The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-30
Address of Dr. Ecvett
 tc fbe Students of nldricn

eloquent address of pr. E. c. Lovett' of Princeton University. The suo- ject of the address was The college Man. the State, Church and Univer- sity,' The distinguished speaker said in part: I
 Men of old regarded the life of man as moulded by three powers-the state, the Church, and the University. There was one Commonwealth, one Church, one Curriculum. In our day nations differ as to the necessary uniformity of external structure; they disagree all so as to the relative rank Of these institutions; but all are agreed that human life rests on three great prl- mary requirements = order, conduct, knowledge; and these three require- ments continue to be expressed in the forms of the State. the Church, and the University. The first of these instftu- tions is concerned with mans, physical weII-being. the second with his spirit ual welfare. the third with his intel iectuaI prosperity. They preserve to him the work of his hands, the hopes of his heart, the fruits of wisdom. They vouchsafe to him liberty in the pursuit of happiness, liberty in the pursuit of heaven, liberty in the pur- suit of knowledge. In democracy the prime movers of these institutions are the patriot, the priest. the peda- gogue--I use these designations or personality in their largest sense. Their supporters are the citizen, the saint, and the scholar; the practical politician to save mems votes, the practical preacher to save mems souls, the practical professor to save mems ideals.
 I ask you to let me point out to you certain familiar ways of service 10 State, Church. and University which are awaiting the college man to walk therein.
 | The college mans greatest obliga- tion. greatest service. individual ana collective, to the State is to enlighten public opinion, to the Church is to con- | serve faith, to the University is to save the human race through universal ed- lucation. universal but not necessarily uniform, voluntary where possible, compulsory where necessary. compeu- tive and seiective always.
 It is a matter of common experience that young men frequently make two mistakes in their estimates of organ fzed society. The first mistake Is in understanding the value of the con- lventional, the institutional. Institu- tions have personality like men. they acquire faults like men, but they are faults of greatness not of littleness.
 Before anything can become an insti-
 tuition it must have attained to great
 dimensions, reaching as Milton said of
 the State, into the stature of an hon.
 est man." Institutions are rich in the
 best things that men have thought or
 done or suffered. They are as gener- ous as they are wealthy. A Univer-
 sity has recently been defined as "the
 means by which the highest culture of one generation is best transmitted
 to the ablest youths of the next.
 More than this might be said of the
 Church, because deeper In its sources
 and wider in it's reach. The mar
 who fails to honor. to reverence fnstt' Itutions, fails because he lacks the his
 toric sense. imagination and insight
 In the second place he makes the
 mistake of understanding their need of his personal support in the com munity in which he may be placed
 These human institutions have beer : built through sacrifice and struggle and they can be maintained only through human effort and personal : support They need the interest, sym
 pathy, and influence of strong and courageous young men, No man dare 1, assume an indifferent or polite atti' tude with regard to them.
 I believe with Matthew Arnold, that the State should play in democratic age the part which the AristocracS played in earlier ages-it is to govern and administer and control and in spire. In one respect this ideal of tho
 State is a far nobler thing than the
 best aristocracy could ever be, for il
 was the representative acting power . of the nation;" the relation of the citi' . zen to the State is a much more digni' . fled relation than that of citizen tC , I 7 that of a dependent to parental bene'
 factor? By no means; 1t Is that of {
 member in a partnership to the whok firm" The citizens of a State, thu
 members of a society, are really "s
 partnership" as Burke says, rin al
 science. in all art, in every virtue, il
 all perfection.Y Towards this grea
 final design of their connection, the!
 apply the aids which cooperative as 2 sociation can give them"
 What will you as college men con 7. tribute to the State? The service O f the future statesman whom l may b n addressing will take care of itself c But how may the educated man bes
 serve the State? I answer. In tw' r ways: first, By contributing to cur n rent public opinion; second, By choos D ing a career in practical politics.
 What will you as college men con to CnuFcnF The SeTNlC
 of the future Divine whom I may b 4 addressing will take care of itself
 But how may the educated man bes
 serve the Church? I answer, In tw
 ways: first, By contributing to publi : opinion; second. By conserving faith. \ What will you as college men con tribute to the University? The ser vice of the future college presiden
 and university professor whom I ma be addressing will take care of itseli
 But how may the educated man bes
 serve the University? I answer,
 two ways: first, By contributing t
 public opinion; second. By choosing
 career of practical philanthropy.
 No man can serve one of these insti tutions without at the same time serv
 ing all three Service rendered t
 one is service rendered to all. Per haps l need not remind you that I ar
 using the term University uniformI
 as short for organized education Co public or private foundations
 throughout it's range-primary. sec
 ondary, collegiate, and university. T correct any misapprehension, let m
 state emphatically that when sa
 practical politician, practical preache
 tpractical philanthropist, practical pro
 lessor, practical pettifogger, practice
 physician, I use the term practical
 to emphasize contact with the realitie
 of life and not to imply a meagre the
 oretical training on the part of tn
 practitioner, or lack of respect for i
 On the contrary I believe that no ma
 dare undertake his lifes work in thes " hn hI t.F.