The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-24


knows that he has his knowledge at
first hand and as accurately as any
other living man. He will then be
free from the restraint of authority.
II he is constrained by the popular
opinion of the moment, his horizon
must be broadened by the study Of
history and a more intelligent COM
prehension of how fancy and self
interest sway the opinions of the
tickle mob from hour 10 hour. AS
the student attempts self-direction or
the life Of reason he will be aston
ished at certain instructive forces and
passions within him, at motives and
impulses Of unimagined strength, and
his course in self-direction will in
clude the study Of psychology. of the
human soul, It's ways Of thought, its
means of procuring knowledge, the
origin and growth of desires.
The American College is yet in Its
infancy as seminary Of the spirit.
The growth of the physical sciences
the last fifty years has Influenced the
imagination of scholars. 1t had be-
come common before the war to think
of the law of the conservation Of en-
ergy as universal, as applicable
equally to steel and to the human
spirit. A mechanistic conception had
crept in. The slang of the moment
declared to a colleague, T want to get
your reaction to this, mol want to
know what you think of this. Men
were being classified as machines.
, Now, I am one Of those who believe
that we have only made a beginning
and hardly even that In our scientific
knowledge of the human spirit.
believe that we shall discover and
apply scientific laws ito the world or
conscious mind as we have to the
world Of matter. I believe that we
shall know great deal more about
human personality and know it much
more definitely in the near future.
Vocational guidance is but a step In
that direction. American colleges OF
the future will be able TO classify
their students with some assurance
and to prescribe differently for diff.
terent temperaments. Nor have I any
question that the knowledge Of the
heart and conscience of man, which
has been gained and preserved by re-
ligion and human experience through
the ages, will appear as Crude to the
man of the next century as Arts.
totle's physics or physiology appears
to the scientist of to-day.
AS the formulation of scientific lave
proceeds, as we invent instruments
for looking into the world of spiritual
forces, for. time 1t will doubtless ap
pear that we have reduced man tc
mechanlsms by this discovery Of scien
tific law; that in our attempt to en-.
franchise him we have enslaved him
A little learning In this direction will
doubtless prove a dangerous thing, but
| 40 We 81 iilCi uhhCl bluhu
and more of the laws of spiritual and
conscious life we shall find that we
have advanced as greatly in the sci
ence of self-dlrection as we have ad
vanced in the control of natural
forces through our discovery of the
laws Of physical matter.
The College of to-day can let dowr
the. bars to the field Of self-direction
1t can rehearse the dreams, desires
aspirations of formet generations; II
can express an opinion on their va
lidity, on their goodness, truth oil
beauty, but Of how such dreams are
created, such visions evoked, of how
genius is created or encouraged, Il
knows absolutely nothing. 1t knows
lby scientific experiment almost moth