The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-19

liberal colleges must return to
their proper work. That work
has been during the war largely set
aside in the interest of the common
good. Now for the same end 1t must
be taken up again.
Perhaps the simplest statement Of
the situation is that our colleges must
be made liberal" again. Another way
of saying the same thing is to ask
that the colleges become again insti-
tutions Of learning.
There are three phases of this re-
turn or revival which demand atten-
ton and appropriate action. I should
like to say a few words about each of
thom. First, the college must realize
anew that 1t is not a place for in
structing young minds in the things
which they must know and believe
and do. At the behest of the Govern
nient we have been giving that in
struction in time of need. But this
need is past and another Of equal in
tensity is upon us. What we need
now Is not the teaching of settled
truths and practices to passive young
minds and wills; 1t is not the stuffing
of maxims and rules and facts and
procedures into young persons for
whom we have immediate and specific
use. The task of the college is rather
that of establishing the methods by
which and explaining the fields in
which truth may be sought. 1t has
no fully settled truth to give just now.
1t must devise the ways and means
by which such truth may be ap-
preached and perchance in part dis
covered.
1t has always been a false notion
that liberal college is primarily a
place for imparting truth to immature
boys. The college is essentially
home Of inquiry. a place where a
group of scholars are seeking the
truth, are leading their way in the
search for knowledge. And the in
fluence Of these men upon their pupils
has not been that of masters COM
municating settled scheme of
thought. 1t has always been, when 1t
has been real at all. the personal in
fiuence of a strong mind and will
catching up younger minds by the
sheer force of it's own power and at
Effectiveness and leading 1t on to imita-
ton of itself Education, at the col
lege level at least, is not the giving
of knowledge; 1t is the process in
which a young mind fascinated by the
activities of an older one initiates It
accepts its values and its own criti-
cisms of them, catches its methods,
becomes caught up in its enterprises.
A college is a place where minds well
trained for studying human problems
are doing so and where younger minds
by association are getting the feel Of
what the thinking process is, are get
ting started in the work Of carrying
II on.
In a word. liberal education Is not the
receiving of instruction. it Is con-
tagion of the spirit. One catches men,
tai healing just as one catches men
tai disease. One develops mental skill
by thinking with good thinkers just
as one learns tennis we'll by playing
with good players. The first question
about a community either in thinking
or in tennis is this-How high is its
standard set? and the second question
is, How many of its members are
playing the game?
To speak of education as a sort of
'contagion.' as a thing to be caught"
Is not to make 1t light, thing OF
vague enthusiasms, of poses and atti-
tudes and yearnings. The contagion
which is to be caught is that Of work,
OF desperate. eager labor. of high and
low resolve that certain tasks shall
be accomplished because our human
fate depends upon the doing Of them.
In this sense it is the will which Is at
work. the will to be a mind that un-
derstands. The resolution here in
volved is not an easy one; one does
not sit and idly dream ones way into
that purpose. One works and strives,
and 50 strength comes, and LIBERAL
mindedness may be achieved IL one
has will enough to follow after It
until one catches up.
And so. under our first point. two
questions may be asked about our
liberal colleges. First, have they az
teachers men whose minds are high
in quality and who are striving with
those minds TO do the things which
we need done by them? And second.
can We inspire our young Americans
to follow after minds like these and
learn to do what they are doing; can
we develop in our boys zest for in
tellectual power and proves? Have
we teachers and have We pupils?
Those are the questions in which we
ask whether or not we have colleges
at all. However bad our previous rec.
ord, we dare to hope that after the
war those questions may get better
answers. Our colleges may give us
liberal men and liberal thinking.
There is no other gift which we SO
desperately need.
Our second point has to do with