Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1908-07-02
Sound Sense From DR.. Kllgo.
(Raleigh Times

Couco VI cuuCdUiOil Wutu IL |
world OF colleges and schools con
tains more men patterned after
the heart and head of DR.. Kilgo,
the very accomplished and very
practical president OF Trinity. |
When, not 80 very many days
prior to the close OF the recent
prohibition campaign, the busy
president got down to Raleigh
one Sunday to put in his word
for the cold water cause, he treat
ed the congregation fortunate en-
ough to hear him to an address
that broke radically away from
the dry, colorless, hackneyed
phrases with which everybody is
familiar, and with whose princi-
Piles everybody agrees. and put
the old subject in such new and
entertaining phraseology th a t
the question straightway took
on a new interest for every one
/ within sound of his voice, 1t was
an original way of telling the old
story that was then being told
all over the State in a colorless
and unoriginal way. Ever since
then we have been waiting to
hear what the doctor would say
when it came time for him to
hand out sage observations to
his graduating class. Sunday he
talked to his class and, as every
body who has heard DR.. Kilgo
much is by this time ready to a.
lgree, he took singularly interest
ling hold Of another subject that
is frequently rendered dry and
tedious by men who cannot put
new ideas or language into it.
Here, for instance, is what t h e
head of Trinity has to say about
specialization, the present day
tendency Of schools as we'll as OF
individuals:
"The result of college making
specialists Of their men is to put
them in q world OF their own and
speaking a language that Others
cannot understand. 1t has TALL
en- to the lot Of great colleges to
find special studies and spheres
of learning to lntimidate the un-
learned until, it is not. unlikely,
there may be yet created q de-
partment Of learning having for
study the left wing OF a mosqui-
tol Don't understand me to op.
pose specialization. A man must
have his work and belong to
some vocation. But l am very
far from saying that he must
know nothing else. He who stands
aloof, keeps himself isolated,
takes that solidarity from mod
ern society and civilization, is
qulvering and trembling wi it h
a looseness that is lull OF prophe.
,cies of disaster"
About the best thing, though,
it seems to us, in all this emphat
ically practical as well as inter-
esting talk, is the sound, plain
flavor of democracy running
through it. The young man OF
woman who, after four years,
goes out in the working world
with the pompous and overbear.
, ing attitude toward his fellow.
men that is coming to be more
: and more the tendency OF social.
ed educated men toward those
supplied with less book learning,
has failed to absorb one OF the
vital principles of education at
the Durham institution. No pu.
pill OF DR.. Kilgo who takes his ad
vice, will ever be in danger OF be
! coming a book snob, next to the
blue-blood snob, the most con
Q temptible member OF the whole
] snob family OF which the annals
! OF snobbery hold any record. Ht
!, will not for a moment find it i'm
possible to get out Of his shel
, long enough to speak civilly,
!. not companionably, to the mai
or woman that spent less time OF
the finishing touches OF III,
school-room. And he will n o
hoa b;s orad;+orc +r> l,oo,, 49,