The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-17

education Of a college graduate by the
number Of credits he had-cerfihcsfes
of buttons pushed. The test Of the col
lIege product is not what has he done?'
but what has he become?
So far as the college is concerned,
then. the students becoming depends
upon the kind Of men he comes in con-
tact with. and whether in those contacts
he is awskened-electrihed- Electrified
by the touch Of personalities. Of the ad-
minisirsiiye officers, as well as OF in
struc,ors and fellow-students. to say
nothing Of the great thinkers and work
ers whose personal spirits speak from
great books and great achievements.
Electrified not only for the sake Of be-
ing elecirihed-ihough that is good
enough as far as il goes-but in order
to gain power and direction for the do
ing Of work that shall satisfy his soul
and enable him TO pull at any rate a
little more than his weight in the boat.
knowledge, like money. depends for
the quality Of Ifs power upon the quality
OF the men who possess il. Only
million-dOllar man can be trusted with
d million dollars. Only an educated man
can be trusted with learning. In the
hands Of ihirty-cent character either
knowledge or money is at best dreary
waste; at worst dangerous obstruction
TO progress. On the other hand. electri-
fed personality without knowledge is
perilous 10 both possessor and communi-
iy. 1t j. the business Of the teacher 10
make the contact between knowledge and
power.
The professor. instructor. ieacher-call
him what YOU will. and make what dis
tinctions you will. ! mean the person
ality who TO the students represents the
college instructions 2so human. He
is just as much the continuing product
of all his herediiy. home atmosphere,
and school. and college experience as the
boy, His personal equation is just as
important 10 the educational result as
that Of the boy or his family. He is
governed by facts very real in his life,
and pecuniary.
Paid on Basis of Common Labor.
There Is his salary. In this country
We do not take education seriously. Ii
looks 10 a man up tree as If We paid
our teachers in ratio inverse to their
with our children. Reward
increasing as the teacher gets further
away from the child. The man in COL
lege who gets closest 10 the student. who
makes the most difference to the in
dividual-wheiher he shall get the sub
jecis he is studying really into his life
or merely tack them on the outside of
him-has in the average case a salary so /
low that he cannot well marry or save
money for marriage; he cannot buy
books; he cannot travel or enrich his
life by any considerable social contacts. |
Exactly because he is transmitting the |
stored capital from the mines Of knowl- 4
edge into kilowafts Of power in the in
dividual boy he is paid on the basis of
common labor.
He has to take il out in love for his /
work Without that he doesn't get any,
where. And love for boys.
II the instructor Of whatever grade
holds the medieval idea that education
IS the exclusive prerogative Of a cloister-
ed cult. or OF caste, and resents what !
he regards as the invasion Of a horde !
81 barbarian youth into sacred precincts
he may still be in some sense a pro-
iound scholar, bu, he will not do much |
II he views the students either
socially or intellectually with condescend.
ing contempt; il he resents and despises
teaching as an interference
with his work as researcher or author. .
Or as in some way derogaiory to his
dignity as scholar. he will not get far
with students.
There is distinction. to be sure. be-
tween the scholar and the teacher. There
are men OF profound learning who have |
not the gift Of imparting it to others. !
and there are those who without great
earning have capacity for giving life |