Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-06-28
HENRYClBOTLODGK
Addresses the Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha at Harvard.
HE MAKES A STRONG PLEAD
For Liberal College Education in It's
Broadest and Truest Sense.

nuai meetihH OF the fhi beta Kappa
Alpha OF Massachusetts, was the event OF
the forenoon at Harvard today, and
crowds of members Of the society end
their guests were present. The exercises
took place In Sanders theater. which was
crowded The feature of the program
was the oration Of Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge OF Massachusetts,. In part his ad-
dress was as follows;
My purpose today In 20 speak of a lib
eral education IN - broadest and truest
sense without apr - cren 9 to recent con-
troversies over the study ~ what are mis-
named the dead langn .,eS To under
stand. however, the real relation of lib
eral education to our American Nfe we
must have the true as well as the con.
ventionai definition.
The FIRST expression that we get as 20
the purposes Of oar own university Is
given In New England's First Fruits"
published in London in l6sa II IL there
said; zone of the next things We longed
for and looked after was TO advance
learning and perpetuate It to posterity,
dreading to leave an illiterate ministry TO
the churches when our present ministers
shall lie In the dust"
The later charters Of the college all pro
posed as its purpose that Il should flt per-
sons for the church and for civil employ
ment Il was the object of the college,
as the Puritans looked at IL. to perpetuate
learning. which was at once the badge
and guide of civilization, but IL was also
and equally the object Of the college 10
At the students for life The early found.
ers mentioned only one field Of work,
that Of the ministry. The clergy were
then the most powerful. and. to the Puri-
tan mind. by far the most important
class In the community.
Fifty years later the Views had widened
and the expression of the purpose of a
college is defined as the preparation OF
men. not only for the church, but the
civil employment, or In other words, for
the service Of the state This IDEA has
gone on broadening ever since. until now
the true conception 0f the highest duty Of
q great university Is, or ought 10 be, to At
its scholars for the life which lies before
them when they 60 out into the world.
Point co be Attained.
The great function of liberal educati ION
II to ft man for the life about him, and
TO prepare him. whatever profession or
pursuit he may follow. to be q useful
citizen Of the country which gave him
birth. In the United States this Is of Pc
culiar moment. because here every man
has imposed upon him the duties Of a
sovereignty. and In proportion to his ca
pacity aud opportunities are the response
bilities Of that sovereignty.
II a man 10 not q good citizen IL boots
little whether he 10 q learned Grecian or a
sound Latinist. II he In out of sympathy
with his country, his people and his time,
the last refinement and the highest ao-
complishments are of slight moment II
he is In sympathy with his country, its
needs and aspirations, the rest will fol-
low. and it is precisely at this point that
there seems to be real danger In our uni
versity life and In our liberal education.
The first step then for our universities,
II In the true spirit of liberal education
they seek to At men for the life about
them, 10 to make them Americans and
send them forth in sympathy with their
country. As the danger on the first point
of patriotism Is that the many-sided
teachings Of q university will prevent a
Just sense Of the place of our country, so
on the second point the danger is that
dealing largely with the past the univer-
sity will ALLEVIATE its students from the
present. The past ID good school olhouse
but bad dwelling place.
To all her students alike II Is Harvard's
duty to give that which will send them
out from her gates able to understand
and to sympathize with the life Of the
times. This cannot be done by rules or
systems or textbooks. It can come, and
can only come. from the su bile. impalpable
and yet powerful influences which the
spirit and atmosphere of a great uni.
versity can exert upon those within its
care II Is not easy TO define or classify
those Influences, although we all know
their general effect
Youth Should Avoid CRITICISM.
Faith and hope. and belief. enthusiasm
and courage are the qualities to be
trained and developed In young men by a
liberal education. Youth is the time for
action, not for criticism. A liberal edu.
cation should encourage the spirit Of ac-
tion. not deaden II. We want the men
whom we send out from our universities
to count In the battle Of life and In the
history Of their time. and to count more
and not less because of their liberal edu-
cation. They will not count at all IL
they come ont trained only TO look coldly
and critically on all that is being done In
the world and on all who are doing It.
II Is the spirit and determination of
men which have made the world move.
These are the qualities which have car
ried the dominion Of the English spsak x
people across continents and over oceans
10 the very ends Of the earth It Is the
same In every field of human activity
The mon who see nothing but the lion. In
the path. who fear ridiculc and dread
mistakes. who behold the faults they may
commit more plainly than the guerdon
10 be won, win no battles. govern no
states. write no books, carve no statues.
paint no pictures. It Is the men VINO take
the risks OF failure and mistakes who win
hrouRh defeats to victory.
A great university must be In touch