The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-06-21
URGES GLASS TO
DISCRIMINATE
Pres. Thomas of Middle
bury College Addresses
His Seniors
RIGHT CHOOSING
TEST OF EDUCATION
The Man of Trained Mind
Should Be Able to Dis
criminata.in Himself

The Importance of discrimination
was urged upon the rs graduates oil
Middlebury college by President Thorn.
as in his baccalaureate sermon yestcr.
day. He said in part:
If it could be said truthfully of one
that he Disseminated, there would be
need of no further testimony of strong
and upright character Every time
before the failure of a weak will is
The confusion and fallacy of a weak
mind. The hand follows the eve. You
ran not strike where you do not look.
Unless the eye holds clear and steady
on the bulls-eye, unhinching at the fire,
there is no chance of perfect score.
Moral failure is intellectual failure
first, to far greater degree than We
realize. You will always find a twist
I'd view of things, perverted series Of
notions, in one who has departed Sc
riously from integrity and honor.
We explain these perverse ideas as
attempts at excuse and self defense.
invented after the act. The truth,
believe, is that they preceded the deed,
and had there been a mind clear to see
things as they are and strong to hold
fast by established facts and reasoned
convictions, the error would not have
been committed. The defaulter does
not intend to steal: he is only making
q quiet temporary loan. The liar does
not mean to lie; he is only being tact
full, diplomatic, courteous, seryiceable to
some good end, escaping from posi-
ton in which others had no right to
place him.
If it could be said truthfully of one
that he Disseminated, it would testi
fy that he passed by thousand occu
pations of his time harmless enough,
interesting perhaps, valuable and sui
ficient for some persons in some cir
cumstances. but unrelated to what
should be the main purpose OF his life.
The way to the highest usefulness for
every man is to adopt the motto
"This one thing | do, Judging rightly
what that one thing should be, and then
to distinguish clearly and accurately
what will contribute to it," Clear iudg-
and achieving power of will. We say
that men fail because they are tickle,
irresolute, weak in purpose, indiffer-
ent and lazy. The cause lies farther |
back
The root of the difficulty is not in
the will, but in the mind. If they saw
the goal clear. they would not waver
from it. If they had Judgment to APP |
praise rightly the exceeding value of |
the prize, they would not be irreso
lutte. 1t is because they do not have
mind enough to understand, that they |
do not rouse their energies. | doubt
very much the existence of those ex-
eeedingly clever and brilliant individ
uals who might achieve the highest |
possible success if they wished to do
so.
That they do not wish disproves the
alleged ability. They may have flashes
of insight, exeeseences of talent of
one sort or another, but no man who
sees clearly and in its glory a man
hood developed to its full power, mag
nifcent in its strength, towering in its
influence, forging its way up the
heights of achievement, pushing the
wayne man who has soul enough to
catch that glory does not spring to the
fight for it and stay by to the triumph.
More do not strive because more do
not see. They do not want to because
they do not understand. The root of
moral difficulty is in the mind, in the
lack of ability TO distinguish values,
in the want of power to discriminate.
If it could he said of one that he
it would testify that he
had not given his strength to endeav-
ors founded on half truths, to under
takings so mingled of fact and fancy |
and so indifferent to certain funda-
mental realities and convictions as to
he impossible of realization. There
is enough benevolence, enough good in
tention, enough spirit of service in this
world to turn il into a paradise in
single generation. The trouble with
things is not the lack of reformers.
nor in their sincerity, or enthusiasm. or