The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-28
TO UNITE CULTURAL
AND PRACTICAL
STUDIES
This Should Be Object of
Modern Universities Says
Dean Allen

AHe COHNOCatlOn speaker at the uni
versity this morning was Dean Franz
Allen OF the University of Manitoba
lie delivered a most instructive ad
dress on Past and Present Tendon
cies in Higher Education" Precedin,
the address. Mrs. +. Sovereign Smith
sang Il solo. In the absence OF Pres
ldent McEey. Dean V. T.. Suuires pre-
sided. The speaker next week will
be Rev. r. a. Elwood. the speaker
OF the Men and Religion Forward
movement.
Dean Allen said in part:
"A general characteristic of the ed,
u%cation Of the nations of antiquit,
shared also. by the Hindus and the
Chinese, was the general attitude Of
flnality towards all intellectual anC
more especially towards religion:
questions. which was reached after
certain period Of development. Thi.
made the kingdom of knowledge like
a walled. city. If Il gate existed
through which access might be had tc
u~neNplored regions. it was kept shut
In religion their systems of morals
became merely p%reccptive and allow.
ed no room for the exercise Of rea-
son. Authority and antiquity govern
cd the thought of each successive
generation in every department Of hu.
man inquiry. This gave stability and
continuity to the kingdom; but stabil.
lty was gained t the cost of intel.
lectuai progress. and this in turn, as
was inevitable. destroyed stability.
From the beginning of the Chris.
tlan era to the period Of the renais.
sance education in Europe was Of lit
tie worth. AS Christianity spread
the study Of literature of the pagan
nations was discouraged . Nor was II
long before ignorance of the Greek
language interposed an insuperable
barrier to the marvellous culture of
Athens. What intellectual effort ex-
listed was conferred in theology to
which indeed all educational roads
led.
1T is noteworthy that up to this
period the study of nature was con
sidered unworthy of attention, IL In
deed 1t was thought of at all. Luther
With his remarkable insight was an
educational reformer far in advance
OF all other men of his time. He was
probably the first to recognize the in
trinsic worth of the natural sciences.
Danger Of ~StasnatiOn.
History allordS us 40 means of de-
ternlnlng what Would be the issue il
tnc world We're now to contine its
education to the objective as COM
pIetely as it formerly did to the sub.
l%ective. Analogy is here almost our
only guide. Ii one may judge from
TINS an exclusive attention to thd
study of nature world doubters con-
ttnue to be characterized by a period
perhaps centuries long Of brilliant
achievement, resulting ultimately in
the production of universal intel
lectual satisfaction which implies
~stagnation and the decline of intel
lectual power. Education limited to
the study Of the objective would re-
suit in a mechanical view Of the uni
verse sinking in the end % a gross
materialism. with consequent lower
ing effect on u emotions, sympath-
les and Ideals. n weakening the
M of human brotherhood. This
may appear extreme yet past and
present tendencies are sufficient to
justify one in entertaining tina view.
l do not wish to be understood as
in any way of the opinion that the
present study of e initiates
against what may be called the spir-
itual interests OF man. Indeed the
reverse is true. 1t would be impos-
sible to exaggerate the Importance of
h emancipatory services rendered
by the study of science TO the physi-
cal. the intellectual, and the relig-
ious life Of those peoples fortunate
enough to be permeated by the knowl-
edge of the principles of nature. Yet
If the world We're to allow it's INTEL
lectual life to be completely dominat-
cd by the study of that which is nat
ural, to the exclusion of all else, it
would ultimately be to its own irrep-
arabic loss and to the undoing of sci
ence itself. The exclusive study of
the objective world to which he is
SO ultimately related places man too
low in the scale of Importance; an
equally exclusive consideration of the
subjective separates him too widely
from his environment. Science and
philosophy alike fail to be their own
interpreters; each must interpret the
other. Science can weigh the brain
but not the mind, the spirit refuses
to betray itself to instruments of pre-
cision. These subtle parts of our ma
u cannot be disregarded without
peril in any system of education
which may be universally adopted.
Must Unite Strength.
A hostile attitude towards ach 9TH
er adopted by philosophy and litera-
ture on the one hand and science on
the other must be In the light of our
principle, equally dangerous to both
combatants whatever the issue OF the
AAuSOdiiy uOAClioltS dIlu Ol.
fensive alliance between them against
the common enemy-ignorance is the
only rational policy conceivable. The
very fact that warfare has at times
existed between these apparently an
tagonistic Intellectual movements is
all he proofs necessary that they are
'oppOsites' and that the principle of
s%ynthesis will therefore apply.
THE obtrusive material part of our
civilization has go captured the i'm
agination Of the people that in newer
countries, though by no means con-
fined to new. the ancient learning Ia
often held in low esteem. Away with
the classics! Let the dead bury their
dead! Transform the university into
a technical school! 1t is not scholars
that the world needs, but trained
men Of affairs: men to manage fac
tories. to build railroads. to direct
transportation, to do the work. of the
world in n scientific and economical
manner; to make two blades Of grass
grow where but one grew before; to
invent new c~Ontrivances for human
convenience and comfort! These are
the serious demands of many Of the
leaders Of this business age. Still
nor shallow r%easoners 80 one step
farther, and while enthusiastic in ad-
%vocating the most exhaustive techni-
cal instruction in applied science
would do away with the study Of
pure science, thereby deliberately
killing the goose h lays the golden