The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-23
Courage a Prime Necessity,

/ courage Prime Necessity.
We can not afford to turn out Of
college pen who shrink from physical
effort or from a little physical pain.
In any repablic courage Is prime
necessity for the average citizen IL he
is to be a good citizen, and he needs
physical courage no less than moral
courage. the courage that dares as
well as the courage that endures, the
courage that will fight vailantly aliks
against the foes OF the soul and the
foes Of the body. Athletics are good,
especially In their rougher forms. be.
cause they tend to develop such cour-
age. They are good also because they
encourage a true democratic spirit;
for In the athletic field the man must
be Judged not with reference to out.
side and accidental attributes. but to
that combination. of bodily yigor and
moral quality which so to make up
prowess.
l trust need not add that In defend.
ing athletics 1 would not for one mo.
ment bs understood as excusing that
perversion of athletics which would
make 1t the end ofilife instead Of mere.
Ily a means in life. 1t Is firstclass
healthful play, and us useful as such.
But play is not business, and 1t is a
very poor business indeed for a col.
lege man to learn nothing but sport !,
There are exceptional cases which I
do not need to consider; but iisre.
garding these. can not with sufficient
emphasis say that when you get
through college You will do badly un.
less you turn your attention to the
serious work Of life with devotion
which will render 1t impossible for
You to pay much heed to sport in the
way in which 1t Is perfectly proper
for you to pay heed while in college.
Play while you play and work while
ycp work: and though play is a mighty
good thing, remember that you had
better never play at all than TO get
into a condition of mind where YOU
regard play as the serious business Of
life, or where you permit 1t to ham
per and interfere with your doing
your full duty in the real work of ths
world. 3
Productive Scholarship,
a word also to the students. Ath-
letics are good; study is even better:
and best of all is the development Of
the type of character for the lack Of
which, in an Individual as in a nation.
no amount of brilliancy Of mind or Of
strength Of body will atone. Harvard
must do more than produce students:
yet, after all, she will fail immeasur.
ably shcrt of her duty and her oppor-
tunity unless she produces great
number Of true students. of true schoI.
ars. Moreover, let the students re.
member that in the long run in teh
field of study Judgment must be rem.
dered upon the quantity OF arst.class
work produced in the way Of produc.
tive scholarship. and that no amount
OF second-class work can atone for
failure In the college to produce this
hrst-class work. A course Of study is
OF little worth II It tends to deaden
individual initiative and cramp schok
ars so that they only work in the,
ruts worn deep by many predecessors.
American scholarship will be Judged.
not by the quantity OF routine work
produced by routine workers. bpt bv
the small amount Of first-class outpnt
Of those who, in whatever branch
stand in the first rank. No industry
In compilation and in combination will.
ever take the place of this first.hand
original work. this productive and
creative work, whether in science. In
art, in literature. The greatest spe.
eial function Of a college, as distin.
suished from its general function Of
producing good citizenship, should be
SO to shape conditions as to put a
premium upon the development Of pro.
ductive scholarship, of the creative
mind, In any form Of intellectual
work The men whose chief, concern
lies with the work Of the student IN
study. should bear this fact ever be.
fore them. n
To All College Men.
So much for what have to say to
you purely as Harvard men. Now. a
word which applies to you merely as
It applies to all college men, to all
men In this country who have received
the benefits of college education;
and what I have to say on this topic
can properly be said under the au.
spices of your Political Club. You
here when you graduate win take up
many different kinds Of work; but
there Is ene work In which all Of you
should take part simply as good Amer
lean citizens and that is fhe worir nf