University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-12-21

other arts are to be sources of inspir-
alton and solace for their leisure hours
during the years of busy life after
graduation, one would expect to find
students ready to take advantage of
exhibitions of the products of these
arts and occasionally engaged in the
discussion of the merits of certain pro-
ducts or of the technique and criteria
of all artistic expression.
Now we must frankly admit that
too much OF the conversation of stu
dents today is on the barber-shop
level, concerning itself with ball
games. and dances, and stunts" that
there is general aversion to talk
ing shop and general addiction to
small talk and college gossip. And
when they leave aside their respective
specialties, even the faculty members
are not above permitting much of
their conversation to turn on matters
of like trivial Importance.
"This defect of college work and
life must be partly at least laid to the
door of our teaching. Some think it
due to the increasing Importance at
tached to research among college fac.
ulties. but the spirit of discovery is
the very thing whose lack l am Ia
menting among college students; and
if it were true that our faculties
were imbued f,illy with the research
spirit, that would hardly be possible.
The fact seems to be that many col
| lege teachers are inclined to sort
of pedantry in their investigations
and publications, and that those who
pretend to much interest in research
are really not possessed OF genuine
interest in discovery of vital truth
but rather in the amassing of data
from more or less mechanical stand.
point, and with the publication of ar
ticles that in form chiefly give evi-
dence of original investigation.
the research spirit among college in
structors, the more vital should their
teaching become. and the greater
success We ought to have in keeping
alive and developing that native Gu
riosity of youth which would show it.
self in the interests and habits whose
lack we have been calling attention
| to, and among the elect would blossom
into Independent investigation and the
consequent enrichment of human life.
More vital teaching, directed to the
development of the youth rather than
to the covering of ground in the sub
| iect matter. and to the creating of in
terest in the things that are really
worth while, will help US to overcome
one of the most serious defects in our
colleges.
Early College Semi-ProfessionaI.
This weakness of our colleges
seems TO arise partly also from the
very complexity Of their present tasks
In time when all students who went
to college We're looking forward to
two or three professions, and when
the essential preparation for all those
professions was the study of Latin,
it was easy to determine the motives
for study and appeal to them. The
earlier college was semi-professional;
but in the college of today, when the
programme of studies has been
changed to make provision for practi-
lcally all classes, the teacher cannot
as easily adapt his instruction to and
therefore utilize the vocational inter.
ests of all the students. This is a
problem which the present day COL
lege of liberal arts has yet to solve.
Now | know that some will object
to the appeal to vocational interests
and insist that college students should
work from the pure love of study. Yet
this is to expect of them something
very unusual among mankind gener-
ally. Man is not primarily a thinking
animal, for the most part he is ac-
tive or, as the late Professor James
put it in extreme form perhaps, "his
thinking is first, and last, and all the
time for the sake of his action" And
1t is putting study and life on too
nigh plane for the ordinary mortals
who go to college. to expect them all
10 show sustained interest in their
classroom work or to lose themselves
IN subject matter, so that intellectual
interests will dominate their leisure
hours from pure love of the game of
thinking for its own sake.
The presence of the vocational aim
III study does not vitiate the other