One might think it could hardly be improved upon. There were seemingly good reasons why this university should never have happened. There was already the university at Amherst. But there were men and women who thought otherwise, who were inspired by the idea of not just a public city university, but one of the first rank, and not just for any city, but for Boston. They made it happen, a strong public university in Boston founded on the sound principle that in a vital community, as in one's own life, education ought never be at a standstill.
Nothing happens in isolation.
Everything that happens has consequences. To a large degree, history is a lesson in proportions. Character above all. There is large work to be done, good work, and you can make a difference, a great difference, believe me. It's said your generation is apathetic, that idealism is in decline, that patriotism is out of fashion.