Evening star., 1921-06-08
UMSELFISH LABOR
FOR CIVILIZATION,
PRESIDENTS PLEA
Continued from First Page,

CONTINUED from First Pagel
Nobody will ever live long enough to
be wise enough to equip himself with
all the wisdom Of the past. to say
nothing Of projecting 1t into the Iu-
fture. The. student who has learned
the art. OF learning. Of application OF
concentration upon the particular
problem before him will find that ne
is better qualified for the practical
affairs of life than the one who mas
|, merely slowed even very great ar
ray of facts in his brain. -.
i Books are tremendously useiui II
they be made the servitors OF the IN
quiring mind: they may be deadenlng
. and worse than useless If they become
/. the master of the too receptive hino.
/. He who has learned how TO use DOORS
how to find what he requires IN them
and then to apply it. without the ne
cessity of overlooking his mind win
unnecessary detail. is the one VINO mas
, made his educational preparation
most useful. AS a mere storase Ware
house for facts. beliefs, Impressions
. the human mind is an unsatisfactory
plant. 1t is too liable to error and
too limited in it's capacity. But. ON the
other side, when it is used as a ma
cerator OF Information. moldlns. oe-
veloping. forming and reformlms
mechanism it does its best work. 70
do that work it must possess tne
qualities of boldness. originality. con-
fidence. 1t must be capable OF sus-
tanned and well directed effort.
so to the young men and women
in cap and gown, gathered here ana
on a thousand other platforms TO re-
ceiye the testimonies that they have
mil
courses l would plead that they rec
ognize that, after all. the effectiveness
of their educational effort will at last
be in proportion to their recognition
that it is only preparation and not
conclusion.
Education Never Finished.
There is no such thing as finished
, ever lived took his last observation
of life and living into a mind which
was still in the processes of prepara-
ton.
1T is, I think. a part of our ma
tional good fortune that we have
think the college graduate who
imagines himself at the completion
of his education is one of the most
pathetic human Spectacles we nave
! to view. Fortunately. he is not near
ly so numerous as the humorous
A IL
Fortunately. also, in case he may be
too well endowed with self-esteem
and confidence. the world has special
facilities for rapidly and efficaciously
reducing the excess of assurance.
Its democracy is one of the fine
things about our American system
of higher education. 1t is almost in
ably true that any young man or
woman. who earnestly wishes it, may
attain the privileges Of the best edu-
, cational preparation. There is. thank
God, no caste system here. All kinds
of experience. of social background.
of ancestry. of tradition, of training
are brought together in the melting
pot of the American college or uni
versity. Neither social nor intel
lectual snobbery is likely very long
to survive such experience. That is
why education. when it is of the right
'sort. is the greatest leveling and
,'democratizing influence We can find.
1t inculcates a realization of true
standards. an appreciation of the fact
are. after all. but the superfcialties
of life as compared to the funda-
tails of character, ambition and
determined purpose. To whatever
extent it fails to impress this con-
! ception of the democracy of intellect,
education will brand itself a failure.
| Welcome ON Worlds Stage.
! The young men and women who
are coming upon the worlds stage to-
day. equipped to take their parts as
, leaders will find themselves well
coined as their predecessors have not
! always been in other times. Human
ity is seeking as it never sought be-
| fore for those who can see widely.
clearly. fearlessly; who will be cap
and what is right. and courageous
enough to stand for it, though they
stand alone. Interrogation points
! have been written in the blood and
sufferings of countless millions, at the
end of a Thousand statements of what
little time ago we deemed the very
basic principles of economics of So
of public policy and human justice.
We must have that faculty of fine
: discrimination which shall UNDER
cIaDd v hat is good, true and reliable
and what is false, unjust and vicious.
Il have known somewhat intimately
a good many young people who have
tesr growing into their years Of ma :
turIty within the time Of the greet
crisis through which the world bas
been and is still passing. My obser-
vation Of them and of their attitp.es
toward life has given me, I may tell
y"u, a grtater confidence in ou- fu-
ture than seems to be reflected N the
would have US believe that. because
our young people nowadays see things
differently than we older ones saw
them, the youth of today must some-
how be a bit degenerate.
"On the other hand, am convinced
that their early Introduction to the
realities of life has given to the
youth OF cur day truer perspective.
a better appraisal Of human and so
ciel values. I have faith to believe
| that success. in the minds of edu-
Gated young people today. means less
in terms of dollars than it did two
generaticns, or generation, or q
decade ago, and that it means more
in terms of sincere human service
| than it ever Gld before. If 1 am right.
then surely we have accomplished
much tor tine betterment of mankind; i;
FOR it is a great thing to have in-
| planted such a spirit, such a purpose.
such a v;sitn, in the minds and Souls
OF those who are to direct our future.
This We l.a>e done to greater ex-
tent in our generation tkan ever be-
! fore in a like period.
Hold to National Ideals.
"The world and its experience con-
stituse the greater uniyersity nv 81 com In
plete, so far as it is humanity pos
sible, your education. I pray you to
go out to it without too much thought
of personal rewards, OF individual
gains: and yet. not to thrust these
considerations entirely aside. Be gen.
erous. but do not dissipate your
capital of knowledge and ability In
aimless, useless generosities. Hold
| true to those ideals which your own
country and it's institutions represent.
We Americans will best help mankind
at large if we most earnestly sustain
men Immediately about us. Let us
| make our America the best place on
earth in which men and women may