Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1907-02-23
President of Worlds Greatest Country
Talks to the Young Students
Where He Studied.
FIRST APPEAL TO COLLEGE PRIDE AND TO THE MEM0R\
OF Past Achievements by the Graduates OF this venerable
Institution of Learning to Which
He Belonged.

bination of bodily vigor and moral
quality which go to make up prowess.
/ trust 1 need not add that in de-
Tending athletics 1 would not for one
moment be understood as excusing
that perversion of athletics which
wuold make 1t the end of life In
stead of merely a means of life. 1t
is first-class healthful play, and is
useful as such. But play is not busi-
ness, and 1t is a very poor business
indeed for a college man to learn
nothing but sport. There are ex-
ceptional cases which 1 do not need
to consider; but disregarding these,
can not with sufficient emphasis say
that when you get through college
you will do badly unless you turn
your attention to the serious work of
life with a devotion which will rem
der it 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 you work; and
though play is a mighty good thing,
remember that you had better never
play at all than to get into condition
| of mind where you regard play
J as the serious business of life, or
where you permit it to hamper and
| interfere with your doing your full
duty in the real work of the world.
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
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 fall immeasurably short of her
duty and her opportunity unless she
produces a great number of true stu
| dents, of true scholars. Moreover,
! let the students remember that in
the long run in the field of study
! judgment must be rendered upon the
quality of first class work produced
in the way of productive scholarship,
and that no amount of second class
work can atone for failure in me
college to produce this first class
work. A course of study Is of little
worth if it tends to deaden indivi-
dual initiative and cramp scholars
so that they only work in the ruts
worn deep by many predecessors.
American scholarship will be judged,
produced by routine workers, but by
the small amount of first class out
put 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
lgreatest special function of a college
as distinguished from its general
function of producing good citizen
ship, should be so to shape conditions
as to put a premium upon the devel-
opment of productive 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 before them.
So much for what 1 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 edu-
cation; and what 1 have to say on
this topic can properly be said un-
der the auspices of your Political
club. You here when you graduate
will take up many different kinds of
work; but there is one work in which
all of you should take part simply
as good American citizens, and that
is the work OF self-government. Re-
member. in the first place, that to
take part in the work of government
does not in the least mean of neces-
sity TO hold office. 1t means to take
an intelligent, disinterested and prac-
tical part in the everyday duties of
the average citizen, of the citizen who
is not a faddlst or a doctrinaire, but
who abhors corruption and dislikes
inefficiency; who wishes to see de-
cent government prevail at home,
with genuine equality of opportunity
for all men so far as it can be brought
about; and who wishes, as far as for
eign matters are concerned, to see
this nation treat all other nations,
great and small, with respect, and II
need be with generosity and at the
same time show herself able to pro-
tect herself by her own might from
any wrong at the hands of any out
side power.
Each man here should feel that he
has no excuse, as a citizen in a DEM
ocratic republic like ours, If he fails
TO do his part in the government, 1t
is not only his right so to do, but his
duty his duty both to the nation and
to himself. Each should feel that,
II he fails in this, he is not only fail
ing in his duty but is showing him
self in contemplate light. A man
may neglect his political duties be-
cause he is too lazy, too selfish, too
shortsighted, or too timld but what
ever the reason may be it is certain
ly an unworthy reason. and it shows
either a weakness or worse than a
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