary judgment; the names of scientists, engineers, architects, physicians, surgeons, and inventors will go to the group of scientists among the Electors; missionaries, explorers, soldiers, and sailors will be passed upon by the group of professors of history; rulers, statesmen, and business men will be judged primarily by the group of high public officials and Electors not in the seven vocations named; lawyers and Judges will be judged by the Chief Justices, and preachers, theologians, and distinguished men and women outside the classes named will be judged in the first instance by Presidents of universities and colleges.

Instead of sending the entire list of 150 or 200 names of nominees to each of the 100 Electors on the first of May every five years, the names of all in any one of the seven groups (about twenty) will be sent to each of the Electors in that group. The Electors may add any name they deem fit to be included, or erase any they deem unfit for fame, the word being used according to the definition of "famous" in the New English Dictionary, namely, "the condition of being much talked about, chiefly in a good sense; or reputation from great achievements." Any name thus erased by a majority of the division of Electors will be omitted from the final ballot.

As a completely new feature, however, the Electors at this primary election are asked to designate by the initials "M. J. F.” ("more justly famous ") those names submitted, which the Elector places above the others in fame, designating thus not over one-third of the list. Each name thus designated by a majority