Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-09
MORLEY ON PUBLIC OPINION.
Vi9or OF Action Depends On concen.
traton of Attention.

asked
tJohn) Morley, addressing Manchester
University, England). There are two
H lhfee hundred definitions from The
test of Aristotle down 70 tba laet
morning paper" he replied nBlt
whatever else you say of denoarac,.
democracy means governing Nv ouin-
ION, properly and wisely selected--if
II DC selected and not nniversaI-opin-
ION OF the members of The nnivortit,.
therefore all depends upon opinion he
ing sound and upon thoy institiitions
u the country concerning striving
might and main to take every measure
they can to influence not opinion in
thls or that direction. bur oninion ae
4 rounded Judgment upon whatever
the occasion of Judgment ma, he
' thlnk there are some reasons for
being a little uneasy as ia some If Tho
foundations of opinion in this part of
the island at all events-I don,t mean
Lancashire. but in England. | am not
sure the evidence is that If is narfeot-
~ sound in the preparation. But of
this | am sure, that. unsound or sound
one of the greatest of all guarantees
Tor opinion being careful and resnon.
slple is the habit of mind that unjyer
foster. The business and the effect
the splendid effect. of universities ia
not merely to spread the reading of
books. not merely to give knowledge.
but To bring students To form habits
of mind. BY habits Of mind I mean
interest in life, contact with life. con-
tact with men. Books, knowledge. ana
all is 10 lead. apart from the acouisi
ton of the implements of this ortthat
specific profession or trade, to forming
habits of mind.
The other day ! was rather realiz-
ing that government depends upon
opinion. | saw some words used hv a
very competent Psychologist or biolo-
sisl-Sir james Crichton- Browne. He
said this; This country was not with
out the stigmata of weakened atten-
ton. Il was slipshod in much af its
work; il liuttered from theme 10
theme. it had not patience 10 sit
through tragedy and fell back on mu-
steal comedy: it had no stomach for
books ana no appetite for a square
meal of literature As 10 the details
of that l do not presume to give am
opinion But / do think the business
of university is to put in the front
this Recommendation of at
tention
The power of concentration dwell
upon il for mement-is the KEY to
power Of memory, the key ta evaeti-
tude Of statement the key to balance
of judgment: yes. and it is the key to
Nigor Of action. am sure any OF your
great merchants ond manufacturers
1gI "a al, Il Ill =. /.
the very same thing. a university. if
IT is good for anything, enforces the
attitude of concentration.
\ man whom il was my greatest
honor to call, in days long gone by.
my friend and teacher, John Stuart
Mill, put question which respect
fully commend to all of you: What is
the principal and most characteristic
difference between one human intel
ieet and another?-a very wide CUES
ton it is-and his answer was:- In their
ability to judge correctly Of evidence.
when a thing is proved and when It is
/ not. If democracy is going to take
scare headlines for gospel. democracy
IS not in = very good way. The scare
headline is not always proved. \ very
/ important person who never speaks
without thought, the archbishop Of
| York, said that there were plenty Of
people who discussed and asserted and
had opinions, bat Were they right and
did they know why they had those
opinions Most true. ana there's the
worst of it.
There is great deal Of talk about
democracy, and il is said that demo-
crazy worships incompetence or is in
different to competence l do not be-
lieve a word of that. If it were so the
facts and emergencies of daily life
would soon pull democracy up. But /
contest hope ] shall not be thought
over-censorious--T do see occasionally
some signs of the fatal heresy that one
mans opinion is as good as another's
am not groanhlg under any personal
|(affront. There is no place [ can i'm
agine like Il university for testing COM
petence, and no place like it for max
ing mpetence-whether it be in
chemistry, physics history or what not
the test of the right to lay down the
law.
Somebody has said, You may con-
vince the learned man; it is rather
hard 10 convince the ignorant man.
But the man who is half-trained and
has got a fixed idea in his mind YOU
will never convince.
do not be afraid of what is called
dealism and sentimentalism. 1t is
said that universities make idealists
and sentmentalists | may borrow the
words of a famous man who said he
had lived long and variousiy, and in
my long and varied life / declare to
YOU that ! am astonished how often
after undergoing the most refrigera-
tory examination or analysis and all
kinds of ratiocinated tests, / am aston
ished to find how oftefrfdealism turn
ed out to be the true common sense.
and how often sentimentalsm was
only an uncharitable name for the best
of rationalism