And lastly, I am sure that it is an enthusiastic spirit. The college
wants to give a man a keen desire for social progress, a love for the
arts, a delight in sheer thinking, and a confidence in his own powers.
It will do little good to teach a man about what men have thought and
done and built unless some spark is kindled, some reaction produced
that will have consequences for the future; it will do little good
to teach him about literature and the arts unless some kind of an
emotional push is imparted to him that will drive him on to teach
himself further and grow into a larger appreciation of the best; it
will do little good to enforce scientific discipline unless by it
the mind is forged into a keener weapon for attacking problems and
solving them scientifically and not superficially. And it is just this
enthusiasm that the college, and only the college, can impart. We come
there to learn from men, not from books. We could learn from books
as well at home, but years of individual study will not equal the
inspirational value of one short term of listening to the words of a
wise and good man. Only enthusiasm can knit the scattered ideals and
timorous aspirations into a constructive whole.
Some such spirit as I have endeavored to outline, the college is
beginning to be infused with to-day; some such spirit the undergraduate
must get if he is to be in the best sense educated and adequately
equipped for the complex work of the world. If such a spirit is
instilled, it almost matters little what the details of his courses
are, or the mere material of his knowledge. Such an attitude will be a
sufficient preparation for life, and adequate training for citizenship.
We want citizens who are enthusiastic thinkers, not docile and
uncritical followers of tradition; we want leaders of public opinion
with the scientific point of view: unclassed men, not men like the
leaders of the passing generation, saturated with class prejudices and
class ideals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account