Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-09-19
DIR. THOMAS HAS A
MESSAGE OF WORK.
Continued from page one)

| ltlGSlS - GOollA6 many dbAS oNuhNiNo
who manage to keep up and maintain
fair averages, the privilege OF that de-
votion and concentration in intellect
ual pursuits which leads to the scholars
joy and the scholars power. Still fur
Their in the indictment, slack and sloven-
ly work on the part of students who are
giving only modicum Of their energy
to the real business of college is con-
slant drag on the spirit of ambitious
Instructors who would delight in lead
ing classes to the higher reaches OF
knowledge if they could only win the
needful cooperation.
How can we cure the evil' Certainly
not by railing at everything outside tine
curriculum as out OF place and harm
full. A college is something more than
chapel and recitations and students
learn much from their association to-
gether and from the enterprises under
their own management. We want
athletics and general college support
Of them. The physical benefit OF athle-
tic sports is not confined to the partic-
pants, as is sometimes charged, l he
games lend a stimulus to physical
training and yield an influence toward
robustness of body which we all feel.
This whole nation is the sounder i'll
health because OF the general love OF
outdoor sports. 1t can also be urged
that nothing stirs the sentiment of 10y
atty to the college, or does more to
create the sense OF unity, than CON
tests of skill at which the whole college
is in the fight. Much more might be
said, but athletics are too firmly en-
trenched in the life of all colleges to
make argument for their retention
necessary.
We wish also to retain our musical
organizations and to make more of
them. Personally l think l could toll
crate existence in NliddleDury without
the Jazz band, but we must make al
lowances for the taste Of individuals,
The college has done a good deal re-
Gently to stimulate interest in music
and is proposing this year to do more,
| wish we might become known as a
singing college. | wish visitors might
90 from Middiebury to say-Nou ought
to hear those students sing, III chapel,
at their games, on the campus, women
and men; they are always singing, and
they seem to know what good music
is, and to like it. That Is one of the
tn.Aos We might do Wmcn cannot be
done in a large university, whose u
dents rarely meet. We ought to h, We
the best chorus choir in New Englald
n the Mead NIemOra4 Chapel. III re
IS no reason why we should not. We
have both men ana women, singing 10
gether every day, in this CHAPEL so
m4-vcloasly adapted t. c1o-a! m SIC.
trust that now we have Mr.. Bissell
in vocal music to assist Professor Hath
away in the music of the college, we
may have a revival of musical interest
which will lead to permanent results.
My remarks a moment ago should
not be interpreted as uniriendiy to the
college band 1t is very helpful TO
have a good band for public occasions
and it is pleasant recreation for lis
members The college will be glad to
provide an instructor ii a sufficient
nlmDer OF students manifest an inter-
est TO justify the expense.
Where any CONSIDERABLE number OF
people are brought together for any
time, they will invariably be found 10
organize themselves in separate groups
or societies. 1t is so in cities and vii
lagos and proper that it should be so
in college. Man is an organizing ami
NAL especially at college age Perhaps
we have too many such organizations
of too many kinds, but my present
point is that we are bound to have
some and that, while they are liable
to abuses, they are on the whole useful.
Similarly we want and ought to have
a college paper and it ought to he sus-
tanned at the cost of quite a little time
on the part of some students We need
and should support religious organiza-
tons, OF both men and women, and
should make more of them. We ought
to develop our Outing Club and pay
more attention to our magnificent in
heritance in the Battell forests
| have not exhausted the list OF le-
climate and wholesome interests and
activities outside the curriculum, but
| have listed enough to make clear that
every Mddlebury student has a prob
lem on his hands l am convinced the
time has come for some institutional
effort to help students toward its solu-
ton. The adoption of the point sys-
tenn" which l heartily commend is a
long step forward But no system will
work itself and in a matter like this
especially is it true that eternal vigil
ance is the price of liberty. Practices
grow up, innocent at their beginning
but encroaching more and more on
student time until they become a ser
ious evil. have known good students
to come to Middlebury, make an ex-
cellent start for a week or two, and
then get so far behind during a frater-
nifty rushing and initiation period that
they did not recover for months 1t
is often such trihe as that which
makes the difference between success
and failure. Fraternities exist for the
good Of the college. They can prosper
only as the college prospers. They
can have strong men only as they CO.
operate with the college in building
strong men. They may be powerful in
fluences for good and in all friendli-
ness but with great earnestness l urge
every such organization to examine its
ways and make such changes as may be