Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1917-08-23
THE VALUE OF A PURPOSE
(From an editorial in The Tech Dy
namo, by Dean c. d. Daniel.)

This is not time for indefinite
thinking about the value of an educa
tion. When men all about us are
making the supreme sacrifice for the
country, we who stay at home must
make every minute of our time count
something for the strength and soli
darity of our government. We have
no kind of right to use the school as
a sort of asylum from work. A def.
mite purpose should control every
student who undertakes to spend
time in school.
We suggest that when you are con-
sidering whether you will invest your
time in school, you calculate careful
ly the advantages you will be able to
get out of it. 1t will not, in all cases
be possible to have definite decis-
ion as to the character of work you
will do when you finish school, but
you can see to it that one of the fol
lowing purposes control your think
ing; either that you will use the time
in training to find yourself, your spe-
cial aptitudes and inclinations, so
that an intelligent adjustment may
be made to the vast amount of work
to be done in the years following this
war; or that the kind of work you
have already determined to do may
inf hty
months OF careful and painstaking
study and discipline. This is pAcu-
liarly a time for sober thought aud
training.
The controlling force behind the
success of men in large and import
ant enterprises has always been a
definite purpose. They have seemed
to know exactly what they were try
ing to do. No kind or amount of dis
couraging opposition could. shake
them loose from that purpose. Co.
lumbus spent years thinking and
planning to prove to the world tha.
the earth is round The fact that his
friends, as well as his enemies, all
thought him mad, did not in the least
deter him from the main purpose of
his thought and effort Fulton be-
lieved that he could drive boat
with steam, and set out to prove that
he could. His best friends wagged
their heads as he passed, but moth
ing could dampen his ardor for the
thing upon which he had put his
mind. The world owes much to these
men who are differentiated from 9th
er men, not so much by mental abil-
ity as for the power to focus atten-
tion upon one important thing and to
make it the controlling purpose of
life. They succeeded in their under
takings as all other men have done
who have made up their minds as to
a definite course of action.
It is well to remember that the un-
dertaking that claims your best
thought and consumes your time
should be worthy. Much effort and
thought have been expended on ur-
worthy and unimportant enterprises
Robert Ingersoll was brilliant and
purpOseful in his life, but with all his
brilliant effort and his tenacious pur-
pose in his labor, he contributed to
the world no constructive thought.
The world is poorer in faith and hope
because of his work.
The world will need strong men
and women during the next genera
ton more than it has in any other pc
riod in it's history. 1t will require all
your faith and labor to readjust the
strained relationships of the world of
men and women. tits glorious to be
alive in this period Of the worlds his
tory, but ignominious failure awaits
him who fails to sense the serious
and unpretentous spirit of the times.
To the old and prospective stu
dents of the Tennessee Polytechnic
Institute we propose that you ex-
becoming humility the purpose you
have in entering school. The stress
of the times determines for you the
Importance of going to school Your
greatest happiness depends upon
your ability to interpret Alright the
new and larger freedom that shall
be ours by the grace of God and the
combined power and courage Of the
armies of the Allies. 1t is your pro-
vince, to think carefully of the pur-
pose that shall control you while in
school. When the real labor Of re-
building the nation begins, may the
Tennessee Polytechnic Institute be
able to reach out through it's stu
dents into the important activities
We wish for you most happy, but
sober and thoughtful school year.