Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-09-19

U1NI A1AVNIIAN 11I1N II
MESSAGE OF WORK.
"You can't build and sustain the new
=. America with 2 stuff" declared
President John M, Thomas in his open
ing address of the College year at
Mead Memorial chapel yesterday
morning, "and we must fix the machin-
cry of our college to turn out material
of larger dimension. This was one
of many eXhortations which he made
, vigorously in appealing to the students
for a year of hard work, and in which
he launched an attack on some of the
evils of fraternity life and other out
side college activities.
His whole message was the gospel OF
serious student work, and many mem
bers of the faculty deemed it one of
the most forceful opening addresses
which DR.. Thomas has delivered dur
ing his many years of building Middle
bury. Included in his announcements
on the opening day were the fact that
Dr. Edward d. Collins will this year
assume a new position as provost of
the college and that there is the i'm
pending retirement next year of Prof.
Charles B. Wright, for 80 years profess
sor of English.
The text of the address is interesting
as rejecting the serious purpose with
which Middlebury expects to tackle
her first years work after the war. 1t
is as follows:
At this opening of the 10th year Of
Middlebury College would hke|to say
a word which might prove practically
helpful in giving us a start toward the
best year this institution in the Yer
mont green hills has ever known. We
have a right to that ambition and there
are some features in our situation which
justify the hope and expectation that
we may attain it. The war is over and
we can give our minds unreservedly to
the business in hand.
| know from experience that | can
assume a good purpose, and an earnest
resolution to make the most out OF
the college year, on the part OF every
student attending this opening. No
one has come here intending to fail or
even to do half well. Conditions and
makeup examinations painful ses-
sions with the Administration Commit
tee at which ones future college career
hangs by thread, form no part of the
anticipations of this gloriously pleasant
and hopeful morning. | could carry
you all with me in the presentation
of high ideals and worthy standards and
every one Of you would assent to any
pledge Of earnest effort which | might
recommend. There is never any trou-
BILE as to lack of good intentions and
earnestly affirmed high resolutions at
the outset of the year. But at mid
semester the bill for postage at the
Registrars Office is increased by null
titude of solemn warnings and at the
close OF each examination period those
eloquent notices issue in sad and griev-
Gus number. Every one of them is ad-
dressed to a student who had the best
intentions at the beginning of the year.
Look at the figures of single class.
Going back to normal conditions be-
fore the war, the class of 1915 recorded
l39 candidates for degrees, of which
number only q heard the "Pro auctori-
tate mihi commissa" on the graduation
stage. The figures are typical and
might be paralleled from the records
of any college. 1t used to be that nine
tenths of the students entering received
their diplomas Read the alumni cata-
logue OF any college today and you
will find one-third Of the names OF re-
cent classes-not including war classes
enrolled as graduates. 1t is one
of the great failures of the modern
American college not to hold its stu
dents What is the trouble?
There are probably several contri-
buting causes. Business opportunities
are more inviting today than formerly
to young people who have had only a
partial course. Medical and other tech
nical schools suggest to students two
or three years of college, while only
mildly recommending the attainment
of a degree. Owing to the advance of
standards, students are generally older
when they enter and the completion of
the course demands larger effort and
sacrifice. Then years ago college halls
were sought by much smaller numbers
and almost exclusively by those who
looked to some profession for which
baccalaureate degree was not merely
advisable but indispensable.
But l believe the chief and principal
reason for the increased fatality in
college classes ia the greatly increased
compleXity of college life and the large
number of subsidiary interests which
claim and receive so large a proportion
of the students time. Take up the
Kaleidoscope, the excellent college an
nual published last year by the classes
of 10 an&20. Page after page of socie-
ties and clubs and records of organiza-
tions, each with its officers committees,
and statement of activities In the
sketches of students note the number
of offices and assignments after each
name. OF course l know that many
of these things are merely nominal and
demand little time or interest. But
others are not nominal and require
great deal of both interest and time. !
I can imagine thouphtful stranger