Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-09-26
& Should Fire Students with
Patriotic Interest in Vermont,
Says President Benton.
FACULrY'S RESPONSIBILITIES
Duties of the Teaching STAFF Dis
cussed in Address to Senate
on Eve Of College
Opening.

versity of Vermont on Saturday afternoon
addressed the university senate. which Is
composed of the combined faculties Of the
colleges of arts and sciences. engineering.
medicine and agriculture. The first meet
ing of these colleges took up the work OF
he coming college year. which began
Yesterday.
President Benton said in part:
on the threshold # the one hundred
and twenty-second year Of the Univer-
sity Of Vermont l greet you. The past Is
secure: the fathers have maze 1t so. Upon
us devolves the responsibility for the
present and future OF our historic insti-
tuition. To those who have long been In
these relationships, I extend a glad ofi-
cial Welcome back to the comradeship OF
toll, and to those who are new to the
university I give cordial assurance OF con-
fdence and best wishes for a constantly
increasing efficiency in the service Of
~youthhood.
CONDITIONS OF GROWTH.
The recent meeting OF the SIND annual
convention Of the Pennsylvania state
Educational association was one Of the
most interesting and profitable educa-
tional gatherings ever held In our country.
The entire session was devoted to this
one question, What are the conditions OF
GROWTH" 1t was the final conclusion OF
the association that the one thing desir-
able in education, in fact the only ex-
cuse or reason for education, is to supply
first a condition of happiness in order that
efficiency may follow. and efficiency
means ability to do useful work with the
-.t-t...-. z,-1~,lDyn ThA r,tcctnn nj
such an institution as the University OF
Vermont could hardly be more accurately
and concisely stated. This university and
all institutions Of a similar character
would better cease to exist II they cannot
develop in young manhood and woman
hood without external ~compulsion that
power Of Initiative which Will result In
efficient service.
A grave responsibility is confronting
the institutions Of higher learning in our
country. American colleges and univer'
stiles have been striving in recent years
to make It clear to thoughtful people
thai there e an academic appreciation OF
this new day in which social service
should have the pre-eminence and that al
such institutions are not mere relics OF
the cloistered past. AS leaders in edu.
cational thought, we have been endeavor-
Ing to convince the world that we have
a right to exist, not alone because OF
what we have done. but rather because
of what we can do. In the University
Of Vermont by a constantly growing
student body. and ever increasing popu-
lar interest, we present strong evidence
Of our persuasive powers.
MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY.
The mission of the University OF
Vermont Is ~d'stinctively educational
and certainly no one who teaches here
will feel that his work Is done when
he has met his classes or closed his
laboratory or made his contributions
to the journal or written his tex book
or attended the educational meetings
or read the latest general and special
literature. All this he will do without
leaving the other and the greater
Undone.
In the University Of Vermont the
teacher is a failure who does not know
his students intimately. Every young
man and young woman whose destiny
shall be given into our keeping next
week and thereafter has a right t.
expect that he will know us and bt
known OF us. How to form a helpful
relationship with students without
sacrifice OF real dignity, without tn.
establishment of that familiarity which
begets contempt, is the problem which
every teacher here must solve for him
self. To excuse ourselves from exert
ting a direct influence on each studen
coming under our instruction on tn,
ground Of probable loss of respec
thereby Is to admit a weakness O
character sufficient to convince tina
. professorship In such an institutio,
is not our proper vocation.
During the coming year let II b
understood hat pride in maintaininI
standards will not be sufficient excus
for manning an immortal spirit or de
stroying the Possibilities of a lie.
have had a new vision on this subjec
Of college standards. Time was, nc
long ago, when l felt the reputation G
the institution / served was In per
II we did not make 1t clear to othe
colleges hat we had high standard
by ruthlessly throwing out a numbe
OF students every year. But I have ha
an awakening. am persuaded tina
PRIDE In a wrong conception OF VIVA
our institutional standing should b
may make us particeps criminis in tn
ruination OF some struggling littl
ones whom We might save. The bloc
OF every young person lost by our re
missness will be upon us.
MUST DEVELOP INITIATIVE,
II any student who Is properly fitte
for the University of Vermont his yea
Is dismissed for failure In work befoi
the year ends. l shall feel that, instea
OF raising our standards, we have low
cred them by thus admitting that "
are incapable Of performing the chi,
function of the true college.
The ideal of government which sha
obtain during this i%ncumbency must
founded on an appeal to students 6
to men and women. There Is no plat
In the real college for the discipline 4.
the military academy. We shall fail he,
II we do not develop In our studen,
the power of initiative. The young ma
or woman who passes through collee
with some one else doing all his thinl
lng and making all his decisions II
him will go out into the world at n
end of his course "A flabby dependen
He will be colorless In his opinions an
utterly unable to stand without a pro-
Our students are entitled to the advi6
that our superior training and maturt
l~n,iadnuu ahnuld naka M ualt,o In thov