Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-21
BY ARTHUR E. MORGAN.
President Antioch Collese. yellow Springs

III
other characteristics than his
~ too obvious nose Marx Twain
had great difficulty in being
anything but humorist to his readers.
Both cases illustrate a common fault
Of human nature-the trait of being
satisfied with identifying men and
things and but little concerned with
understanding them. In every day life
we are content with observing and re-
membering a few obvious peculiarities
of whatever we meet, so that we can
recognize or know" them. This type
of "knowing' does not discriminate
values
Antioch College has a fundamental
educational philosophy which affects
every phase of higher education. In
the expression of that philosophy GER
though not original with Antioch, are
striking and novel to the casual OBJ
server. These methods are proving to
have educational value even beyond
our expectations.
Methods Express Philosophy.
Yet they are but incidental to the
development Of an inclusive plan, and
we object to the casual judgment
which assumes that because one has
observed an obvious characteristic the
whole has been duly appraised.
Speak of Antioch and you often hear
the remark: "Oh, yes; that Is where stu
dents pass half their time at college
and half in industry and commerce"
The expression that is where" may
just as properly be used with reference
to any one of several other notable de-
partures which Antioch has made from
conventional methods Yet each of
these methods is but an element In
the expression of a philosophy and
not one is so radical, so novel or so
nearly unique as the underlying phi
losophy of which 1t is the partial ex-
preston
Like most great developments which
grow out Of fundamental human needs
education has been a haphazard, en-
pirical growth In actual practice it
seldom has felt the need of a general
principle which would complete, as
well as discipline and harmonic its
conflicting expressions. The Antioch
| philosophy of education in both theory
and practice undertakes to do nothing
less than that
Major Qualities Analysed.
Antioch attempts to make a DELHI
| crate survey of the entire range of
major human affairs and to observe
what qualities of body, mind, person.
atty and character have significant in
! huence on the outcome of living. It
endeavors to. discover to what degree
and in what manner all these major
human qualities may be developed,
modified and disciplined to bring about
| the total greatest worth of personality.
In making this appraisal 1t does not
| stop at elements commonly included in
| a conventional college program. There
Is no field of human concern of which
it will say: THAT is outside the proper
| province of the college" Neither does
it take the attitude that while its one
real concern is scholarship, various
other interests will be tolerated, but
with an inferior status.
Every human trait and quality is
| equally within its field. For such a
| survey, sustained effort is necessary to
keep critical mind and to see issues
! that exist even though they never have
been brought within conventional edu-
| cation.
Mass Limitations Avoided.
With that appraisal as a guide An
tioch undertakes to build a program
which will bring about the best pos
! sible development of each significant
| quality and it endeavors to give en-
phasis to each in proportion as it is
important in life and not as it Is con-
ventionally valued in education. We
| recognize that individuals vary in the
emphasis they can most proftably give
| to different elements of development,
| and thus we endeavor to escape from
one Of the limitations of mass methods
| of education
| The greatest handicap to the success
| OF any such undertaking is the natural
| tendency of students and faculty men,
bers in every institution to see the
world in the light of the educational
doctrinated This indoctrination makes
most men largely incapable Of fresh
! outlooks as to educational values.
The commonest objection to Antioch
Is that there are no universally ac-
cepted canons of value to serve as sure
| guides, and that, lacking such stand
| ards, the best policy is to follow tradi-
tion-with occasional notifications in
detail after research in special fields
or to let the accidental and undirected
interests of the student be, his guide
through the n1azes of educational OPP
portunity. This objection cannot be
sustained. Sometimes it is a ration
alization of the failure to have an in
elusive educational philosophy as an
actual working guide.
Ideal Kept in View.
1t is common human experience that
If we keep an ideal clearly in view as an
aim We can constantly approach its
realization, even though it cannot be
given complete and unqualified defini-
/ ton. The ideal that a government
should exist to promote the well being
Of its citizens is q good illustration. It
is valid and practical ideal, though we
cannot fully define. the well being it
seeks.
Another position often vigorously
maintained in educational discussions
is that the one proper business of the
college is scholarship: that a college
must vigorously limit it's field of effort
and leave to other agencies the disci-
pine OF other phases of personality.
This position, while still strongly held,
is being gradually modified.
A contrasting criticism takes the form
OF complete agreement with the Anti
och aim, with the further observation:
"Of course, that is just what all higher
education is trying to accomplish. What
peculiar endowment has Antioch to
justify its expectation Of exceptional
success?" We believe this criticism does
not state the real issue.
No Unique Equipment Claimed.
Antioch claims no unique equipment
for it's task. If Antioch is approxi-
mately unique in any significant respect,
it is in consciously keeping in the fore
ground of attention the principle we
have stated and in making it the actual
control in the college program.
The effect of such course is very
different from that of giving abstract
philosophical approval while allowing
ira iitiona- educational outlooEs, modi-
fed only in minor details by the re-
suits of experience and research, to
continue in control of practical policy.
We believe that any American college |
which actually adopts the philosophy
we have outlined will be compelled into
revolutionary changes. There are novel
and revolutionary educational policies