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

Values of this sort there may be, but
ionly upon the condition that the set
ting and the background that life is
one of scholarly interests and whole
some ideals OF service. And the stu
Ident who cannot stand the test for
membership in such community on
reasonable terms is an injury to his
fellows and therefore unfit and should
be eliminated in the interest of 9TH
ers as well "a OF himself; in the in
lterest of others because the faculty,
after eliminating the unfit, can give
more stimulus and guidance to those
fit TO profit by their efforts. and be-
cause person Of that class that would
naturally be eliminated, tends always
to demoralize the environment which
influences ALL and in the interest of
himself because he had better be
learning something worth while else
iwhere, learning to do something with
a will instead OF discovering how to
dodge responsibility, to bluff and to
graft.
Growth of Student Activities.
In this connection it is. some
times said that the college is today
permitting students to give too much
attention to such student activities
as intercollegiate athletics at the eX-
Ipense of the more serious business of
college life. and that the students arc
making heroes of the football men
rather than of the scholars. Now,
there is no doubt an undue emphasis
given to such student activities in
these days, and it is difficult to Sc
cure rational consideration of the dan
gers by which we are threatened. We
are providing an artificial stimulus in
the way intercollegiate corlpeti-
Ton for one of the siGe-shows of col
llege life while we are not taking
pains to recognize sufficiently the
scholarly attainmcnts of our students
difficult to bring the public to such an
interest i'll intellectual honors as they
readily show in our intercollegiate
athletic victories. but We could at
least do something in the form OF
awarding hunors to students of high
attachments i'll scholarship that would
Il IL,
of values that is likely to result from
the present craze over intercollegiate
competition in athletics But the dan.
ger with which we are threatened and
the failure. of the college in this re-
! spcct, need not be unduly magIiicd
| II order 10 be considered And, frank.
ly. do not think that the situation
is so serious as it appears to some
| members OF our faculties. When
1 recall the excitement Of my undcrgrad-
| uate days over football contests. and
| tEe popularity Of the great players.
| find that their glory was not half so
| permanent as that Of the honors mon
in classics. mathematics etc.
1 But this is probably due to the fact
l that in the college | speak of, scholar
l ship Eonors were awarded. lnagni!ied
/ and placed on permanent record TIL;
/ donors system which prevails in the
; English and Canadian college | be-
lieve TO be an excellent antidote to
the great interest naturally taken
among students in their student actiy-
! tiles. Student activities and other
+, avUcatious arc essentially the devel-
opmcnt Of the social instincts, of So
cial insight and responsibility. but I'M
fortunately there are some activities
OF certain college students that are
| rot really student activities at all but
are just social and commercial enter
priSes which. in a profcssedly schol-
arly community tend to usurp the
place of study. experiment, reading
and reflection.
These should be eliminated IA far
as possible. but before suppressing
student organizations or activities OF :;
legitimate sort Or Intercollegiate com
petition in connection with them, the
| faculties would do well to first take
/ positive steps to attach greater honor
| 20 scholarly attainments on the part
l.. of Students and exercise greater yea
= in the elimination of all indy duals
- who prove themselves unworthy OF the
>. time and energy now bestowed upon
them After that any influence in col
! lcge life which tends to vitiate the
, moral, aesthetic or intellectual stand
1 ards of students and seems clearly