The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-07-05
Faith IN country's Future.

the University OF Michigan:
ITO the pessimists of the east
who fear for the future of our coun-
| try, | say: Gross the Hudson river,
come out to the middle west and we
will convert you into optimists.
One of the grand old men of the
nation extends this invitation
| through The World to the carping,
synical and the doubtful of
New York and New England-the
moulder OF hundred thousand
minds, the idol of hundred thous-
and students, James B. Angel, pres
| For thirty-six years he has been the
active head of this institution, with
| more undergraduates tina Yale, and
of nearly every Nationality. Now at
| the age of seventy-eight, his mind
| stored with the observations and ex-
perience of long life, has acquired
a clear PERCEPTION of the future.
II am an optimist,' he continued
| to The World correspondent who
had sought an expression of his
views and found the venerable pres
ident plunged in work closing up the
\ affairs of another successful univer-
sity year. "As Justice Brewer, of
the United States Supreme Court,
recently said, look forward with
| every hope and confidence of the
continued greatness and improve
ment oftthis country.
81 know that among many persons
in the east there is a spirit of PEST
| mism, brooding and gloominess
over the outlook. Let all such come
out here and we will cure them. We
show them a broadening spirit Of
responsibility, a higher plane Of
ideals and a serious endeavor to
make things better
LOftiest Ideals in the West.
81 know the temperament of New
England. l was born in Rhode
Island and educated there. I know
the inclinations of the men of Bos-
ton to look with misgivings on what
is coming and to doubt our democ-
racy, our financial virtue and our
political morals.
ITO a certain extent you cannot
blame Boston. She has had more
than her share of bad government.
And you in New York have had
some experience. Philadelphia, too,
has been through hard trials of pub
lie corruption.
But out here in the middle west,
though we have our bad spots and
occasional conditions not be COM
mended, there is a general pulling
together toward higher and bet
ter things in public and private life.
We have no fears, no gloom, no fore
bodings about the future We
look forward with confidence, for
our young men are setting out in
spired with loftier ideals and firmer
principles than ever before.
''All my life has been spent in
university work, and it is because |
have seen and known the young men
that our institutions turn out that |
am 50 hopeful, so much of an opti-
mist. Any mans forecast of the flu
ture depends upon the spectacles
through which he looks. They may
be colored darkly by his immediate
surroundings, but mine have been
bright and clear because l have look
ed on the young men.
Our universities are giving more
attention to teaching a mans duty
to the public welfare, his RESPONSE
bilites as a citizen and his obliga-
tions to the state We have reversed
the old order of political instruction,
and instead of beginning at the top
we start at the bottom with the spe-
cific subject of municipal govern
ment.N Departments dealing directly |
with municipal problems have been
created for it in city life that our
great reforms must be inaugurated. |
so that they may spread through |
the entire fabric of government.
eff YOU go among the cities and |
towns of the middle west you will |
find the results showing in many |
places. There Is an honest endeavor
to do things as they should he done,
purify municipal government and to
work for the public good.
The Duty of Educated Men.
10 the SCuueuJS WHO nave STduu-
ed from the university last week I
said: Your education calls you to
devote yourselves in all practicable
ways and in the broadest sense to
the public good. This is true in
certain sense of every educated man.
But 1t is emphatically true of men
educated in university supported
at public expense. Whatever advan-
tages you will reap from your high
err education. you owe largely to the
generous aid of the people of the
state.
" TO the obligation which you
would owe to the public wherever
you have received your education,
this fact adds the special obligation
Of ministering as you can to the
needs of the people of this state.
This does not require you to enroll
yourself in the list of office-seekers.
But If you are called in an honorable
way to bear the burden of public
place, you should not shun it, If 1t is
clear that by accepting the call you
can render a real service to the pub
lie.
Hold yourselves ready to dis
charge public duties which belong