The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-07-02

ties, multiply goods or simplify thoughts
and purify motives, take hold Of the worlds
work anywhere, If only with this in mind,
that, whether your kind OF work be the gen.
tier ministration to body diseased and mind
distressed, or leadership of the columns OF
conquering commerce, the final appraisal OF
your life will estimate only what 1t has tried
to do towards turning the uses OF this world
to the service of your fellow-men.
lE is the ideal of the college, from the hrst
Freshman to the last Senior day, to make
every argument process and revelation,
and every literature and art and science ana
philosophy an exponent Of the measure 81
manliness; a promoter Of sympathy with
manliness an inspiration to the life service
of manliness No man Is fit to be college
instructor who is not himself specialist in
manliness. Of you ask why college facul-
ties do not invariably conform to this con-
dition, | must answer with your own q1eS-
tion in its larger form, viz: Why is 1T that
our feeble human race in all but extraoTdi-
nary cases seems to reach the limit OF its
capacity with the production of doctors and
lawyers and congressman and ministers? p
When graduation day arrives again, with
its mingled gratulati0nS and regrets; wnen
see, as you will see tomorrow morning.
another class, not with the learning of sages,
but full of brave thoughts and generous re-
solves and noble intentions. receiving the
college benediction; / always allow myself
the exultation that, whether they realize 1t
or not, ia those lives some of our own BEST
enthusiasms go out into the world for work.
some part of our choicest aspirations VIII
get themselves realized in their endeaVors'
some of our purest ideals will be nearer
their realization when these lives end than
when we finish ours. And if do not say it
tomorrow. shall want to, when look Tor
the last time at the class OF 80 togetner
You men Of action have made the 18th CEN
tury, l admit, but we teachers have been
making the 20tE.
The college is worth what it is worth as a
welder of thought into character. DO not
charge me with cOmpounding the felony OF
sham scholarship when L declare tnat col
lege deserves sOciety'5 quarantine IL lts or
gans of instruction are not, nrst, men OIL
rugged, moral health.
/ must observe, second that the college Is
destined to exert a formative influence upon
the society in which it is planted.
1t is as much the business OF this college
Systematically to sow the seed OF lntellectual
aspiration throughout radius OF 200 miles
from Waterville as it is to teach the studies
laid down in the curriculum to those stu
dents who enter the classes
In two special particulars should Colby
prepare for this relation. In the hrst place,
the college should resolutely declare the de-
termination which during the last 20 years IL
has gradually grown bold to form, VIZ: that
Colby shall never be a safe skulking place
for intellectual moles and bats The college
is doing only fraction OF Its WORK unless u
prestige as intellectual leaders, not only IN
the college town, but to considerable ex-
tent through the area which the colIege
should influence. A college faculty cannot
be held responsible In any large degree lot
the same grade of special work which uni
versity professors ought to do, but they
should never be allowed to cut themselves
free from the duty of leading other leaders, OF
keeping the guiding thoughts and principles
of the educated men in the community. rela-
L., e. II nf
the college graduate is in advance OF the
young man of the same age without a liberal
education.
This large usefulness Of the college may
be realized in many ways, for example, the
faculty ought to be held responsible Tor main
tanning position of leadership among the
alumni: not that the professor oI moral
Philosophy should presume TO lustruct Ine
ministers in the details OF pastoral d9,les;
nor that the professor OF Rhetoric snOulu IN
wade the editorial sanctum with precepts for
the conduct of the daily paper: but each
member of the faculty should be bound TO
remain an authority in his specially, as muc1
respected by the worlds alumnus as Dy the
youngest under graduate. LnlS emu Tue
members of faculty like ours sfi0eaes-bbes
provided with the means Of forming the per-
sonal acquaintance Of the most progressive
men in their several specialties. The most
brilliant mind will grew dull If not polished
by contact with equals. IL Is wretChed oe9no-
Ill
Strength only against interiors. / am proud
co say that the ia Guilty of Colby were never
In so close touch with contemporary scholar
ly enterprise as at the present time. Through
the press and various forms OF intellectual
interchange, they are enrching the college
life by their giving as well as by their
receiving. Nothing can so stimulate the in
tellectual tone OF the college as the habltual
reference Of its work to tribunals OF peers.
| dare to hope that Colby may soon be a0le
20 70 opH m rpOnirn the
use Of sums sufficient to defray the expenses
of each professors attendance at the annual
national assembly Of the leaders IN his de-
partment, whether the Convention be in
Maine or California. This would not be
iunketing. 1t would inyigorate this college
more thoroughly than any equal ontlay l can
name. 49,
Again, the college should be present with
its encouragement and applause and cooper
alton in all scholarly work Of alumni, espec-
tally within the peculiar territory OF the col
lege. Not only should each graduate be
made to feel that the college follows his
work With interest, but the feeling should be
justified by the fact. The college should be
ready not only to applaud, but to suggest,
aud to continue the pressure of intellectual
and moral stimulus which it tries to exert in
the college halls.
To ask today whether women can use to as
good purpose as men the enlightenment and
Inspiration which the college affords, would
DC udIuly less bndu w lOhANO thO
question whether women have souls. Not
only have women the same right to education
which men have, but as a practical fact there
Is both constant increase In the NUMBER OF
young women in New England who desire
the highest education and the quality OF their
desire is lust now certainly more intense and
commendable than that OF the average young
man. This which is for men one OF many
well-worn paths to success, Is still c0mpar-
atively u2tried road for women, and they
are hurrying towards 1t with admirable en-
terprise.
Colby University is in position to take
advantage of this fact and to make itself the
most important strictly collegiate factor In
the civilization of northern New England
and the neighboring provinces. NO instltu-
tion in this part OF the country, at least
offers to both young men and young women
collegiate education of like grade and COM
prehensiveness, of equal thoroughness
of method and mOdernne5ss and cathollcity
of spirit on so favorable pecuniary conditions
as those presented in Waterville. This fact
is becoming widely known and it would be
stupidity to disregard the consequences.
Hundreds of young women in New England.
who could not find means to pay the eX-
penseS at the prominent colleges for women,
can secure the money necessary for an edu-
cation at Colby. Many of them have dis
covered this opportunity. Only slight en-
encouragement in addition to the mere per-
mission of entrance now granted, would
result very soon In the appearance at Colby
of an entering class of young women as
numerous as the average class of young men
has been during the last ten years. 1t
would not surprise me if these circumstances
should present themselves without this
added encouragement. We are, therefore,
face to face with conditions which were not
anticipated when the college was thrown
open to young women. In view of these
conditions, it is possible to take a position
so obstinate that it will practically terminate
the usefulness of Colby as an educator of
young men, or it is possible to declare our
readiness for an advanced step in co-edu-
cation which may more than double the eff
ficiency of the University for both men and
women.
L see no plan at once progressive and Just
and safe but to declare that within Colby
University woman's college shall be found
ed; not an annex, not subordinate school,
but company of young women with the
same claim as the young men to use all the
educational machinery-library, art, cOlec-
tion, Laboratories, s,instruction-whicht the Uni
versity controls and pursue so far as they
choose, courses oflstudy identical with those
followed by the young men but in no case
entering into personal competition with
young men for the honOrs which the Univer-
sity bestows.
Probably the most determined opponent
OF co-education among our alumni has seen
enough in the record of our alumnG to ex-
Nr.k NN,a, ssa H. IA n