The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-09-28
UNIVERSITIES Owe 4 GREAT
DUTY BOTH TO THEIR FACULTY
MEN AND STUDENTS
Confined from page %

Helmholtz. In a celebrated address
given near the end Of his long. and
richly fruitful life. he said: There
are many narrow-minded people who
admire themselves enormously il they
have enc stroke of luck, or think
that they have had one. A pioneer
in science or an artist. who has a
repeated run OF happy accidents. is
Individually a privileged character.
and is recognized as a benefactor Of
mankind. But who can count or
weigh such lightning flashes of the
mind? Who can trace out the secret
threads by which our conceptions
are united?. .....I must confess that
| the departments In which one has not
to trust to lucky accidents and in
spirations have always had the great
est attraction for me. Yet as have
often been in the predicament of hav-
ing to wait on inspiration. have had
some few experiences as to when 1t
came to me. which may perhaps be of
use to others. Often enough it steals
quietly into ones thoughts and at
first one does not appreciate its sig
| nificance; it is only sometimes that
another fortuitous circumstance helps
one to recognize when. and under
what conditions. 1t occurred to one:
otherwise it is there, one knows not
| whence. In other cases it comes
quite suddenly. without effort like
| fash of thought. So far as my en-
perience goes it never comes to
wearied brain. or at the writing table
! must first have turned my problem
over and over in all directions. till
l can see its twists and windings in
my minds eye. and run through 1t
freely, without writing 1t down; and
| it is never possible to get to this
point without long period Of pre-
liminary work. And then, when the
consequent fatigue has been recover
ed from, there must be an hour OF
perfect bodily recuperation and
peaceful comfort, before the kindly
inspiration rewards one. 1t came
most readily, as I experienced at
Heidelberg. when went out to climb
the wooded hills in sunny weather.
The least trace Of alcohol. however.
suff1ced to Danish It. Such moments
Of fertile thought were truly crafty
ing. but the diverse was less pleasant
, than the inspiration would not come
That Helmholtz did not believe in
a divorce of teaching from investigat-
ing is evident from another quotation
from his biography: Nor did he re-
gard the university lectures simply
as an obligation laid upon him by the
state, which provided him with sus-
tenance, with scientific instruments
and with good proportion OF spare
| time, and Herewith had the right to
claim from him whatever he discov-
cred by this aid should be freely
communicated to his students and his
fellow-citizens; he always appreciat-
| ed the fact that lecturing compelled
him to test each isolated proposition
strictly, to formulate each conclusion
correctly, and, since he could only
assume limited amount Of previous
knowledge in his hearers. to state the
evidence for the views he was MAIN
tanning in as simple manner as pos
sihle.''
Research Requires Time.
1t Is evident that research requires
considerable amount Of time free
from teaching. and other work of a
routine character What would have
been the state Of science today had
Newton been Obliged to teach many
hours per week for nine months in
the year? How much of that pro-
found and necessary abstraction of
mind could he have cultivated under
the conditions which circumscribe
the professors in our universities?
The history of research proves that
truth is purchased at heavy price;
If we will not consent to pay that
price we shall have no share in its
discovery. Truth might we'll say:
"Ye shall! seek me, and shall find me.
,,,I,e t,el1 e>,,
your heart"
and energy of the faculty Is consum-
ed, is in excessively frequent exami-
nations. This is the secondary school
! its usefulness has departed 1t has
which in the university often defeats
the very end it was designed to serve
Examples of university departments
occur to me where fortnightly or 9TH
er examinations were INDUCED in ad
libitum. and l may say. al nauseum
with no conspicuously good results
| When in addition. as is sometimes the
case. there is added exemption from
final comprehensive examination of
high and rigorous standard. positive
harm results to the student who.
however. is not easily persuaded that
he has been thereby deprived of an
educational blessing.
Some Valuable Agencies.
For stimulating and inspiring the
professor in the exercise of his func-
ton as an investigator. there exist
other exceedingly valuable agencies.
which, though not a par; Of the uni
versity nor under it's control. can be
and should be morally supported by
the university. These are the socie-
ties and associations formed for the
advancement of knowledge. Cardinal
Newman has set forth the value of
such meetings as those of the British
Association for the Advancement of
Science in his discussion of What is
a University" from which l venture
to quote: CAS- regards the world of
science. we find remarkable in
stance of the principle which am
illustrating. in the periodical meet