Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-09-30

less ne seems 10 know ana the more ne
wants TO know. Hence hunger in
satiable for knowledge, not always of
technical or scientific sort, but of
q practical, urges him on in pursuit.
And he shall give over going forward
only when he knows even as he is
known.
Thus in coming to college, you have
come not merely to a place but a spirit
and | entreat you to seek that spirit,
to receive that spirit, to obey that
spirit; that it may clothe life for you
with grace, with peace, with power,
with victory And in your effort to
effect high things in college do not be
afraid TO achieve a high grade in
serious study, no matter how idle
wights may sheer at you as "a grind
for grade" | recall one in my class
so sneered at But he went right on,
doing clean systematic, thorough
work at every step. He won the grade I;
and in the school OF life he has won
splendid success. And test made
with the class of 1894 of Harvard. Is
years after graduation, showed that
the high grade men in college, the
men who had 1876 AS to Sc AS in
another equal sized grouped from the
same class, were the successful"
men of the class. And an expert
enced educator, commenting on these
facts, says "From that and other in
dications it is pretty certain that the
popular notion that high marks are
no indication of promise of success is
not correct. The same qualities
which bring one bring the other" So
| call, today, to you all for a ready
response to this summons to the high
things of college life.
III. May 60 on TO remind you that
the height to which you are come i'm
plies breadth at which you have also
arrived In Physics the height of the
perpendicular determines the diam
eter Of the circle described with its
top as its center. The greater our
elevation, the wider our horizon. The
height OF college privilege widens the
vision. The collegian should be a
broad-minded person. Indeed he can
not be anything else and yet walk in
the spirit of the college. 1t is an in
stitution Of liberal learning;" and
that phrase means learning of broad
and generous scope.
AT the risk Of raising a question or
protest, | am going to assert that
in its relation to life, the College is
our broadcast institution. Unless the
university be cultural, and not wholly
4 vocational institution, the college is
The broader in this aspect. If the I'M
.versity be cultural, then it is but an
expanded college,-the college carried
to little higher power. If the un-
iyersity he vocational only, it may be,
it is very likely to be, much narrower
than the college. | think we have all
seen and heard men with university
degrees who plainly showed the lack
of finished education, even in their
own mother speech. What was the
matter? Just this: In university
with an educational bill-of fare so
broad that it would take man $50
years to go through all of its courses,
these persons have elected studies so
narrowly for professional purposes
only, and so neglected what Edna
McChesney would call the Roast
Beef Medium" college course with its
substantial ministries to the strong
and cultured life. They have taken
the get rich quick" course.
To show that this is not merely the
opinion OF a tyro, let me quote from a
veteran educator (Sharpless 5O-51)
who says, "The purpose Of a college
is to train men in broad way to as
sumo the duties of life.-It prepares
Tor all vocations and for very sphere"
The university he goes on to say,
"has a different purpose. It's objects
are CD to take the college products
at some stage OF their development
and give them a professional training
In preparation for definite vocation.
and (2) TO engage in scholarly re-
search" In the former case, the college
is the broader Another scholarly
man, though not professionally an
educator, says the former, the colleg-
late culture, gives a life; the latter
Che profe ssioal university training,
gives a living The one broadens man
hood, The other sharpens it. The
one teaches effectiveness by thinking
The other by cutting.
In accordance with this broad col
lege ideal, / hope you will be broad
minded men and women. hope you
will be generously hospitabe to the
largest meaning possible to you |
am frankly favorable to what is
known as the classical course in col
lege. believe that both culturally
and practically this course is the
strongest finest and wisest Among
the ancients there were three types
of thought language history and