The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-20
FOR CHARACTER AND
CULTURE, EDUCATION
Professor j. S. Wilson. of William ana
Mary college Says Three Cs
Supersede Three Rs.
DECLARES CAPACITY NEEDED
sandro BotticelH's Great Painting and
Thomas HuxIey's Definition of Edu-
cation Are Texts Used In Address
to Graduates.


Following, in part. Is the address OF
Professor J. S. Wilson, of William and
Mary College, before the graduating
class of the John Marshall High
School, last Monday evening:
There Is a painting in Florence that
I want TO describe TO you. It was
painted over four hundred years ago
by the Italian artist, Sandro Bottt~
celli and every day since then some
one man has looked upon It with
wonder and admiration. 1t represents
the alteration of the wise men before
the newborn babe. IN the center
Of the picture the mother holds her
child. with Joseph standing beside
her. Grouped in the foreground arc
the three kings, the magi. whom ira
dition has named Casper, Belthaxa-
and Meichoir. with their retinue OF
attendants. There are many paint
ings of the alteration, but this painting
Is unlike the others. with a difference
that is not due to beauty of design or
of color 1t holds the interest be-
cause every figure among the wise
men and their followers 10 the Ike
ness OF an historic person. Tou rec
member the Medtci family was In
control Of Florence IN SoIticeiiis day :
thank offering for Lorenzo the Mag
-nifcent, So Sandro the artist has
represented Lorenzo's grandfather,
Cosimo, as the old king, and Cosmos
sons as the other two kings. He has
placed Lorenzo and his brother, the
artist himself and other followers OF
the family among the magtan attend
ants. Cos.mo. in robes OF green and
gold. kneels reverently before the
hat 5nA n
Lerenzos father. all in scarlet, 10 also
kneeling beside his brother. Each OF
the Magi has his gift in beautifully
carven and en bossed caskets to pre-
sent to his infant King. Now Bot
ticelli was a poet and an allagorist.
His colors are the embodiment of his
philosophy.
Here before the child whose mes
sage was service to humanity. he has
tradition. but the princes Of his own
times and city. The wise men Of the
present, he says, are still bringing
their gifts of gold and frankincenss
and myrrh in offering tp huma1ity's
child.
The wise men must have studied
and labored long TO know the goal OF
their quest or the way OF their hard
journey, and to choose and secure the
treasure. precious and pure enough
fer their gift But It is not the way
of their seeking nor the manner OF
their finding that interests BotticesH.
he shows the men themselves and
their gifts IF you have read that
charming little story. The Other
Wise Men" by Henry Van Dyke, you
Will remem her how the author makes
the perfection of the pearl and the
ruby and the sapphire represent the
richness OF the gifts of his fourth
rnagian and how the loving kindness
and character of the man himself
was what at last was the real gift his
Lord received. This seems. too, what
our Botticelli would have us see, that
the important things are the perfer-
ton of the gifts and the nature Of
the giver. He has not shown US the
gold or the frankincense or the
myrrh, but he has depicted IN fascin-
ating detail the caskets that contain
them and the men who bring the ac-
ceptable gifts.
e':>' For Culture and Character.
Education for culture and char
acter Is my theme tonight. That 10
my theme: Dot Yrast give you ny
second text. You know every gradua-
ton address is expected to be mainly
a. sermon. But sermon requires q
preacher and under that specification
compensation of two texts. My hrst
text is Botticelli's painting: my second
text is Thomas Huxley's definition OF
education That man. I think has
had a liberal education, says Huxley.
whose body ia the ready servant OF
his will and does with ease and pleas
ure all the work that as mechanism
1t is capable Of. whose intellect 10
clear. cold logic engine ready. like
49, f~A - IA ftvNv = .
kind of work, to spin the gossamers
az we'll as forge the anchors of the
mind; who has learned TO love all
beauty, whether of nature Or of art,
to hate all vileness and to respect
others as himself"
Capacity ESSENTIAL.
Here are set forth the three "C's
of education that have superseded the
old three "R's. Capacity Culture and
Character. We must have capacity.
The knowledge of facts. the capacity
to use facts, is the basis of all edu-
cation. Mind must be master of mat
ter, but that is not culture nor civil
izatton: 1t is merely efficiency. 4
donkey. In his way, can be efictent.
Efficiency, capacity to know and to
do. Is rightly necessity goal in ed
ucation. but II should not be the goal,
Mind must master matter and soul
ates the first &C. of education. But
he does not stop there He takes his
stand for culture and character In
education. when he says that the odu-
Gated man must .'love all beauty ana
respect others ~ himself"
These two. culture and charactezs
were the supreme virtues Of the OLD
South that In gone. wonder h0w
marry OF this Rachmond audtenoe
know tho work OF your oharu11no
George w. Bagby? Virginia" ~
says, "barcniAl virginia II dead. An4
then In chiseled words he ssta -
side the classic figures OF the GreM&
oenters OF high culture, the 0feeoA
OF art, tho Rome Of law. the eGuAll
classic figure. Virginia OF constikntto
al statssmanship. Perhaps Dr.. NaGl
10 right that the Old vtrgfn1A ~ -
spacious antehellum days ~ 4eAds lu4 d
need We grant that Iii th1 n1W Va
Il